Ryan Charkow
A&E Reporter
Sketch comedy isn’t all fun and games, said Humber grad Brian Crosby.
“It’s not something that anyone, anywhere, is going to pay you to do just because you want to do it.”
Crosby and partner Jordan Kennedy make up the two-man sketch troupe, Accidental Company.
The pair perform at Second City tomorrow as part of the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival’s Best of the Fest Encore Show.
“The Toronto Sketch Festival has been incredible for us,” said Kennedy.
He said they are honoured to play this show, a follow-up to the festival held every November.
Crosby graduated from the television writing and production program in 2006 and is now a writer for the CBC show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
He said sketch comedy is more popular than ever before, thanks largely to its proliferation on the Internet.
“The internet is like comedy Costco,” he said, referring to the chain of warehouse stores known for it’s free samples.
“You’re in your booth and you’ve got a little paper-wrapped sample of your material, and if people like it, they’ll buy the whole box.”
Sketch comedy professor, Eric Toth said sketch comedy is unique in that it only demands short portions of someone’s time.
“People enjoy seeing quick, funny things and sketch is a quick and funny format,” he said.
Crosby and Kennedy formed Accidental Company in 2002, while studying theatre at York Univeristy.
“I was looking around one day during class and so was Brian,” Kennedy said.
“We looked at each other, nodded, and the rest is history.”
Kennedy performs improv in theatres around Toronto but said he hopes to work with Crosby for a long time.
“We’d love to do more festivals in Canada, as well as the U.S., and start doing more online films and trying to do the best we can.”
Tickets for The Best of The Fest Encore Show are $12 and can be bought online at secondcity.com.

(Courtesy Kevin Thom) From right, Humber grad Brian Crosby and Jordan Kennedy team up to make the comedy sketch duo, Accidental Company.