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Viva La Dirt League

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Viva La Dirt League
Bettjeman, Morrison, and King in 2018
Personal information
OriginAuckland, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
OccupationSketch comedians
Websitevivaplus.tv
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2011–present
Genres
  • Comedy
  • Gamer Parody
  • Fantasy
Subscribers6.85 million[1]
Total views4.4 billion[1]
100,000 subscribers2017
1,000,000 subscribers2019
Last updated: 13 December 2024

Viva La Dirt League (VLDL) are a New Zealand group of professional sketch comedy YouTubers.[2] The founding members are Rowan Bettjeman, Alan Morrison and Adam King, but their productions have featured other regular cast members such as Byron Coll, Hamish Parkinson, David Correos, Britt Scott Clark,[3] Ben Van Lier,[4] Ellie Harwood,[5] Phoenix Cross, Rhiannon McCall, Rory Nolan and Robert Hartley. As of October 2024, their YouTube channel has 6.73 million subscribers and 4.19 billion views.[1]

Background

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Before forming VLDL, Bettjeman and Morrison's short Beached was selected for showing at the New Zealand International Film Festival in 2010.[6] Bettjeman and Morrison present a weekly news media online clip show "Media Ocre Awards" for the WatchMe.co.nz.[7] The group went full-time in 2017.[8]

The group's sketches have been nominated for Streamy Awards.[9][10][11] Fans of the group include English actor Andrew Koji.[12] The group is represented by Creative Artists Agency.[13]

Series

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PUBG Logic

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PUBG Logic is set in an online multiplayer battle royale game (ostensibly PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds). Characters are players' avatars and the comedy focuses on the bugs, gameplay limitations, and exploits in the game.[14][15][16] Use of the PUBG imagery has been endorsed by the game's creators, and due to the popularity of the game, and the group's sketches, they have attended gaming conventions (Armageddon) and tournaments (League of Legends Pro League) to promote these characters.[15][17] A supercut of the first season has reached over 17 million views on YouTube.[18][19]

Epic NPC Man

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Epic NPC Man is a sketch comedy set within "Skycraft", an entirely fictional fantasy MMORPG where non-player characters (NPCs) and players interact. Epic NPC Man deconstructs the in-universe logic of role playing games (RPGs), the mechanics of video games and the fantasy genre at large, typically spoofing real-life game franchises such as The Elder Scrolls (particularly Skyrim), World of Warcraft, Dark Souls and The Witcher. The series takes place in Azerim, a sprawling kingdom assailed by the neighbouring Orcish land of Shmargonrog. Initially, Epic NPC Man was presented almost exclusively from the perspective of Greg (Morrison), a lowly NPC garlic farmer and quest-giver in the tranquil but unremarkable village of Honeywood, observing the often confusing activities of players. Other recurring characters include the blacksmith Bodger (Bettjeman), sorcerer Baradün (King), dim-witted muggers Bernard (Bettjeman) and Charles (Van Lier), poor fruit merchant Fred Orchardson (Parkinson), the continuously crying Eugene (King), town fisherman Baelin (Bettjeman) and "the Watcher" (King), a thinly-veiled analogue for Geralt of Rivia.[20][21][22] Many scenes have been filmed at Howick Historical Village.[20] Actor John Callen has made multiple guest appearances.

Baelin's Route: An Epic NPC Man Adventure

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In 2020, the group crowdfunded NZ$660,000 (c. €390,000) via Kickstarter[23] to produce a short film set in the Epic NPC Man universe. Baelin's Route: An Epic NPC Man Adventure premiered on YouTube on 9 May 2021. The film, which was written by Morrison and directed by Morrison and King, stars Bettjeman as Baelin, a non-player character whose normal route, from home to fishing spot, is interrupted by a human player (Ben Van Lier) and a damsel in distress (Phoenix Cross) making him into a reluctant hero.[24][25] It had over 900 thousand views within 24 hours of its release.[23][26]

Bored

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Bored is a series of sketches primarily based in a tech store.[27][28][29] New Zealand Radio Award-winning presenter Ellie Harwood co-stars as an employee.[30][5] Until July 2023, Bored was set in, and filmed inside a PlayTech store (a real computer retail chain in New Zealand), although the sketches were created independently from the company.[31]

As of July 2023, the Bored series is filmed and based in a fictional store called TechTown and is filmed in the new Viva La Dirt League studio.[32]

Dev

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Dev is a series made as of November 2024 showcasing the inner workings of the Dev team that created the hit game "Skycraft" which Epic NPC Man is set in. "Skycraft" is a entirely fictional fantasy MMORPG where non-player characters (NPCs) and players interact. "Skycraft" is a spoof version of real-life game franchises like World of Warcraft, Dark Souls and The Witcher. The series is currently a hit where the first episode of the series getting 596K in a week.

Viva La Dirt League D&D

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Starting in July 2019, Viva released a short Dungeons & Dragons series where their Epic NPC Man characters adventured into Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, with Robert Hartley as Dungeon Master.

