The Greater Good (comedy group)
Encyclopedia
The Greater Good is a sketch comedy
trio from Los Angeles
consisting of Matt Watkins, Tom Flynn and Will Prescott. The group formed in the summer of 2006 and began developing, writing and shooting video sketches that would not be released online until January 2009. Their comedic style is a unique blend of mainstream, observational and surrealist humor often conveyed in a deadpan
or overly serious manner. Utilizing both improvisation
and tightly written scripts, they often create awkward and uncomfortable experiences for the viewer. In their short existence, The Greater Good has garnered a small but extremely dedicated fanbase.
. All three were pursuing their graduate degrees at the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. At the time they were working on numerous film projects in all capacities, from editing to directing to writing. Watkins was part of Grapes of Laugh, a sketch group that earned prominence with the short film Me Room Matey (a Showdown winner on Atom.com). The three decided to form a sketch group with the purpose of creating high-quality comedy for online distribution. Their shared interest in writing, directing and acting made for a balanced, tight-knit unit.
, Stella
, Upright Citizens Brigade
, Tim Heidecker
, Eric Wareheim
, Patton Oswalt
and Zach Galifianakis
as their primary inspirations. Additional comedic entities that have influenced their work include Snuff Box
, Spaced
, The Kids in the Hall
and the online comic strip Achewood
.
websites. Most prominently, Funny or Die
, CollegeHumor
, YouTube
, Dailymotion
and Metacafe
. Additionally, they're active on a number of social networking sites such as Facebook
, Myspace
and Twitter
.
Their aggressive viral campaign strategy was a major reason for not releasing their work until January 2009. According to Prescott's blog, they were committed to launching as if they were a TV show. He writes, "We didn't want to release our stuff until we had at least 10 sketches ready and all of our marketing and distribution channels in place."
In March 2009, The Greater Good released The Pool, a video sketch designed around the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, commonly known as March Madness. In the sketch, Matt Watkins plays a man who misunderstands the concept of a betting pool. Due to the popularity of the tournament and the comedic social relevance, The Pool garnered a feature spot on the home page of Funny or Die
.
In August 2009, The Greater Good released "Vibrator", a video sketch about roommates who question their friend's controversial purchase. The video was discovered by the staff at CollegeHumor
and featured on their national video site. The editors of CollegeHumor
changed the title to "Roommate's New Toy", the video garnered numerous plays and comments.
In May 2010, "Vibrator" was selected to screen at the Shorts N' Spirits Showcase produced by Luminave Films and Mental Eclectic. It received the Audience Award
.
In July 2010, "Dick Stick" premiered at the RAW: natural born artists showcase at Cinespace
in Hollywood. It played before a live audience and then released online the next morning quickly garnering a feature spot on the home page of Funny or Die
.
Coffee (2009)
Mom (2009)
Parts (2009)
Parallel Parking (2009)
Miscommunication (2009)
The Pool (2009)
The Toast (2009)
One Life to Give, parts 1-3 (2009)
Stage Fright (2009)
iPhone vs Telepathy (2009)
Vibrator (2009)
Imaginary Breakup (2009)
Easy Lover (2009)
Poker Face (2010)
Mail Order Bride (2010)
Buffalo Bill (2010)
Dick Stick (2010)
Iron Man 2 DVD Extra (2010)
October Showers (2010)
Mother F*ckers (2011)
Upgrading Sarah Silverman
(2011)
, video
and new media
projects. Most recently, all three had small roles in the feature film, Herpes Boy (2009). The film, which stars Byron Lane, Beth Grant
and Ahna O'Reilly, held its world premiere at the 2009 Austin Film Festival
and won the Comedy Vanguard Audience Award.
In the summer of 2009, The Greater Good teamed up with writer/producer, Chris Wiltz, to assist with a comedic zombie
web series
, Semi-Dead. The six episode series premiered on October 28, 2009 and ran until March 2010. Flynn directed episodes 3 and 4 while also contributing digital effects
work and appearing in episode 5. Prescott directed episodes 5 and 6 and also appears as a zombie
in episode 1.
Tom Flynn works as a freelance director, editor
, visual effects
artist, and assistant director
on many films and new media projects including the popular web series
The Guild
.
Matt Watkins works as a freelance producer
and camera operator
, most recently for American Idol
.
