CollegeHumor writer Amir Blumenfeld knows how he and his coworkers are perceived. He doesn’t mind.
“A lot of people think we don’t work hard, and we don’t,” Blumenfeld said.
Blumenfeld and three other comedians from the popular website — Jake Hurwitz, Streeter Seidell and Dan Gurewitch — made USC laugh in their Carolina Productions show Thursday night.
The dynamic crew of friends started making videos in 1999 for the CollegeHumor site, which features parodies, skits and articles that range from weekly sketches to viral videos.
What started out as a few funny videos between a group of friends has turned into a viral phenomenon with popular series like “Jake and Amir,” which are silly sketches between the two comedians, and “Bleep Bloop,” a talk show strictly dedicated to video games.
They have now made hundreds of videos and continue to gain followers — far more than the college students their name suggests.
The group agreed that when they first started making videos, they had no idea that it would turn
into a web sensation.
“Back then, we had no expectations at all,” Gurewitch said.
With their expectations far exceeded and now leading a life devoted to being funny, it’s no surprise that the four laugh constantly, even off-camera; they act the same way they did before they struck fame.
“It’s just a series of one decade-long bit we’ve been doing,” Streeter said.
Unlike many Internet sensations, even after more than 10 years of comedy, they’re still able to come up with refreshing material to keep the site in business.
“We sort of try to come up with weird bits, and when one makes us laugh enough, we try to remember it enough to write it all down,” Gurewitch said.
During their show in Russell House, Jake and Amir started the show with their usual back-and-fourth comedy conversation, jokingly mocking each other and taking stabs. Even with their constant insults, their friendship never seems to be in danger of falling apart. They’re not serious about anything long enough to fight too much, Hurwitz.
Thursday’s show had no boundaries, covering everything from rap battles to ex-girlfriends.
“Nothing is off limits,” Blumenfeld said. “Nothing is too taboo for us.”