Podcast Summary: Next in Media – Alessandra Catanese on Transforming Smosh

Host: Mike Shields
Guest: Alessandra Catanese, CEO of Smosh
Episode Date: January 13, 2026

Overview

This episode of Next in Media dives into how Alessandra Catanese transformed Smosh, a longstanding YouTube comedy brand, into a modern, 70-person media powerhouse. The discussion covers Smosh’s evolution from its early days on YouTube to its current multifaceted business, producing a slate of accessible comedic content and generating revenue through diverse channels. Catanese offers deep insights into creator-led businesses, the convergence of digital and traditional media, and the future of video monetization and brand partnerships.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Smosh’s Evolution: From Youtube’s Early Days to Media Company

[01:03 - 05:36]

• Origins and Resilience:
  Mike Shields expresses surprise at Smosh’s longevity given its many transitions since YouTube’s infancy.
  • "If you asked me in 2025, would they still be around...I would have been like, I don’t know. Not because the content wasn’t great and...they went through so many changes." ([01:03] – Mike Shields)
• Business Mindset Shift:
  Catanese, once Anthony Padilla’s talent manager, realized over time that creators function as businesses regardless of scale.
  • "Any creator at any size is a full-scale business...When I was talent managing, the creator was the CEO...when Ian and Anthony and I sat down together to talk about Smosh, we were creating the vision together." ([01:25], [04:12] – Alessandra Catanese)
• Leadership Philosophy:
  Even as CEO, Catanese stresses shared vision and succession planning for Smosh’s founders.
  • "Them putting me as CEO didn’t...mean I run the company...They’re still owners and visionaries."
  • "You’re going to want to retire...let’s figure out where you want to remain on camera, and where you need to take a step back." ([05:10] – Alessandra Catanese)

2. What Smosh Looks Like Today: Channels, Cast, and Content

[05:50 - 09:21]

• Multichannel Network:
  Smosh now operates five active YouTube channels, supporting social media, and a 15-person cast (along with ongoing cast expansion).
  • "We have five active YouTube channels...a cast of 15, including Anthony and Ian...we have a full-fledged merch business now."
• Merch Personalization:
  Merchandise lines are expanding to individual cast members and fans can access Smosh without deep lore.
  • "Each cast member has...plans to launch more merchandising that is...their own line...We’re making sure that content, merch...you don’t have to know the history in order to get it or to like it."

3. Content Accessible for All

• Format Innovation:
  Shows like "Do You Know Your Duo?" and "Culinary Crimes" are designed to be accessible for newcomers.
  • "Anybody can watch that. You don’t have to know who Courtney is, you don’t have to know who Shane is..."
• Forthcoming Parody Show:
  “Smosh Hospital” (Grey’s Anatomy spoof) channels SNL’s improv with unique twists for the CTV (connected TV) experience.
  • "Imagine watching SNL, but every time a character breaks, a different cast member has to replace them." ([09:24] – Alessandra Catanese)
  • "It’s lively, exciting...shows off the best of improv...there’s some scripted to have a plotline, but for the most part, I have no idea what’s gonna happen in this show." ([09:53] – Alessandra Catanese)

4. Optimizing for the YouTube CTV/Living Room Era

[10:22 - 14:40]

• Production Investment:
  Smosh now routinely invests in 4K and higher production quality with TV screens in mind.
  • "For the last year and a half, we’ve been investing in 4K...It’s very expensive...but expanding your server is even more expensive."
• Designing for the Living Room:
  There’s a conscious effort to make content TV-friendly, like with Summer Games, which incorporated 4K and reality TV conventions.
• Shifting Platforms and Discovery:
  Catanese predicts YouTube will increasingly differentiate “TV” content from search-indexed creator fare.
  • "I think in the future...content like ours is no longer on the search engine side, dumped in with everything else, but actually highlighted…as a TV service." ([13:30] – Alessandra Catanese)

5. The Business Side: Lessons from MCNs and Direct Sales

[15:25 - 20:59]

