The Archaeology of Comedy Web Series from Dave and Tom
During our many interviews at Comic Con we were invited to come interview the creators and stars of the web show Safety Geeks: SVI. Their flier reads “If you like Adult Swim & Monty Python for God’s sake watch Safety Geeks: SVI.” So being a fan of both, I did. They gave us a disk containing the first 5 episodes of the show and I just finished watching them.
During the interview they gave us a brief synopsis of the show. They are an elite team of accident prone safety enforcers whose mission is to protect the public from life’s mishaps only to wreak more havoc and pain. The shows stars David Beeler, Tom Konkle and Britteny Powell have one common goal to ‘keep the world safe one accident at a time.’ I would say this show was definitely made by fans of the likes of Monty Python, Shawn of the Dead, and Robot Chicken.
The sets are all or mostly CG, giving them a great deal of freedom to set the stage for any catastrophe they can dream up and after watching the first few episodes it is clear that there is a lot more material to be found. It is silly. I can think of no better word to describe it. It’s witty and mindless all at once. The ‘over the top’ situations and characters poke fun at shows like CSI and, I think, The A Team and the archetypes we find in modern crime dramas. This show is the sort of thing that Blake Edwards and Maurice Richlin did in the 60’s and 70’s Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies.
I have to agree with their flier. If you like shows like Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, or even Spaced, and movies like Blazing Saddles and National Lampoon’s European Vacation you will likely enjoy this web show. Keep an eye out for our Comic Con 2009 interview with the show’s stars and go check out the first 6 episodes available at http://www.koldcast.tv/.
Web series creators and stars of the unique new show, Safety Geeks: SVI appear at this years San Diego Comic-Con, produced by Pith-e Productions and sponsored by KoldCast TV. All professional actors from traditional media, this marks the cast’s first appearance at the convention where the comic style and subject of the show seems ideally suited for the Comic-Con audience. Safety Geeks: SVI was recently sited in a New York Times article on the coming of longer web series and has been quickly building a following among comedy and science fiction fans, self-professed geeks, and lovers of Monty Python and Adult Swim. This live action series plays like a living comic book using special effects to create a “funny” Sin City-type world. The cast, writers and producers are there this year to meet fans and make new fans at the autograph table and on the floor of the Comic-Con Convention, here is their schedule:
Safety Geeks: SVI Comic-Con Autograph Table Schedule:
Thursday July 23rd – Table AA14 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Friday July 24th – Table AA11 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Sunday July 26th – Table AA11 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Some sample DVD’s of the first five episodes and cast autographed pictures are available at their autograph table and on the Comic-Con free table. Convention attendees can even order a T-shirt at the booth and enter a drawing for a gift card, if you sign up free for the fan list and watch Safety Geeks: SVI online. Watch the series now online at KoldCast and then come to the convention to get a chance to meet the sexy stars of the series, and even Brittney Powell.
Also, David Beeler and Tom Konkle have a film, Star Wars: The Fate Of The Duel as a finalist in the 2009 Star Wars Movie Challenge Awards on Friday, July 24 from 8:30 – 10:30 PM in Ballroom 20.
The Safety Geeks: SVI is a live-action, innovative 12 episode program that combines the familiar form and structure of investigative shows with the fresh anarchic free form of Adult Swim while drawing on the dryness of British humor, yet with a more “in your face” American feel and lots of visual gags created with the post production artistry of Konkle, Thor Melsted and Mike Smith.
According to show creators Tom Konkle and David Beeler, the show plans to use innovative technologies and ideas to create 100 percent of the surreal sets and vehicles. The production team includes Roger Tonry, Michael Sherwood and casting director Liz Paulson.
It stars David Beeler as Reginald Syngen-Smythe, Tom Konkle as Budwin Yaker and Brittney Powell as Dr. Randi Minky, Benton Jennings as Hopkins, Mary Cseh as Sparky Van Der Graff, with Jim Woods, Mark Teich, Steve Tom, Ransford Dougherty, Chanel Ryan, Laura Hayes, Frank Payne, Adria Tennor, Ben Wang and many others.
The Dave and Tom created “Safety Geeks: SVI” and “Invention with Brian Forbes” comedy series posted o Koldcast.TV, and merchandise and music will be for sale through KoldCast’s ShowShops and distribution also on TivoCast, Zune and iTunes as part of Koldcast’s overall deal with those companies.
EXCLUSIVE we are happy to announce that Is It Safe? Season 1 is now in PRODUCTION. The series retitled Safety Geeks:SVI begins shooting in February with all cast members Brittney Powell, Benton Jennings, Ransford Dougherty, David Beeler Tom Konkle and many great others with Roger Tonry and crew on board. Any production inquiries email us info@daveandtom.com
by Sean Casey on October 23rd, 2008
Longtime online sketch comedy impresarios Dave Beeler and Tom Konkle (professionally known as “Dave & Tom”) know what’s funny. When they’re not winning the Edinburgh Fringe or working with Monty Python they’re busy sticking it to the History Channel. According to Dave & Tom, Tubemogul puts their current views at about 12 million. Their latest [...]
Longtime online sketch comedy impresariosDave Beeler and Tom Konkle (professionally known as “Dave & Tom”) know what’s funny. When they’re not winning the Edinburgh Fringe or working with Monty Python they’re busy sticking it to the History Channel. According to Dave & Tom, Tubemogul puts their current views at about 12 million. Their latest and greatest project utterly skewers that most holy (or maybe ‘milkable’) of cows,CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It’s called Safety Geeks: SVI and they’re still open to taking meetings.Is It Safe? is anything but. On the surface it’s a parody of CSI and other police procedurals, but it’s so much…odder. Yes, the backgrounds are actually miniature sets blown up to normal proportions and, yes, the same guy who worked on Starship Troopersand Predator created them. Yes, it’s reminiscent of a Peter Sellers Pink Panther film, and, yes, it carries that unique mix of high and low brow humor for which British comics are so well known. It’s a green screen powered frolic through the unfettered imaginations of a lightly unhinged mind. It’s the type of web show that’s helping define what is possible online while smashing through what we thought was permissible. Think Adult Swim with less non-sequitor and a little more pun.
Currently the show exists as one well produced pilot presentation created in conjunction with Pith-E Productions. Shot in HD, Is It Safe? was originally meant for cable network pitching, especially as a counter-programming option for Spike, which already runs CSI reruns in heavy rotation. Dismissed as “too smart for the demo,” Dave & Tom pitched a few more places, eventually brightening on the idea of offering Is It Safe? as a web series.“We wanted to do something different. We knew we were tired of The Office-style mockumentary,” said Tom, “and nobody has completely mapped out what you can do in comedy with a green screen.”Dave added, “We’re professional actors who can offer turnkey production. We’re finding out that’s very attractive.” With a possible Crackle deal still on the table, Is It Safe? could still become someone else’s baby—but don’t worry, you can always buy a little piece of Dave & Tom right here.UPDATE: We heard from Dave & Tom the show is now sponsored by KoldCast.TV