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Chad, Matt & Rob was an American group of
filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
s based in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
known for their
short films A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
that blend comedy with
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
,
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...
, and
sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univ ...
. Their most notable works include a series of ''Prank Gone Wrong'' found footage videos and a collection of ''
Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...
''-style films known as ''Chad, Matt & Rob's Interactive Adventures''.


History

''Chad, Matt & Rob'' formed in early 2007 by
Chad Villella Chad Villella (born February 12, 1977) is an American producer, writer, director and actor. He is co-creator of Chad, Matt & Rob and Radio Silence Productions, Radio Silence. His films include ''Scream (2022 film), Scream'', ''Ready or Not (2019 ...
, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Rob Polonsky. Their breakout short, the found footage style ''Alien Roommate Prank Goes Bad'', was released in February 2008 and has been viewed over 30,000,000 times. In November 2008, the group began making a series of ''
Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...
''-style films (they coined the term "Interactive Adventures" to describe the series).''The Bitter Script Reader'' (February 1, 2011) ''The Time Machine: An Interactive Adventure'' was the first interactive movie on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
and featured in ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' and on G4's "Attack of the Show."G4 ''Attack of the Show'' http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/35848/Chad-Matt-and-Rob.html Justin Martinez and
Tyler Gillett Tyler Gillett is an American film director, cinematographer, writer, and producer. A co-creator of the filmmaking collective Radio Silence, Gillett co-directed, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, the horror films '' Devil's Due'' (2014), '' Ready or ...
joined in 2010 and, in 2011, Polonsky left the group. The remaining four changed their collective name to
Radio Silence In telecommunications, radio silence or Emissions Control (EMCON) is a status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area are asked to stop transmitting for safety or security reasons. The term "radio station" may include anything ca ...
. As Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez and Chad Villella), they directed a segment for the feature film '' V/H/S''. Zeitchik, Steven (2011-10-13), "Wingard, West headline new Bloody Disgusting film." ''Los Angeles Times'' http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/10/ti-west-inkeepers-bloody-disgusting-adam-wingard-youre-next.html The film premiered at the 2012
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
and was acquired by
Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor. It is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment 2929 Entertainment, LLC. is an American integrated media and entertainment company co-founded by billionaire entrepreneur ...
. It was released theatrically October 5, 2012.


Members

* Chad Villella is originally from
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Punxsutawney (; Lenape: ' ) is a borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney is known globally for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of attendees and international media outlet ...
, and a graduate of
Mercyhurst College (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...
and an original member of the Center for Information Research Analysis And Training ( CIRAT). * Matt Bettinelli-Olpin is originally from
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, and founding member of the punk band
Link 80 Link 80 was an American punk rock/ska punk band from San Francisco's East Bay, United States. Band history Link 80 started in the summer 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members (guitarist Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, ...
. He is a graduate of the
University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge ...
. * Rob Polonsky is originally from
Buffalo Grove, Illinois Buffalo Grove, officially the Village of Buffalo Grove, is a Village (United States)#Illinois, village in Lake County, Illinois, Lake and Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of Downtown Chi ...
, and a graduate of
Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduat ...
. *
Tyler Gillett Tyler Gillett is an American film director, cinematographer, writer, and producer. A co-creator of the filmmaking collective Radio Silence, Gillett co-directed, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, the horror films '' Devil's Due'' (2014), '' Ready or ...
is originally from
Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has an estimated population ...
, and a graduate of the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...
. * Justin Martinez is originally from
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive ...
, and a graduate of the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...
. * Jonah Goldstein is originally from New Jersey and currently runs the "Chattin' w/ Joni" blog on
the Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The three ...
website. Recurring cast members include Tyler Tuione, Chester Tam and
Kal Penn Kalpen Suresh Modi (born April 23, 1977), known professionally as Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, academic lecturer, and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration. As an actor, he is known for his role portrayin ...
.''The Bitter Script Reader'' (January 31, 2011)