• MCN (Multi-Channel Network) Legacy:
  Owning your own CMS (content management system) is now seen as crucial for independence and accountability, learning from MCN boom and bust cycles.
  • "The thing I’ve learned that’s helped me at SMOSH is the value of maintaining and owning your own CMS...also owning the sales and that process is so much power."
• Collaboration over Competition:
  The collaborative spirit of the original MCNs lives on—community and network-building still matter.
  • "We don’t have competition. We have collaborators...collaboration at the heart...and lean away from this us versus them conflict mentality, the better everybody’s going to do." ([21:01] – Catanese)
  • "Rising tides raise all ships." ([22:33] – Catanese)

6. Creator Monetization and Brand Partnerships

[22:34 - 30:23]

• Evolving Brand Integrations:
  Catanese describes how brands sometimes still fail to understand authentic creator integrations, insisting on intrusive scripts or formats.
  • "We have to sincerely represent [brands]. If we don’t have a sincere read...we’re not going to sell them something we don’t sincerely use..." ([24:30] – Catanese)
  • "Brands need to start getting smarter...they come through saying, we want to work with you, but we...don’t give a shit about the way...you would create this content yourself."
• The Value of Data and Audience Feedback:
  YouTube integrations outperform TV in speed and quality of feedback.
  • "You can turn to a platform like YouTube and work with a partner like us...and you can get our metrics...immediately we see comments of people being like, I'm down with this." ([27:40] – Catanese)
• Brand Professionalization Lag:
  Some challenger brands are more open, but many still treat creator deals as if they’re unstructured bedroom projects, not serious productions.
  • "Oftentimes we get brands who are like...let’s kick it to next week...we weren’t able to get Legal to approve in time. We’re like, hey, that’s not how it works for us." ([29:15] – Catanese)
  • "They’re behind on the professionalization thing...even though they think they’re getting it." ([30:23] – Shields)

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments

• On creator business acumen:
  "Today’s version of Smosh is...not just a media and production company. I also think about us as a brand." ([02:50] – Catanese)
• On balancing legacy and fresh talent:
  "They’re today’s version of the company, and they’re the future...you’re going to want to retire...Let’s figure out where you want to remain on camera and...take a step back." ([05:07] – Catanese)
• On collaboration in the industry:
  "We don’t have competition, we have collaborators. My social team gets lunch with Mythical’s social team. My production manager gets coffee with Dropouts’ production manager." ([21:01] – Catanese)
• On content accessibility:
  "We’re performers who are really great at improv and comedy...there’s something accessible for everybody." ([07:50] – Catanese)
• On the blending of digital and traditional media:
  "There is no such thing as traditional or digital anymore. The more we embrace collaboration...the better everybody’s going to do." ([21:21] – Catanese)
• On brand partnership pitfalls:
  "I think like brands need to start getting smarter...we would never make a video with like this kind of language or...doing it your way. You kind of don’t get us right now."
• Mike Shields, on industry change:
  "You wouldn’t do that to Fox or NBC or whatever...Like, this is a new company."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:03] – Smosh’s evolution and Alessandra’s path to CEO
• [06:22] – Breakdown of current Smosh channels and business
• [09:24] – “Smosh Hospital” format and content philosophy
• [10:47] – Investing in TV-quality YouTube production
• [13:08] – Predictions for YouTube’s TV interface and discovery
• [16:04] – Lessons from the MCN era and the importance of an owned CMS
• [21:01] – Industry mindset shift to collaboration over competition
• [23:14] – Brand integration strategies and issues with legacy advertising mindsets
• [27:40] – Real-time data advantages of creator platforms
• [29:15] – Why brands struggle to understand creator professionalism

Tone and Language

The conversation is forthright, occasionally irreverent, and detailed. Both Shields and Catanese speak candidly and with humor about the operational realities of digital media and the innovator’s mindset required to thrive. Catanese, in particular, balances enthusiasm about creator opportunity with tough love for slow-to-adapt advertisers.

Conclusion

This episode provides a revealing look at how a legacy digital comedy brand like Smosh has professionalized, diversified, and stayed relevant. Alessandra Catanese’s leadership is defined by her talent management background, respect for collaboration, and pragmatic realism about both creator empowerment and industry inertia. For anyone interested in the new media business, Smosh is a model of adaption and sustained creativity.