Actor Will Ferrell is about to make another splash, but this one isn’t in movie theaters. Ferrell has taking his comedy online in a newly launched venture with production partner Adam McKay.
The new site Funnyordie.com was launched in beta last week and has already racked up a steady stream of viewers. The website features comedic video sketches by Ferrell, but also allows users to promote their own videos. Ferrell said, “the meat and cabbage of the site will be the real peoples.” But be cautious, only upload your funniest clips. Subpar comedy will be banished to the FunnyorDie “Crypt,” a warm place reserved for clips that receive over 1,000 votes in the 0-20% ranking. But eternal glory also awaits the courageous. Comedic clips that receive over 1,000 votes in the 80-100% ranking will be deemed “Immortal.”
The Landlord, a clip that features Ferrell at odds with his laundlord, conveniently played by McKay’s daughter, has racked up over 2 million alone. And, there’s more.
Funnyordie.com marks another attempt for a site based solely on comedy to try to break into the mainstream eye. Websites like Channel102 and Jibjab have tried to mimic Youtube’s success by empowering aspiring comedic writers and producers with a forum to deliver their creativity to the world. Youtube’s success in large stems from the amount of comedic content users post on their site. Much of the copyrighted material has been the subject of debate over the past few years, and has been brought further into the limelight with YouTube’s recent acquisition by Google. Coincidentally, Funnyordie.com is backed by venture capital firm Sequoia Partners, who also backed Internet winners like YouTube and Google.
Ferrell and McKay will be periodically search clips in search of a hit. So, upload your best. You could be the next hit talent, or the next skeleton to end up in the “Crypt.”
this is one of the funniest sites on the web. the skits with the lil girl are hilarious!