Dropout, formerly known as CollegeHumor, is an American improv comedy collective located in Los Angeles, which grew out of a former comedy website created by Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen in 1999, CollegeHumor.
In early 2009, CollegeHumor's editorial staff wrote and starred in their own TV show, TheCollegeHumorShow, on MTV. Dropout is operated by CHMedia, an independent production company owned by Sam Reich.
History[]
Beginnings[]
CollegeHumor's website was created in 1999, six years before it joined YouTube. It was started by two high school friends with help from a web developer. The website soon gained popularity and garners 7 million monthly visits now.
In recent years, CollegeHumor has become known for its original comedy content. The site has been nominated for various awards including a Webby Award in the humor category among others.
In early 2020, CollegeHumor’s parent company InterActive Corp. pulled their funding and the website shut down, laying off most of the staff as a result. However, its streaming service Dropout is still active, but no comedy sketches are released, with the focus being on unscripted content such as game shows.[1]
Dropout[]
On September 26, 2023, the fifth anniversary of the Dropout streaming service, the CollegeHumor brand was retired, and the channel was renamed after Dropout itself, as it mainly serves as a channel to promote the streaming service now.[2]
Features[]
Videos[]
CollegeHumor produced original comedy videos, in addition, the site hosted a large collection of user-submitted viral videos, encompassing home movies, bizarre sports highlights, sketches, and the like. These videos were released 1 month prior to being posted on YouTube. At times, their videos made YouTube's trending page and won awards, getting nominated for more.
The CollegeHumor YouTube Channel has reached over 6 billion views, and over 14 million subscribers as of May 2023. The CollegeHumor YouTube Channel was once in top ten most viewed and most subscribed on YouTube.
Pictures[]
Strictly on their website, CollegeHumor's Pictures section featured user-submitted photographs. Like the site's videos, CollegeHumor's pictures are of a humorous or bizarre nature. CollegeHumor also occasionally holds photo-based contests for its users.
Articles[]
Strictly on their website, CollegeHumor posted original writing from its staff and users, including humorous essays, comics, interviews and weekly columns on sports, video games, college life, and dating.
Comics[]
The website also posted comics from talented artists about humorous and relatable scenarios.
Trivia[]
- Nathan Yaffe, a former writer and illustrator at CollegeHumor, owns a channel called The Drawfee Channel.
Gallery[]
