Production house and creative hub Stupid Old Studios has rebranded as Humdinger to reflect a decade of growth for a scrappy company started by five comedians in a dingy warehouse. It’s a transformation for a company that’s become a vital part of the Australian comedy scene as well as a heavy-hitter in creating branded content with comedy injected into its core.
Humdinger represents a recognition that while the group can be stupid, they also make high quality content.
Production
Known for its work as a long-term production partner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Humdinger produces for broadcast ‘RAW Comedy’ (SBS), ‘Deadly Funny’ (NITV), ‘The Great Debate’ plus many live events for the Festival’s commercial partners (Mitsubishi, Momentum Energy, M&M’s).
Humdinger makes entertaining content for global brands including Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, Air Asia, Yamaha, Quickbooks and Oxfam. And this weekend, it is appearing with Canon at FRMEFEST using Humdingers know-how to deliver video podcasting workshops.
It has fast become the go-to production company for filming stand-up specials for comedians including Celia Pacquola, Melanie Bracewell, Tom Ballard, Guy Montgomery and many more household names. Humdinger also co-produces popular web series ‘The Most Upsetting Guessing Game in the World’ with old mates Haven’t You Done Well Productions for Grouse House.
From Humble Beginnings
The Humdinger team is known for their grassroots approach to making comedy. Founded in Brunswick, Victoria by comedy writer/performers, Bec Petraitis, Matt Stewart, Andy Matthews, Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall alongside TV comedy director Evan Munro-Smith, the company started because they wanted to rent a warehouse to film sketches in.
From there, the company was chosen for the inaugural ABC and Screen Australia Fresh Blood program, filmed its own sketch show ‘Australia, Get It Up Ya!’ across the country and worked on Australia’s biggest comedy programs (‘Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell’, ‘Sammy J’s Playground Politics’, ‘Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation’, ‘Get Krack!n’).
The company was started out of a desire to create funny shows of its own with high production values to boot, which can be seen through the juggernaut ‘Do Go On’ podcast, cult-hit ‘Gamey Gamey Game’ and countless other shows independently produced for the companies love of making fine, handcrafted nonsense (‘Two in the Think Tank’, ‘Arty Facts’, ‘Hot Stand-up Comedians in Your Area’, ‘Media Breakdown’).
A Creative Hub Built For Comedy
Now in it’s third custom-built space, the freshly rebranded Humdinger Studios features:
- A 200sqm video production studio with a high-resolution LED video wall, also featuring a control room for live production, green room and kitchenette
facilities. - A video podcast studio with Canon 4K PTZ cameras
- Co-working spaces for creatives including hot desks, rehearsal spaces and a meeting room.
The space is a thriving hub of comedic creativity and as a Certified Social Enterprise, Humdinger is always reinvesting in the facilities and finding new ways of making them available to artists who need them. This includes the crowd-funded Comedy Lab program, which is in its second year and has supported 10 projects from local up-and-coming comedic voices.
A Return To Original Thinking
The team are using the rebrand to go back to its roots, kicking off a production slate of Humdinger Originals, independently made for the love of comedy.
- Space Murder, a live play RPG show, created by Bec Petraitis and Kay-Lyn Cavanagh with music from Jam Nawaz. It’s set on a space cruise ship where nothing bad is about to happen—think ‘White Lotus’ meets ‘Alf’. Starring Han Arbuthnott, Urvi Majumdar, Geraldine Quinn and Mish Wittrup. Made thanks to support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
- Cult-hit Gamey Gamey Game returning with a brand new season
- Two new stand-up specials from Dave Warneke and Matt Stewart
These will all be available for free via the Humdinger YouTube channel.
The new brand look has been crafted by illustrator and designer Peader Thomas to make sure that even though the company has become slightly more serious, they are still silly looking. And the team at the product agency have played an integral part in shepherding the rebrand efforts into this new shiny era.
Who Humdinger Are
Humdinger is made up of a day-to-day staff of talented and kind creatives, all striving to make something great together. In the studio are managing director Evan Munro-Smith, managing director Emma Sharp, production manager Ritu Chhina, project manager Han Arbuthnott, creative director Bec Petraitis, and videographers Jam Nawaz and Simon McCulloch.
“This rebrand is about broadening our offering to show that we don’t just service one niche,” said Sharp. “Comedy is at the core of our approach to creative, but it’s never been all we create. It’s a
mindset that informs our ability to make fun and thoughtful content for many different brands, organisations and platforms.”
“Humdinger is not just a job for us, it’s who we are. We started this company to pursue our passion and that has always been comedy,” said Munro-Smith. “This rebrand is about revitalising ourselves, so we can keep making things for the community we love so much, for many more years to come.”
“The name Stupid Old Studios has served us well over the years but also raised eyebrows on official bank documents,” concluded Petraitis.
“It will be nice to have a name that really encapsulates who we are, which my nanna also feels good about. Love you, nanna.”