''Pranks Gone Wrong''

The group are known for their popular found footage-style "Pranks Gone Wrong" series. * Chad Hates Aliens (also known as ''Roommate Alien Prank Goes Bad'') was released February 25, 2008 and was the group's first
viral video A viral video is a video that becomes popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan ...
. As of September 2021, it has over 34 million views, was featured on
Attack of the Show ''Attack of the Show!'' (''AOTS'') is an American live television program and that aired on G4. AOTS features segments on pop culture, video games, and movies. After an initial run from 2005 to 2013 (which originally aired from 2005 until 2013 ...
and was accepted into the 2008
Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...
Film Festival. * Let's Go Meet Some Animals! (Prank Fails Horribly) was released September 9, 2008. The group goes to the
Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California. The city of Los Angeles owns the entire zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. Animal care, grounds maintenance, construction, e ...
and discovers a monster. * Mountain Devil Prank Fails Horribly was released April 22, 2010. The short is based on the Lone Pine Mountain Devil urban legend, a creature the group created for the film.


''Interactive Adventures''

''Chad, Matt & Rob'' coined the term "Interactive Adventure" to describe their 2008 film ''The Time Machine: An Interactive Adventure;'' the project was the first interactive movie of its kind. As of March 2012, ''Chad, Matt & Rob'' have produced five Interactive Adventures. * The Time Machine (November 11, 2008) is the first narrative ''
Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...
''-style film on the Internet.''TubeFilter News'' Crowley, Alex (2009-04-27), "Chad, Matt, and Rob's 'Time Machine'." When deciding on a title for the finished film, they coined the term "Interactive Adventure." The series contains nine segments and follows the boys as they travel through the centuries in a time machine disguised as a trash can, all while running from government agents seeking to get the time machine back. At the end of each segment, the viewer is able to choose which video to go to next using YouTube's "annotation" feature. The series received over 1,000,000 views during its first week, was featured on ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...
''s ''The Must List'' and won the Best Multimedia Fiction Award at the 2009 Cinéma Tout Ecran International Film Festival in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...
. * The Murder (March 14, 2009) is the group's second Interactive Adventure. In ''The Murder,'' Chad, Matt & Rob witness a murder while they are filming a short and must decide how to proceed. The narrative expands on the single-story thread used for "The Time Machine" and allows the viewer to follow three unique story-lines. In all, the project contains over 30 separate segments.Crowley, Alex (2009-04-27), "Lead Heroes out of Harm's Way in Interactive 'Murder'." ''TubeFilter News'' * The Birthday Party (January 15, 2010) is the group's third Interactive Adventure. In ''The Birthday Party,'' the trio must run from a gang, battle zombies in a haunted hospital and save a kidnapped heiress from an urban militia, all while attempting to reach their boss's birthday party alive. The group shot the project around Los Angeles in four days, including the Linda Vista Community Hospital. * The Teleporter (November 22, 2010) is the group's fourth Interactive Adventure. The project, in which Chad, Matt & Rob are on the run from an angry UFO that wants its teleporter back, represents the group's first foray into
branded content In marketing, branded content (also known as branded entertainment) is content produced by an advertiser or content whose creation was funded by an advertiser. In contrast to content marketing (in which content is presented first and foremost as a ...
; it was made in conjunction with
Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy ...
to promote a line of AXE shampoo products.''TubeFilter'' Hustvedt, Marc (2010-12-1), "‘Chad, Matt & Rob’ Score AXE For Latest YouTube Interactive." According to a
Tubefilter Tubefilter, Inc. is a privately held company based in Los Angeles, California that operates media businesses focusing on the online entertainment industry. Tubefilter is best known for Tubefilter News, a blog targeted at the fans, creators, pro ...
interview, the group was wary of selling out their audience; “We’ve always been really wary on doing any sort of brand integration,” said obPolonsky. “Viewers are always super sensitive when there’s any sort of product placement involved. The last thing we wanted to do was to insult our audience. So we wrote something that we would want to make." As of March 2011, the film's 10 segments have a combined 1,000,000 views. * The Treasure Hunt (January 26, 2011) is the group's fifth Interactive Adventure. The story follows the trio as they battle a menacing treasure hunter searching for a long lost treasure and co-stars
Alfonso Arau Alfonso Arau Incháustegui (born 11 January 1932) is a Mexican filmmaker, actor, and singer. He worked as an actor and director in both Mexican and Hollywood productions for over 40 years, before his international breakthrough with the 1992 fil ...
(known for ''
The Wild Bunch ''The Wild Bunch'' is a 1969 American epic Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates. The plot concerns an aging outlaw gang on th ...
'', '' Three Amigos'' and as the director of '' Like Water for Chocolate''). A rough cut of the film screened at the 2010 Anaheim International Film Festival and the finish product premiered at the Prescott Film Festival in February 2011, where audience applause was used to choose which path the narrative would take.The Daily Courier (2-14-2011), "Making a big splash on the web: Filmmakers bring online shorts to middle school."


