Office Hours with Spencer Rascoff

JibJab CEO Paul Hanges On How His Entertainment Studio has Attained Longevity on the Internet

Paul Hanges, CEO of JibJab speaks with Office Hours host Spencer Rascoff about how the L.A.-based digital entertainment studio has attained success beyond its viral videos by moving into the eCards space and using its unique blend of satirical humor to compete with rivals Hallmark and American Greetings. Founded in 1999 by brothers Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, the company first achieved widespread attention during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Their video of candidates George Bush and John Kerry singing “This Land Is Your Land” became a viral hit. JibJab has produced commercials and short videos for clients including Sony, Noggin, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids, Sprout, NBC, Qubo and Disney before focusing on what eventually became their flagship personalized eCard and messaging services. They've seen surprising success with their animated sticker-making program which became a top App Store download. In 2019, JibJab was acquired by the private equity firm Catapult Capital.

Spencer Rascoff is a New York Times bestselling author who co-founded four tech companies, invested in over 50, and was CEO of Zillow for a decade. His first start-up, Hotwire, sold to Expedia for $685 million, and his second start-up, Zillow, is now a real estate colossus, worth around $10 billion dollars. Now, he’s cofounded dot.LA, a media company covering the cutting-edge LA tech scene. Hear Spencer speak with CEOs, start-up founders, venture capitalists, and prominent thought leaders about how to manage, how to lead, and how to win in business.