Will Prescott co-owns a production company, Trainwreck Motion Pictures, that is in pre-production
on an untitled feature film that he is writing. From 2007-2008 he served as a Managing Editor and Producer of the KCET
website for the PBS
television program, Wired Science
.
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
trio from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
consisting of Matt Watkins, Tom Flynn and Will Prescott. The group formed in the summer of 2006 and began developing, writing and shooting video sketches that would not be released online until January 2009. Their comedic style is a unique blend of mainstream, observational and surrealist humor often conveyed in a deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
or overly serious manner. Utilizing both improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
and tightly written scripts, they often create awkward and uncomfortable experiences for the viewer. In their short existence, The Greater Good has garnered a small but extremely dedicated fanbase.
Beginnings
Matt Watkins, Tom Flynn and Will Prescott met in 2005 while attending school at Chapman UniversityChapman University
Chapman University is a private, non-profit university located in Orange, California affiliated with the Christian Church . Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media...
. All three were pursuing their graduate degrees at the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. At the time they were working on numerous film projects in all capacities, from editing to directing to writing. Watkins was part of Grapes of Laugh, a sketch group that earned prominence with the short film Me Room Matey (a Showdown winner on Atom.com). The three decided to form a sketch group with the purpose of creating high-quality comedy for online distribution. Their shared interest in writing, directing and acting made for a balanced, tight-knit unit.
Influences
Influence from many comedians and sketch groups is visible in The Greater Good's work, but they typically cite The StateThe State (TV series)
The State is a half-hour sketch-comedy television show, originally broadcast on MTV between December 17, 1993 and July 1, 1995. The show combined bizarre characters and scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target teenaged audience...
, Stella
Stella
-People:*Stella , a feminine given name** Stella McCartney, English fashion designer** Stella , Singaporean-Taiwanese singer** Stella Maessen, Dutch singer, sometimes going under the singular name of Stella-Fictional characters:...
, Upright Citizens Brigade
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The most recent incarnation consists of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh...
, Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker is an American actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric...
, Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim is an American actor, comedian, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric. Wareheim, along with Tim Heidecker, created the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Check It Out! with Dr...
, Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
and Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
as their primary inspirations. Additional comedic entities that have influenced their work include Snuff Box
Snuff Box
Snuff Box is a BBC Three British dark comedy starring and written by Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher with additional material by Nick Gargano. It first aired on Monday 27 February 2006....
, Spaced
Spaced
Spaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
, The Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall
The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States...
and the online comic strip Achewood
Achewood
Achewood is a webcomic created by Chris Onstad in 2001. It portrays the lives of a group of anthropomorphic stuffed toys, robots, and pets. Many of the characters live together in the home of their owner, Chris, at the fictional address of 62 Achewood Court. Another address used in the strip is 11...
.
Online Presence
In their relatively short existence, The Greater Good has obtained a wide following that spans over many popular video sharingVideo sharing
Video hosting services refers to websites or software where users can distribute their video clips. Other sites such as file hosting services image hosting services and social network services might support video sharing as an enhancement to their primary mission, but in general, they are not...
websites. Most prominently, Funny or Die
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
, CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor is a comedy website owned by InterActiveCorp and based in New York City. The site features daily original comedy videos and articles created by its in-house writing and production team, in addition to user-submitted videos, pictures, articles and links. In early 2009, CollegeHumor's...
, YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Dailymotion
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a video sharing service website, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement, Paris, France. According to Comscore, Dailymotion is the second largest video site in the world after YouTube....
and Metacafe
Metacafe
Metacafe is a web site that specializes in short-form video entertainment in the categories of movies, video games, sports, music and TV.The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Tel Aviv...
. Additionally, they're active on a number of social networking sites such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Their aggressive viral campaign strategy was a major reason for not releasing their work until January 2009. According to Prescott's blog, they were committed to launching as if they were a TV show. He writes, "We didn't want to release our stuff until we had at least 10 sketches ready and all of our marketing and distribution channels in place."
In March 2009, The Greater Good released The Pool, a video sketch designed around the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, commonly known as March Madness. In the sketch, Matt Watkins plays a man who misunderstands the concept of a betting pool. Due to the popularity of the tournament and the comedic social relevance, The Pool garnered a feature spot on the home page of Funny or Die
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
.