Filmography

* ''READY OR NOT Redband Trailer!'' - released August 19, 2019. * ''SOUTHBOUND Trailer!'' - released February 10, 2016. * ''A Big Thank You, A Quick Update & The V/H/S Trailer!'' - released August 2, 2012. * ''The Treasure Hunt: An Interactive Adventure'' - released January 26, 2011. (9 segments & 2 Easter eggs) * ''The Teleporter: An Interactive Adventure'' - released November 22, 2010. (10 segments total) * ''The Teleporter: An Interactive Adventure (Trailer)'' - released November 12, 2010. * ''The Treasure Hunt: An Interactive Adventure (Trailer)'' - released August 5, 2010. * ''Mountain Devil Prank Fails Horribly'' - released April 22, 2010. * ''How To Make An Interactive Adventure'' - released February 17, 2010. * ''The Birthday Party: An Interactive Adventure'' - released January 15, 2010. (10 segments & 3 Easter eggs) * ''The Birthday Party: Trailer #2'' - released December 11, 2009. * ''The Birthday Party: Trailer #1'' - released December 9, 2009. * ''Magic!'' - released August 20, 2009. * ''The Murder: An Interactive Adventure'' - released March 14, 2009. (26 segments total) * ''The Time Machine: An Interactive Adventure'' - released November 11, 2008. (9 segments total) * ''Let's Go Meet Some Animals!'' - released September 9, 2008. * ''The Alibuys: The Cheater'' - released August 9, 2008. * ''The Alibuys: The Kidnapping'' - released August 1, 2008. * ''The Alibuys: Drug Dealers Have Parents, Too'' - released August 1, 2008. * ''"We're The Alibuys!" (
public-access television Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was cre ...
cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
Commercial)'' - released July 9, 2008. * ''The Alibuys: Trailer #1'' - released May 19, 2008. * ''No Spoofs For Old Men'' - released May 9, 2008. * ''Happy Birthday'' - released April 15, 2008. * ''Chad Hates Aliens'' (also known as ''Roommate Alien Prank Goes Bad'') - released February 25, 2008. * ''The Danger Zone'' - released February 18, 2008. * ''Prison Break'' - released January 10, 2008. * ''Happy Halloween'' - released October 23, 2007. * ''Cops & Robbers!'' - released September 22, 2007. * ''Smoke Break'' - released September 3, 2007. * ''Television Man'' - released September 3, 2007. * ''I Believe I Can Fly'' - released July 21, 2007. * ''Good Roommates'' - released July 16, 2007. * ''A Terrible Place'' - released July 2007 (subsequently removed).


External links


Official Chad, Matt & Rob Website

Chad, Matt & Rob's YouTube Page

Chad, Matt & Rob's Facebook page


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chad, Matt and Rob American comedy troupes YouTube channels launched in 2007 Entertainment-related YouTube channels American YouTubers 2010s interactive fiction