Olde English (sketch comedy)
Encyclopedia
Olde English is a sketch comedy
troupe based in New York City
. The group has published over 100 comedy shorts on the Internet, and has performed live at several venues and festivals across the country.
, and was originally conceived by Ben Popik. While traveling in Europe during the summer of 2002, Popik chose the name for the group and began writing some of the early sketches. In the fall of 2002, Popik returned to Bard and held auditions for the group. Olde English currently consists of Adam Conover, Ben Popik, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Dave Segal, and Caleb Bark, although several others have joined and left over the years.
Olde English has been producing videos on its website since 2002, usually posting one sketch approximately every two weeks.
In 2004, Olde English released its first self-produced DVD, Gorilla Warfare.
The group first gained popularity in 2003, when their video "Gym Class" became a viral hit. In 2006 the group released a video titled "One Picture Every Day," starring Ben Popik and featuring an original song by former member Jesse Novak. The sketch, a parody of an internet phenomenon popularized by Noah Kalina and Jonathan Keller, rapidly gained popularity on YouTube
, where it has been viewed over three million times. The video has since been featured on Good Morning America as well as a Mountain Dew
ad campaign. On January 17, 2007, Olde English announced that its videos would be regularly featured on the comedy website Super Deluxe
.
Olde English has performed live at the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival (2005), the San Francisco Sketchfest
(2005–07) and the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (2007).
Olde English's "Free NYC Rap," a rap music video protesting the restrictions for independent New York City filmmakers that were proposed in Fall 2007, was nominated for a 2007 ECNY award.
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
troupe based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The group has published over 100 comedy shorts on the Internet, and has performed live at several venues and festivals across the country.
History
Olde English was formed by a group of students at Bard CollegeBard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
, and was originally conceived by Ben Popik. While traveling in Europe during the summer of 2002, Popik chose the name for the group and began writing some of the early sketches. In the fall of 2002, Popik returned to Bard and held auditions for the group. Olde English currently consists of Adam Conover, Ben Popik, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Dave Segal, and Caleb Bark, although several others have joined and left over the years.
Olde English has been producing videos on its website since 2002, usually posting one sketch approximately every two weeks.
In 2004, Olde English released its first self-produced DVD, Gorilla Warfare.
The group first gained popularity in 2003, when their video "Gym Class" became a viral hit. In 2006 the group released a video titled "One Picture Every Day," starring Ben Popik and featuring an original song by former member Jesse Novak. The sketch, a parody of an internet phenomenon popularized by Noah Kalina and Jonathan Keller, rapidly gained popularity on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, where it has been viewed over three million times. The video has since been featured on Good Morning America as well as a Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
ad campaign. On January 17, 2007, Olde English announced that its videos would be regularly featured on the comedy website Super Deluxe
Super Deluxe
Super Deluxe was a comedy video website provided by TBS Networks. It was launched on January 17, 2007, folded into AdultSwim.com on May 7, 2008, and taken offline on December 17, 2008.-Description:...
.
Olde English has performed live at the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival (2005), the San Francisco Sketchfest
SF Sketchfest
SF Sketchfest, or The San Francisco Sketch Comedy Festival, is a comedy festival founded in 2002 by Bay Area actor-comedians David Owen, Janet Varney and Cole Stratton...
(2005–07) and the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (2007).
Olde English's "Free NYC Rap," a rap music video protesting the restrictions for independent New York City filmmakers that were proposed in Fall 2007, was nominated for a 2007 ECNY award.