Former “Veep” producer and director Stephanie Laing is building a new forum for female-centric comedy.
The online network PYPO will debut on January 4, 2016, with sketches, animation, illustration and other editorial content exploring a new issue every week, such as why women are prone to saying sorry or what it means to have it all. A twice-weekly newsletter, the PYPEline, will also ask readers to weigh in on the topic of the week on Monday and publish some of the responses on Thursday.
PYPO stands for Put Your Pretty On — a slogan through which Laing hopes to change what it means to be “pretty.” When she noticed her daughter needing to “put her pretty on” (in this case, apply some ChapStick) before leaving the house six years ago, she decided to change what it means to present oneself and prepare for the outside world. “Put Your Pretty On became our mantra on how to live your life,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “When she was nervous for a test, I’d say, ‘put your pretty on.’”
“The biggest focus for us is that we’re not reporting the news,” said Laing of her new venture, which she co-founded with former Beats exec Susan Paley and former Capitol File editor Elizabeth Thorp. “There are a lot of sites like that focused on women that are great, but we want to create the news. Our focus is on original content and digital shorts. We want to provide that platform for women comics to try out material. Our message to them was, ‘Let us help you be your own producer. Let us help you execute something.’”
PYPO’s current line-up of writers and producers include Georgia Pritchett (“Veep”), Gemma Baker (“Mom”) and Marie Claire executive editor Lea Goldman. Contributors will also be drawn from the political world, and the network plans to tackle the current presidential race.
“We won’t just have stuff where women are curling their hair,” Laing said, adding she wants to push boundaries. “When you push the line content-wise and people think it’s funny, you can draw the line again.”
Watch the PYPO trailer below, which includes cameos from Rose Byrne, Michaela Watkins and “The Office” star Angela Kinsey.
[via THR]
