Today we are thrilled to have comedy power duo Samantha Gutstadt and Haely White on The Mag. Sam and Haely are the ultimate multi-hyphenates - actors, writers, entrepreneurs and creators of the ultra-popular Don’t Call Me Mommy. Read more about how they met, their comedy studio, how they stay true to themselves and much more!

We love a power-mom team. Introduce yourselves - how did you meet and where are you based?

Thanks for finding us! We are both based in Los Angeles on the westside. Haely’s in Santa Monica and Sam’s in Brentwood. We met many fine lines ago as red carpet hosts covering a comedy festival together. We were tag teaming some interviews together and it just flowed so well. But it wasn’t until years later that we deeply reconnected and realized we had a lot to talk about: the INSANITY of parenting. Sam randomly pitched a show idea we threw out that night and happy hour and they ended up wanting to make it, and next thing we knew it we were off! We basically started a business overnight...by accident. Whoops.

What inspired you to start a modern parent comedy content studio?

Sam: I was auditioning as an actor and producing and hosting for Nylon magazine, then became a mom and felt like I needed to create content about what I was going through, as fun as Coachella was. I also felt like I was waiting for permission to be creative and I was tired of that. It happened before we realized we had started a business and we just kept going. I’m having the time of my life!

Haely: I was working at an ad agency and making my own content on the side, and saw that brands needed more good short-form digital content. Then, I would witness my original ideas for brand campaigns go through so many hands and my originally decent ideas would get so watered down, so I knew there was a better way. I had to do it on my own! Once Sam and I started working together, it just happened very naturally and more platforms and brands wanted relatable comedy so making a content studio was the natural next step.

What are three tips you can share about “staying true to yourself" post baby?

Sam: Self care was huge for me, whether that was a walk, a manicure or simply a glass of wine with no one asking anything of me for 20 min. Another was finding who I was again, staying creative and holding onto the piece of me that was not only a mom. Lastly watching Lifetime movies as much as I want, with zero guilt or judgment.

Haely: For me, it was asking for time to be alone. To not be attached to a human. To nap. To go dancing with friends. To drink wine during the day? The early months of motherhood are such a shock and no matter how much you adore them, you need to be able to advocate for yourself and take breaks. Digging back into hobbies and things like dancing was my release, and continues to be! #jazzhandsforever

What is one thing/aspect that makes your brand so memorable?

Sam: I would hope that it’s the real truths we are sharing, albiet veiled in humor, and the way we (over) share our own hardships and lives to make our community feel we are all in this together. Because we are.

Haely: Underneath it all is our desire to bring moms and parents together. Our goal is to make people laugh at the stuff no one really talks about, and remind them they are never alone. The great thing about digital content is our village can be spread all over the world. At least that’s the hope someday!

Name other content creators that you love.

Sam and Haely: As far as bad@$$ mom duos, we love Cat and Nat, Mom So Hard, Leeann + Michelle & Moms in Cars. It’s so fun to see different versions of this type of content and we love each one of their style and humor.

Anything else you’d like to add?

We have a new series and comedy coming out on @Parents YouTube! It’s all quarantine comedy to get us through the madness, and a Love is Blind parody about making mom friends in captivity, I mean quarantine. We shot it completely in quarantine on our iphones which was a challenge. You can check out all episodes here.

We also have a column in Romper called Everything is Embarrassing for when you need to laugh.

And finally, where can we find you?