Funny or Die Creates Commercial Production Company (Video)

Funny or Die, the company co-founded five years ago by CAA, Sequoia and Will Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez Productions, said Thursday it has created a commercial production company dubbed Gifted Youth.

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The new unit, staffed by four people -- compared with 73 at Funny Or Die -- will make humorous ads to appear on the Internet and on television.

The idea for a commercial production unit was conceived in December, said Chris Bruss, the vp of branded entertainment at Funny or Die who will oversee Gifted Youth. “Before we even had a Web site or a logo, a couple of jobs came our way,” he said.

The unit has already completed a few ads, including one for Kia that stars Jeff Goldblum as a “dunkologist” trying to figure out how to make a car dunk a basketball over the head of L.A. Clipper Blake Griffin. It has also co-created, with creative agency Brooklyn Brothers, a commercial for sports apparel company New Era that stars Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and Craig Robinson (The Office) as trash-talking fans of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs baseball teams.

Both ads are below.

Gifted Youth hired executive producers Josh Martin and Dal Wolf and creative director Ryan McNeely, all of whom had previously worked for Funny of Die. Adam McKay, a Funny or Die co-founder and director of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, is expected to direct some of the commercials.

Next up for Gifted Youth is an ad for Skullcandy headphones.