Wil interviews Team Tiger Awesome
I recently got the chance to sit down with one of the members of the 13th most popular sketch comedy group, Team Tiger Awesome, an L.A.-based troupe made up of Clint Cage, Michael Truly, and interviewee Nick Mundy. Houston natives Mundy and Cage grew up in the same town and went to the same schools growing up. Mundy went to the University of St. Thomas for college and Cage went to Texas Christian Southern University where he met their third main player, Truly. Together they formed Team Tiger Awesome.
Wil: What made you want to start a comedy troupe?
TTA: After a couple of months of drinking and hanging out, we decided to be a little more productive. So then we started writing some shorts and started shooting after the New Year. We launched the site early March of 2006 and it has just taken off since then.
Wil: Where you exposed to sketch comedy before forming TTA, like hearing of any groups on campus or did you have a favorite troupe?
TTA: It was more of a film based sketch comedy because we don’t perform live. We are huge fans of Kids in the Hall and Mr. Show. We just grew up on Saturday Night Live and me and Clint started making short films.
Wil: What’s you inspiration to begin writing a new sketch?
TTA: We like being productive, we all have specialties all the while we can still do everything on our own. We all write and act but like I’m more post production, Clint directs and Michael is like a big-time stage actor. We all just pull are resources together and after honing are skills no that it has taken off it has become a career.
Wil: How much of a career is it?
TTA: We work pretty much part time now since meeting our agent at William Morris then met our manager at Kaplan/Perrone and Entertainment , so that is why we are still doing shorts to this day because it is a full time job now. We have also been working on a film script and even working on a television pilot for a major network that will be a sitcom. It’s actually starting to become the success that we wanted it to be, we just didn’t know how quick it would come.
Wil: Did you guys do any research any other famous internet comedy troupe’s like The Lonely Island or Derrick Comedy?
TTA: We kind of saw The Lonely Island and we thought they were great, it was like oh shit this is what we want to do. They were kicking our ass at the beginning of 2006 but other than that troupe there really is no other comedy troupes we have seen and I’m one of The Lonely Island’s biggest fans because they are really fucking talented.
Wil: Do you know how your following has been so large?
TTA: It started off just word of mouth. Sketch after sketch there was more of a following. Then one day the Maury show contacted us to ask if they can put their shorts on TV and we agreed. Mostly people have heard of us but its so insane all thanks to our agents sending us up and down California.
Wil: How would you describe your group because you guys reference a lot of video games?
TTA: We just like stuff that funny to us so that we have no jetlag. We always use like parodies and more things that reference the early 90’s. So many people have looked to the 60’s and 70’s but we feel like there is an untapped gold mine to the early 90’s material. We are actually complimented for this style of our work.
Wil: If there is anyone you would want to work with that is at your disposal who would it be?
TTA: We have hung out with Johnny from the Karate Kid and hopefully that would work out and of course Steve Guttenberg.
Wil: What is the main goal of Team Tiger Awesome?
TTA: We just want to make something to make an impression on people and make them laugh. (Laugh) That was so gay about what I said but yeah that is what we want.
Team Tiger Awesome is generating a following that can be closely compared to many other greats of the internet like The Lonely Island, The Whitest Kids U Know, and Dax Flame. You can check out Team Tiger Awesome at teamtigerawesome.com or friend them on MySpace at myspace.com/teamtigerawesome.
