<span>Originally named iTV New York, Dutch West members <a href=”http://samreich.com/”>Sam Reich</a>, <a href=”http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=367200″>Vincent Peone</a>, <a href=”http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2063694/”>Josh</a> <a href=”http://www.myspace.com/JOSHISDOTDOTDOT”>Ruben</a>, <a href=”http://www.collegehumor.com/user:62906″>Elaine</a> <a href=”http://www.myspace.com/elainecarroll”>Carroll</a>, and <a href=”http://profile.myspace.com/53796964″>Matt Moore</a> officially got together in 2004 after being lifelong friends who always thought they would be funny as a comedy troupe. They were right, seeing as webisodes of this online sketch comedy show have found their way onto <a href=”http://www.collegehumor.com/”>College Humor</a> and have become something of a collegiate phenomenon since Dutch West’s launch in fall 2005. <br />
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Since then, the group has been snatched up by big-time management group <a href=”http://www.tccltd.com/”>The Conversation Company, Ltd.</a> and <a href=”http://www.unitedtalent.com”>United Talent Agency</a>, has created a separate <a href=”http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=129278520&s=143441″>audio podcast</a>, and has even made the leap to regular live performances at the <a href=”http://www.ucbtheatre.com/”>Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre</a> in New York. Supplemented by the somewhat defunct (though hilarious) blogs <a href=”http://dutchwestoven.blogspot.com/”>Dutch Oven</a> and <a href=”http://shortblogs.blogspot.com/”>Shortblogs</a>, the <a href=”http://www.dutchwest.tv/”>Dutch West TV</a> hit its stride with videos like “<a href=”http://www.dutchwest.tv/videos/104″>September</a>”, which has reached not only widespread notoriety, but recognition at NYC’s <a href=”http://www.firstsundays.com/”>First Sundays Film Festival</a> with an Audience Choice Award.</span>
It’s kind of like Upright Citizens Brigade and Kids in the Hall in tone. The one-off sketches, which last around five to ten minutes, last only for one episode and are so totally random that it is consistently amazing that Dutch West continues to create new episodes without sacrificing ingenuity.
There are a few overarching settings and theme episodes, like the Ameriwow Corporation (comedy in a fake company), the Dutch West Apartment Sessions (funniness around the kitchen table), and the Whitebox Sessions (musical mockery). When the creators get tired of single skit episodes featuring the pedophiliac rapist Bigfoot and the demeaning escapades of the Chess Bus, they turn their lives into skits and pretend that their parents are writing the show. But no matter what they do, it’s always funny.
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If you’re a fan of “September,” check out Jonathon Arons, who reached mild cult status for being the odd light-footed man who dances with his trumpet in the “September” video, which he does again here with equally odd light-footedness to Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly Away with Me”.
