History
Olde English was formed by a group of students at Bard College, 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.
Read more about this topic: Olde English (sketch Comedy)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Bias, point of view, fury—are they ... so dangerous and must they be ironed out of history, the hills flattened and the contours leveled? The professors talk ... about passion and point of view in history as a Calvinist talks about sin in the bedroom.”
—Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897–1973)
“The history of philosophy is to a great extent that of a certain clash of human temperaments.”
—William James (1842–1910)
“It may be well to remember that the highest level of moral aspiration recorded in history was reached by a few ancient Jews—Micah, Isaiah, and the rest—who took no count whatever of what might not happen to them after death. It is not obvious to me why the same point should not by and by be reached by the Gentiles.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)