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Ryan Micho and his brothers hit a million views on TikTok for a video inspired by CBS’s “60 Minutes.”

“I always heard that comedy has to come from truth in some regard. We found that’s true,” Ryan said.

Astutely named “60 Seconds,” the TikTok parodies what “60 Minutes” would be if budget cuts required the show to be condensed into 60 seconds, Aidan Micho said. The video went viral overnight, garnering comments from the official Nerf TikTok account and, six months later, a comment from the official “60 Minutes” TikTok account itself.

But the Micho brothers don’t stop at making videos on TikTok. Using the acronymous moniker Krab Videos, the four Micho brothers, Kyle, Ryan, Aidan and Brendan, create sketch comedy shorts and video content on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Ryan and Aidan, both television, radio and film students at Syracuse University, didn’t intend to gain a following when they first started out, said Aidan, who is a sophomore. The pair launched Krab Videos in May 2020 as a quarantine project, originally filming long-form sketches for YouTube, the brothers said.

Now, over two years later, they’ve amassed a following of over 80,000 people on Instagram and over two million total likes on TikTok.

“Funny is always the priority,” said Ryan, who is a senior. “People tend to either comment or share videos that they can relate to, and they know like their friends can relate to, versus something that they’ll just laugh at.”

With Krab, the brothers have made videos about everything, from what working retail is like to how middle aged dads watch sports. They’ve also utilized different formats online, from point of view-style videos on TikTok to clips with hand-drawn animations and voice overs.

The brothers even made a seven episode comedy show on YouTube called KRAB Show, which consisted of several wacky segments featuring the Michos and friends.

In the two years they’ve been creating content, the brothers have increased their efficiency and have seen significant growth in their content, Aidan said.

As much as the brothers see Krab Videos as an extracurricular activity, it has gone from a hobby to a professional endeavor for them, providing experience on how to write and shoot comedy content, they said.

The brothers keep an eye on what content has been performing well when they create a new video. Recently, videos that are doing well include a mixture of text on screen and filmed content, Ryan said.

Though they take their audience into account when producing new videos, the brothers ultimately find inspiration from what they find funny, Ryan said. At its core, Krab is a project that the brothers enjoy working on, and the success that they’ve found is secondary to them.

“I know Ryan and I would both rather do this full time professionally than as a side gig in between our homework,” Aidan said. “We’re TRF majors, but this is the best way to learn how to write and shoot comedy.”

While Krabt started within the family, the project has since expanded while the brothers are separated during the school year. Ryan is currently studying in LA and Aidan is in Syracuse, so the brothers typically split the creative work between the two of them and outsource segments of filming, Ryan said.

Sometimes the brothers also collect input from their peers on ideas for good content.

Paige Morrissey, a sophomore studying television and digital media production at Ithaca College, went to high school with the Micho brothers, and has acted in Krab’s videos and inspired some content.

Morrissey, who also wants to go into comedy, said that Krab has been valuable in her understanding of what makes content funny and relatable.

“Making comedy, you have to make it for yourself, but also, you have to think about the audience and who you’re putting it out to,” Morrissey said. “Definitely learning who your audience is for whatever content you’re making, that’s helped me in all senses.”

The Micho brothers have no plans to stop Krab’s growth even though they aren’t in the same place geographically. Ryan and Aidan are using Krab to build a foundation to pursue filmmaking in the future. They said the project has taught them how to try new things with their comedy and not be afraid to pursue fresh ideas.

“Just make whatever,” Aidan said. “If you’re a creator, you just have to create. And that’s how you get better. That’s how you start.”

Published on September 7, 2022 at 11:45 pm