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"God, Inc.": "The Office" Meets The Almighty
Thirty-four-year-old filmmaker Francis Stokes has discovered the power of YouTube. But more to the point, YouTube has discovered the comedy of Francis Stokes. The first episode of Stokes' serial comedy "God, Inc." – which imagines the corporate offices of the Almighty -- was posted on December 29, featured on YouTube's frontpage over the weekend, and has already been highlighted by Rocket Boom and Vlog Soup.
The second webisode ("The Miracles Department") was uploaded less than a week ago, and it's already received over 100,000 views and catapulted the California-based Stokes to become the most subscribed director of the week. Compare the rest of what's popular on YouTube and Stokes' satirical creation appears to be not only the best available scripted content out there, but maybe the only scripted content.
Like a theological version of "The Office," "God, Inc." has the dry, biting humor of its successful forerunner, but it's the jokes about fate and religion that make it sparkle.
Some examples: The first episode introduces us to the chaotic Customer Relations department. "They're filing prayers," says the snarky office manager. "It's a crap job; nobody reads them." We are also introduced to the nasty Disasters Dept. ("We're launching a 7.3 earthquake near Calcutta. Could be our highest death toll this year; it's going to be a beauty.")
And here's a cleverly scripted exchange between new hire Sarah and Austin, the cynic in the Miracles department.
Sarah: What department are you in?
Austin: Miracles.
Sarah: You mean like seeing Jesus's face in a tortilla?
Austin: No, that's publicity.
Stokes is also harnessing his YouTube popularity to get the word out on his feature debut, Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman, about a small-town salesman-underdog who wants to be the next Evil Knievel. While the humor in the trailer doesn’t seem quite as sharp as "God, Inc.", Stokes has the kind of comedic talents that should do him well. As one YouTube commenter writes about "God, Inc.," "Awesome! This should be a TV show."
-Francis
Stokes is of German/English ancestry.
I know this, as he is my third cousin.
I think his determination to write and produce is "fantastic" and I hope he goes far.
Carl