In August 2009, The Greater Good released "Vibrator", a video sketch about roommates who question their friend's controversial purchase. The video was discovered by the staff at CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor is a comedy website owned by InterActiveCorp and based in New York City. The site features daily original comedy videos and articles created by its in-house writing and production team, in addition to user-submitted videos, pictures, articles and links. In early 2009, CollegeHumor's...
and featured on their national video site. The editors of CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor is a comedy website owned by InterActiveCorp and based in New York City. The site features daily original comedy videos and articles created by its in-house writing and production team, in addition to user-submitted videos, pictures, articles and links. In early 2009, CollegeHumor's...
changed the title to "Roommate's New Toy", the video garnered numerous plays and comments.
In May 2010, "Vibrator" was selected to screen at the Shorts N' Spirits Showcase produced by Luminave Films and Mental Eclectic. It received the Audience Award
Audience award
An audience award is typically an award at a film festival which is selected by the audience attending the festival, rather than by the festival jury or a group of critics.- Examples :...
.
In July 2010, "Dick Stick" premiered at the RAW: natural born artists showcase at Cinespace
CineSpace
cineSpace is a color management solution for the film and television industry. It addresses the two major aspects of color issues faced by companies working in the industry:# Ensuring that all displays throughout the facility look the same; and...
in Hollywood. It played before a live audience and then released online the next morning quickly garnering a feature spot on the home page of Funny or Die
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
.
Video Sketches
Captive (2009)Coffee (2009)
Mom (2009)
Parts (2009)
Parallel Parking (2009)
Miscommunication (2009)
The Pool (2009)
The Toast (2009)
One Life to Give, parts 1-3 (2009)
Stage Fright (2009)
iPhone vs Telepathy (2009)
Vibrator (2009)
Imaginary Breakup (2009)
Easy Lover (2009)
Poker Face (2010)
Mail Order Bride (2010)
Buffalo Bill (2010)
Dick Stick (2010)
Iron Man 2 DVD Extra (2010)
October Showers (2010)
Mother F*ckers (2011)
Upgrading Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
(2011)
Related Work
The members of The Greater Good are active in other filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
and new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
projects. Most recently, all three had small roles in the feature film, Herpes Boy (2009). The film, which stars Byron Lane, Beth Grant
Beth Grant
Beth Grant is an American actress. She is known for often playing characters who are conservatives, religious zealots or sticklers for rules....
and Ahna O'Reilly, held its world premiere at the 2009 Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
and won the Comedy Vanguard Audience Award.
In the summer of 2009, The Greater Good teamed up with writer/producer, Chris Wiltz, to assist with a comedic zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
web series
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
, Semi-Dead. The six episode series premiered on October 28, 2009 and ran until March 2010. Flynn directed episodes 3 and 4 while also contributing digital effects
Digital Effects
Digital Effects Inc. was an early and innovative computer animation studio at 321 West 44th street in New York City. It was the first computer graphics house in New York City when it opened in 1978, and operated until 1986. It was founded by Judson Rosebush, Jeff Kleiser, Don Leich, David Cox,...
work and appearing in episode 5. Prescott directed episodes 5 and 6 and also appears as a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
in episode 1.
Tom Flynn works as a freelance director, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, visual effects
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
artist, and assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
on many films and new media projects including the popular web series
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
The Guild
The Guild
The Guild is an American comedy web series created and written by Felicia Day, who also stars as Cyd Sherman . It premiered on YouTube on July 27, 2007. Subsequent webisodes premiered on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video. The webisodes were later made available on...
.
Matt Watkins works as a freelance producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and camera operator
Camera operator
A camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
, most recently for American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
.
Will Prescott co-owns a production company, Trainwreck Motion Pictures, that is in pre-production
Pre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
on an untitled feature film that he is writing. From 2007-2008 he served as a Managing Editor and Producer of the KCET
KCET
KCET, channel 28, is an independent, non-commercial public television station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. KCET's studio is located on West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is atop Mount Wilson. Al Jerome is the current CEO and President, serving since 1996.KCET was...
website for the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
television program, Wired Science
WIRED Science
Wired Science is a weekly high-definition television program that covers modern scientific and technological topics. In January 2007 PBS aired pilot episodes for three different science programs, including Wired Science. Using Nielsen ratings, CPB-sponsored research and public feedback, PBS...
.