Male-targeted service, one of the largest online portals for viral video, has launched Break Entertainment to procure and fund original content from undiscovered talent.

Former Broken Lizard Industries exec Tara Leone will run the group, serving as director of content and licensing.

Although Break already licenses much of its user-generated content, paying up to $250 for videos submitted, company will now go after talent to produce original fare specifically for the site. Break's online competitors like YouTube.com and eBaum's World do not pay for or license the content found on their sites.

Break will field pitches directly from Web creators and spend up to $15,000 for a shortform project. Division has already signed budding Los Angeles-based comedy sketch group Studio 8 to a development deal.

Content coming out of Break Entertainment will be available on the site, which gets nearly 13 million unique visitors per month, and through the company's mobile and content distribution partners.

"Break Entertainment offers an unprecedented opportunity for rising stars of the Internet to reach another level of distribution and recognition," said Break CEO Keith Richman.