EXCLUSIVE: Nate Bargatze’s Nateland has promoted Adrian Kulp to EVP of Digital, Production, Content + Special Live Events.
With Nateland for a little under two and a half years, Kulp was previously SVP of Digital + Production. As EVP, he will continue to spearhead Nateland’s incubator, or farm system, for the elevation of the next generation of clean-comedy talent.
Bargatze has formalized the steps comics go through as part of his incubator as follows— they go from stand-out performance at his weekly Nashville residency show Nateland Live, to tapings for his series The Showcase, to half-hour and full-hour specials under his Nateland Presents banner, to further opportunities.
In a statement to Deadline, Kulp underscored that Nateland’s farm system for comedians has become “a big part of how we think about the future.”
He explained, “We want talented people to have multiple ways into Nateland and multiple opportunities once they’re here — whether that’s Nateland Live, The Showcase, a half-hour or hour special, a podcast or eventually an original series. As we build relationships with more comedians, writers and creators, the opportunity is to create a real home for clean comedy where talent can develop, audiences can discover them and we can build new things together.”
You can read more about each core facet of the Nateland universe below.
In his new role at Nateland, Kulp will also continue to expand Nateland’s library of specials, series, live recordings and original IP, original digital series and repeatable comedy formats. He will work to grow the company’s slate of podcasts and expand its relationships with clean-comedy writers, creators, hosts and emerging talent, in the stand-up world and beyond.
The next stage of the expansion has already been conceived, with a slate of comedy specials releasing on the Nateland YouTube Channel through end of year that we can announce exclusively. This includes a half-hour from Mike Goodwin (premiering today), half-hours from Brad Upton (October 9) and Alex Velluto (October TBD), another half-hour from John Heffron (November TBD), and a full hour from Graham Kay (December TBD).
Bargatze’s right hand Kulp has worked for nearly three decades across comedy, television, publishing and digital entertainment. He began his career booking comedy for CBS’ The Late Late Show before moving into development with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions and Chelsea Handler’s Borderline Amazing Productions. Subsequently, he founded a comedy-driven fatherhood brand, produced A&E’s Modern Dads, and authored six parenting books that have sold more than a million copies worldwide. After relocating to Nashville, he expanded into live radio, streaming and podcasts, executive producing projects with Cumulus Media and Apple Music.
Since joining Nateland in 2024, Kulp has helped expand the company from its flagship podcast into a growing multi-platform comedy and entertainment ecosystem. He oversees digital and production initiatives spanning the Nateland Podcast Network, Nateland Live, Nateland Presents: The Showcase, half-hour and hour-long stand-up specials and premium-platform projects, while building an interconnected pipeline that moves comedy talent across live performance, podcasts, digital programming, specials and larger development opportunities.
Speaking to Kulp’s promotion, Bargatze said, “Adrian has been a huge part of building Nateland into what it is today. We’ve proven what we can do. Now, we’re being even more intentional about how we grow and level up for what comes next.”
While continuing to scale his family-friendly production banner Nateland Entertainment, Bargatze recently announced plans to expand in another direction simultaneously with the launch of No Pictures, a company producing film and television that will delve into edgier genres and stories more suited for older audiences. We were first to the story.
LIVE EVENTS, FORMATS + SPECIALSNateland Live – Weekly Nashville Residency ShowSince 2024, Nateland has hosted Nateland Live, a Monday night residency show at The Lab at Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville; a 90-minute live event that features clean comics from across the country.
Nateland Presents: The ShowcaseA stand-up comedy series; currently premiering Season 5 with comedian Collin Chamberlin (Thursday, 9/17), with Season 6 filming in Spring 2027. Current library includes sets from 75+ rising and veteran comedians.
Nateland Presents: Half-Hour SpecialsAn ongoing series of 1/2 hour specials filmed at the historic Woolworth Theatre in Nashville beginning this week with the premiere of Nateland Presents: Mike Goodwin (9/18).
Bio: Mike is a stand-up comedian, speaker, and leader native to Camden, South Carolina who holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of South Carolina. He’s a veteran of the U.S. Army, as well as a former primary and secondary education professional who infuses his varied life experiences into his act, making him relatable to audiences from all walks of life. He’s appeared on America’s Got Talent, Dry Bar Comedy, Lifetime, BET, Amazon Prime, TBN, Daystar, USA, the Word Network and Circle TV, and been featured on SiriusXM, the That Sounds Fun Podcast Tour with Annie F. Downs and USO Europe Comedy Tour.
Special Description: In his latest special, Mike Goodwin brings his warm, unmistakably Southern perspective to Nashville for a half hour about getting older, raising kids, staying married, growing up in the church, and trying to make sense of a world that feels a little different than the one he came up in. From sending his oldest daughter off to college and navigating life after 50, to teenage sons, old-school teachers, Southern expressions, weddings, fatherhood and his own time in the Army, Mike turns everyday observations into stories that are both deeply relatable and uniquely his own. It’s clean, personal comedy delivered with the kind of charm, storytelling and playful exasperation that makes you feel like you’ve been sitting on the porch laughing with him the whole time.
Nateland continues expanding the clean comedy library with hour specials including the upcoming premiere of Nateland Presents: Brad Upton ‘Code Blue’ (10/9); filmed at The Franklin Theatre in Tennessee.
Brad has the most-viewed Nateland Showcase set of all-time with over a half-million views.
Bio: With a career spanning over 37 years, comedy veteran Brad Upton is just getting started. The former fourth grade teacher and part-time track coach is seeing a resurgence unlike anyone else. His 2019 Dry Bar comedy special, Boomer Triggers Gen-Z Snowflakes, boasts 16.1 million views on YouTube. The album hit No. 1 on the iTunes Charts and drove his ensuing special I’m Not Done Yet to new heights. Collectively, the clips and full specials have garnered well over 200 million views across all platforms and continue to build momentum from newfound fans all across the country. Over his career, Brad has appeared with acts like Jeff Foxworthy, Neal McCoy, Kenny Rogers, Lewis Black, Dolly Parton, George Jones and even now continues to tour with music icon Johnny Mathis. In 2019, he drew the attention of the Grand Ole Opry where he’s had the honor to step into the circle multiple times becoming a regular guest.
Special Description: Brad Upton has spent decades finding the funny in getting older. In Code Blue, he may have more material than ever. From pill caddies and bad drivers to marriage, kids, generational differences and the indignities that come with aging, Brad brings his sharp, boomer perspective to an hour of comedy about a life well lived — and a body that occasionally has other plans.
After Upton, the hour production pipeline includes: Graham Kay Hour (December premiere).
Nateland at Sea + LiveDuring Super Bowl Week 2026, Nateland presented Nateland at Sea on Norwegian, a 5-day cruise experience for superfans; daily programming that included 25 comedians, live podcasts, and a surprise sneak-preview live episode of Nate’s Greatest Average American before its premiere on ABC.
Archive, Library + DistributionCreating a long-term library of owned/controlled programming and reusable IP. To date, between the podcast network and archive, stand-up specials, BTS content from Nate’s tours, digital series and more on the way — Nateland is a clean comedy destination with over 1,000 hours of programming.
NATELAND PODCASTINGThe Nateland Podcast Network is built around original formats developed within Nateland and established shows brought into the network that align with the Nateland audience and brand:
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