Building on its success, in March 2020, Viva launched their second YouTube channel focusing on Dungeons & Dragons content set in the Epic NPC Man universe. In the Adventures of Azerim campaign, King, Morrison and Bettjeman reprise their roles as Greg, Baradun and Bodger, and Van Lier debuts the character Bartholomew Osiris Bladesong (abbreviated as "Bob"). Hartley also returns as the Dungeon Master.[33]

In February 2024, Viva started a second Dungeons & Dragons campaign with Britt Scott Clark, Ellie Harwood, Phoenix Cross and Rhiannon McCall called Tales of the Misfits.[34]

Studio

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A Kickstarter campaign for a filming studio and office space for the company raised over US$2.5 Million in March 2022, with a location to be determined.[35] In August, the Kickstarter campaign page (Update #38) and the VLDL YouTube channel updated with the news of the new studio location having been secured after a long search. The video shows a tour of the new, unrenovated facilities.[36] The studio has been in operation since June 2023.[37]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "About Viva La Dirt League". YouTube.
  2. ^ Donnell, Hayden (10 January 2017). "Viva La Dirt League explain how to become famous on YouTube in six easy steps".
  3. ^ "YouTube: esto pasa cuando una chica sexy ingresa a una tienda para gamers" [YouTube: this happens when a sexy girl walks into a gamer store]. Peru.com (in Spanish). 26 November 2017.
  4. ^ Brown, Matt (30 August 2018). "From Shortland Street screen to YouTube star". Stuff.co.NZ.
  5. ^ a b Schulz, Chris (18 April 2017). "How WatchMe's second season is delivering the goods". NZHerald. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  6. ^ "NZ films @ NZIFF : Homegrown 2010; The following short films have been selected by MIC Toi Rerehiko for its 14th Homegrown programme to screen at the New Zealand International Film Festival". OnFilm. June 2010. p. 10. Retrieved 11 May 2021 – via Gale General OneFile.
  7. ^ "Media Ocre Awards". WatchMe.co.nz. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  8. ^ Russon, Mary-Ann (20 September 2021). "How 'nerd' culture powered through the pandemic". BBC News. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  9. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (21 October 2020). "YouTube Streamy Awards Nominations Unveiled With David Dobrik, Emma Chamberlain And James Charles Leading The Pack".
  10. ^ "2020 Streamy Awards: The Complete Winners List". ETonline. 13 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Successful local gaming web series 'NPC man'". Scoop News. 19 July 2016.
  12. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (29 September 2020). "Andrew Koji on Warrior Season Two, Joining the GI Joe Universe, and More". TV Shows.
  13. ^ "YouTube Comedy Trio Viva La Dirt League Signs With CAA (Exclusive)". Tubefilter. 1 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Interview: PUBG Logic comedians Viva La Dirt League (VLDL)". Youtube. Newshub.co.nz. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Kiwi YouTube comedians Viva La Dirt League celebrate success at PUBG Invitational in Berlin". Newshub.co.nz. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  16. ^ Appota. "Nhặt mồm với clip chế PUBG ngoài đời thật" [PUBG in real life]. gamehub.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  17. ^ "LPL Live at Armageddon Auckland". Scoop.co.nz (Press release). 20 October 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Paródia do jogo PUBG usa humor e viraliza na internet; assista ao vídeo" [Parody of the game PUBG uses humor and goes viral on the internet; Watch the video]. TudoCelular.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). 20 December 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  19. ^ "PUBG Logic Supercut (funny sketches about PUBG)". Youtube. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Kiwi YouTubers Viva La Dirt League are treating life like it's a game". NZ Herald. 27 September 2017.
  21. ^ "Viva La Dirt League's Epic NPC Man Demands Microtransactions". Kotaku Australia. 30 November 2017. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Funny New Web Series: EPIC NPC MAN [Video]". Geeks are Sexy Technology News. 23 June 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Baelin's Route - wielka przygoda zwykłego NPC z gry. Zobacz zabawny film fantasy" [Baelin's Route - a great adventure of an ordinary NPC from the game. Watch a fun fantasy movie]. naEKRANIE.pl (in Polish). 10 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Baelin's Route: un lungometraggio nel mondo di Epic NPC Man" [Baelin's Route Is The New Project In The Epic NPC Man Universe]. www.icrewplay.com (in Italian). 3 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Baelin's Route - An Epic NPC Man Adventure - krátky film" [Baelin's Route - An Epic NPC Man Adventure - short film]. Sector.sk (in Slovak).
  26. ^ Knava, Petr (29 April 2021). "This Honestly Has a Better Emotional Arc Than a Lot of Films That Make It to the Cinema". Pajiba.
  27. ^ "The "Hot" Chick: When an Attractive Lady Enters a Computer Store [Video]". Geeks are Sexy Technology News. 21 April 2017.
  28. ^ "Jedyne na co czekam w świecie gier to... nowe odcinki Viva La Dirt League" [The only thing I'm waiting for in the gaming world are... new episodes of Viva La Dirt League]. AntyWeb. 30 November 2020.
  29. ^ "Help Us Frost Giant Studios, You're Our Only Hope". TheGamer. 9 November 2020.
  30. ^ 2020 NZ Radio Awards Winners & Finalists (PDF) (Report). New Zealand Radio Awards. 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021 – via Radio Broadcasters Association.
  31. ^ PlayTech (11 March 2021). "VIVA LA DIRT LEAGUE".
  32. ^ Welcome to the new Bored! TECHTOWN, 24 July 2023, retrieved 24 July 2023
  33. ^ "Inside Viva La Dirt League's YouTube empire". The Spinoff. 6 September 2021.
  34. ^ "Viva La Dirt League D&D". YouTube. 8 August 2022.
  35. ^ Viva La Dirt League fans donate millions towards NZ YouTubers' new studio | AM. Newshub. 10 March 2022 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ We bought a studio!!!. 14 August 2022 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ "Kea Kids News: Exclusive look at Viva la Dirt League's new studio". 29 August 2023.
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