On Thursday, Sept. 5, a video produced by students from the improv comedy group Otter Nonsense debuted on mtvU, an online offshoot of MTV that focuses on college life and interests.
The video is part of a series mtvU calls "College Quickies," which features a different comedy sketch produced by college students each week. The Otters video, featuring Ben Orbison '12.5 and Greg Dorris '13, is called "Worst Driving Instructor Ever."
MtvU discovered Otter Nonsense when they competed at the College Improv Tournament last year. They won the regional tournament in Boston and went to Chicago to compete in the national tournament. MtvU judged the competition in Chicago and afterward contacted the Otters and various other schools, asking them to submit video clips for a series they were looking to put together.
Dorris, Orbison and Adam Benay '13.5 had already made a few shorts together, which they submitted and then began to make more.
"It became this thing where we realized we can just grab a couple of cameras, and go to the gym and goof around for an hour and a half and bother everyone in the gym," said Dorris. "It was this great opportunity where we had the three of us all together, and we began producing a lot more videos."
After producing and submitting many clips, mtvU asked them to make a video that followed a very specific set of guidelines.
After Orbison and Dorris shot "Worst Driving Instructor Ever" and sent it to mtvU, Orbison was contacted over the summer by the company. Out of over 1,000 clips sent in by groups across the country, mtvU offered to license their video. Groups from New York University and Northwestern University were also offered the same deal from mtvU.
The group was paid $100 for the licensing agreement, which has been put into funding for the Otters.
"[Associate Dean of Students for Student Activities and Orientation] J.J. Boggs helped us out a great deal and got the right people [at the College] to look at the agreement and make sure it was all cool," said Orbison.
"The Otters seem to have launched themselves into the national spotlight over the last year," wrote Boggs in an email. "I think this latest agreement with mtvU is an exciting opportunity for them to showcase their work to a global audience."
Dorris said that in addition to Bogg's help, various administrators had to also watch the video in order to give approval, as it is presented on the website representing the College. The same process must be followed for every video the Otters submit in the future.
In "Worst Driving Instructor Ever", Dorris is a nervous teen trying to get his license and Orbison is a drowsy, gaseous and potentially homicidal driving instructor.
The group explained that while most of their videos are made with the three of them together, inspiration occasionally strikes when one, in this case
Benay, is missing.
"I was playing croquet with our suitemate, and these guys came up, one in a suit, and had a samurai sword and said they were going to go film something," said Benay.
After the video was made, all three signed off on the video before it was submitted to mtvU.
"Whenever we make a video, the test to see whether or not it's going to go to air, or at least be submitted, is if we all give it the thumbs up," said Dorris.
After accepting the group's first sketch, mtvU is now looking to license more of their videos.
The threesome hopes in future videos they will be able to bring in more people, such as Tom Califra '13.5. Califra is in Middlebrow, the College's other improv comedy group, and is good friends with Dorris, Benay and Orbison. All four live in Voter together this year.
"Tom is somebody that we love and that we're always with and it totally [makes] sense to pull him into this thing," said Orbison.
"Luckily there are a lot of funny people on this campus that we happen to know through improv in our own group and other groups," added Benay.
In addition to making videos for mtvU, Orbison and Benay spent much of the summer doing comedy acts at a club in Burlington.
Due to their efforts, the entire Otter Nonsense group has been asked to perform at the club on Sept. 30th, and may have a monthly gig there.
"I'm excited because it's such a different venue," said Dorris. "It just is a much different feel and much more intimate than doing McCullough – being on stage, far away from 250 friends, the most supportive people."
MTV Site Features Otter Comedians
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