Grant Redmond didn’t bother to put on clothes when his partner, Cody Tidmore, told him their comedy short had been nominated for a Webby.
“I woke up to Cody yelling at me from his room that we got in,” Redmond says. “I jumped out of bed and ran across the house in my underwear to see the proof.”
Nominees for the 22nd annual Webby Awards were announced Monday morning, and in the category of Film Video-Comedy: Individual Short or Episode, Redmond and Tidmore’s comedy short "Sticky" is one of five videos up for the award.
“After I finished brushing my teeth and Grant finished hugging me in only his boxers like a little freak, I kind of processed how cool this was,” Tidmore says.
The Webby Awards are considered one of the highest honors for media on the internet. Created by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the awards cover seven groups: websites, advertising, media and public relations, social mobile sites and apps, games, podcasts and digital audio, and film and video.
Two awards are presented each category, the Webby Award chosen by the Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which also selects the nominees, and The Webby People’s Voice Award. An open vote on webbyawards.com decides the People’s Voice Award, and votes reach into the millions each year.
In "Sticky," which was edited and directed by Jeremy Bartel, Redmond’s character realizes he has the house to himself, and the video follows his subsequent adventures in self-love. When the short was posted a year ago, it was an immediate hit. It has more than 800,000 views on the comedy team’s YouTube channel.
For Dallas's Redmond and Tidmore, known as comedy duo Grant & Cody, seeing their short nominated for such a prestigious award is a satisfying conclusion to a project that started nearly two years ago. They conceived the idea when Tidmore noticed that Redmond always had a Post-It note over the camera on his laptop. Redmond admitted it was to prevent government agencies from viewing his personal activities. What started out as a means for privacy led to Redmond appearing naked from the waist down in the web video.
Grant & Cody will go up against some stiff competition this year. Also in their category are works from internet powerhouses Funny or Die and Super Deluxe, as well as an animated short from The Simpsons titled “Donald Trump’s First 100 Days in Office.”“After I finished brushing my teeth and Grant finished hugging me in only his boxers like a little freak, I kind of processed how cool this was.” — Cody Tidmore
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Redmond says that although it’s exciting to be nominated, there is a level of intimidation being alongside such well-known comedy creators.
“There we were," Redmond says. "Up against The Simpsons, Funny or Die and Super Deluxe. There’s kind of a bittersweetness there. It feels like we’re up against people that we could never beat, but it’s cool to see our work up there with theirs.”
Grant & Cody might not be household names, but other comedians want to both watch and work with them. The duo promoted various live shows and continues to work on comedy shorts with its postproduction team, Charlie Uniform Tango. They're in the process of writing and producing longer original scripts. The only thing either comedian has on short supply right now is rest.
“It’s easy for people to write these off as dumb little videos or, as my entire extended family calls them, 'little skits,' but it takes a lot of work to make a fake Furry Porn site, you guys,” Tidmore says. “We’re just honored to be along for the ride and excited to be the only kids at the adults' table.”
Webby winners will be announced April 24 and honored May 14 in New York City. Voting for the People’s Voice Award is open.
