 "Photo: Chad Lewis")
There is only one thing to do when you run out of beer money.
Start a Web site.
You know, a Web site with hilarious pictures, original videos, clever articles, funny links and profiles of hot college girls.
You'll want to name it something self-explanatory like "CollegeHumor.com," and - bam - you have set the groundwork for a huge pop-culture phenomenon that will generate tons of revenue, spawn an army of devoted fans and guarantee that you never go thirsty again.
Don't think it will work? Just ask Ricky Van Veen and Josh Abramson, high school buddies and co-founders of CollegeHumor. According to a press release, CollegeHumor is a growing Web comedy company that started as a hobby and subsequently exploded into a well-recognized humor dynasty, which includes clothing, live comedy, books and now TV.
CollegeHumor is largely recognized for its original programming which includes popular Web series like "Hardly Working," "Street Fighter: The Later Years" and "The Michael Showalter Showalter," all of which rack up millions of views from loyal fans.
As of Feb. 8, connoisseurs of CollegeHumor content have a new reason to procrastinate on weekend homework. "The CollegeHumor Show," a brand-new MTV series starring the real staff of CollegeHumor.com, brings the Web site's well-known comedy stylings to the MTV audience.
"The new MTV series will showcase what CollegeHumor does best - producing funny, entertaining, original content that resonates strongly with our core demographic," Van Veen said in a press release.
"This is a great next step in the evolution of the CollegeHumor brand," added Abramson.
In a phone interview, Streeter Seidell, the front-page editor of CollegeHumor.com, talked about the new show and what it feels like to be a brand-new TV star.
Fans of CollegeHumor appreciate its signature approach to comedy, which translates into everything that the company has to offer.
"CollegeHumor is great because it's all so completely random," said Kelly Stowe, Chico State senior and avid CollegeHumor enthusiast.
The new show sticks closely to the beloved CollegeHumor formula, and fans of the Web site are taking notice.
"It's cool because they're shooting something made for TV that's just as funny as the online vids," said freshman Brendan Gallagher.
Gallagher's favorite CollegeHumor series is "Hardly Working," which served as the inspiration for "The CollegeHumor Show." The new show captures the essence of its popular online counterpart and expands on it by incorporating the real personalities of CollegeHumor employees.
"This is a show that I would watch, even if my beautiful face wasn't in it," Seidell said. "It's just fun to watch."
The content of "The CollegeHumor Show" comes from things that have happened to the team in real life, and the personalities on the show are, for the most part, true to the characters, Seidell said.
"Some of the characters are really solid, like Ricky and Dan; their personalities are really authentic," Seidell said. "The rest of us are more freeform. We just experiment a lot, and try to make it as funny as it can be."
Because the show is filmed in the actual CollegeHumor office during working hours, viewers can see the team working feverishly in the background, trying to get real work done.
"I can not apologize enough to everyone in the office who is actually trying to work during production," Seidell said.
As he described the difficult working conditions, a voice in the background yelled, "Quiet all around, still rolling."
"Did you hear that," Seidell asked. "Everyone has to be totally quiet."
Most of the characters in the show are not actors, and the recent TV stardom hasn't produced any Christian Bale-like outbursts, Seidell said.
"All I ask is that people respect my craft," Seidell joked. "When I put on my short shorts, I demand to be taken seriously."
Seidell hopes the show will be both funny and believable, he said.
"We work really hard on this show," Seidell said. "We really hope it makes people laugh."
In the end, it was hard for Seidell to name just one reason to watch the show.
"If lots of people watch it, and it gets popular, I'll do well at my 10-year reunion with girls who wouldn't talk to me in high school," Seidell said. "That's a great reason for people to watch the show."
Elizabeth Ghiorso can be reached at eghiorso@theorion.com
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