Black20
Black20 was an American digital production studio known for comedic web series, parody videos, and viral online entertainment.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Black20 was an American digital production studio established in 2007 by J. Crowley, Neil Punsalan, and Nelson Castro. Based in Long Island City, Queens, New York, the company developed comedy-oriented online video at a time when web series and viral clips were becoming an increasingly important part of digital entertainment. Its output combined scripted episodic programs, interview formats, parody advertising, altered- soundtrack clips, reality-style comedy, and short viral videos. The studio's best-known scripted property was net_work, an office comedy centered on employees at a fictional startup called Black20. The series starred Mike O'Gorman and Michael Torpey and used recurring characters including Dean the Werewolf, Troy, Stacy, and Tom, described as the coolest person in the office and played by Thomas Edward Seymour. The format allowed Black20 to satirize startup culture and the production of internet content while also functioning as a self-referential portrait of the studio's business. Another prominent program was The Middle Show, a weekly neighborhood interview series hosted by David Price, with assistance from Ted O'Gorman and Pat Driscoll. The program produced recognizable viral segments including Alec Baldwin's Daughter Calls Back and The Singing Jogger. Other Black20 formats included Heart Felt, a reality-style series about the troubled lives of puppets and people; Overdubbed, which changed or replaced the soundtrack of existing clips; After These Messages, a parody series focused on commercials and new products; and Secret Lives, which presented fictional characters such as the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus in supposedly revealing situations. Black20 gained attention through short-form videos distributed online. Reported high-performing examples included 300: PG Version, I Am A Building: net_work, Star Wars PSA: Vader Dad, and Naked Gay Ted: net_work. The company’s work was available through Hulu and its YouTube channel, giving it access to both an established streaming platform and the rapidly expanding social-video audience. The studio also attracted outside industry interest. Jeff Jarvis participated as an angel investor, and Fox Television Studios acquired a part of Black20 in an effort to strengthen its comedy development for television. The available reference material does not identify the value or detailed terms of that transaction. Black20 was subsequently inactive as a production group. Its channel’s last video before a long gap was published on June 14, 2010; two older videos were uploaded or republished on January 14, 2022, after approximately twelve years without a new channel post. On the available evidence, Black20 is best understood as an inactive or defunct digital-media studio rather than an operating contemporary entertainment brand.
History
Black20 emerged in 2007 as an independent American digital production studio founded by J. Crowley, Neil Punsalan, and Nelson Castro. It operated from Long Island City in Queens, New York, and focused on comedy made specifically for online distribution. Its formation placed it within the early professional web-video sector, when producers were experimenting with episodic internet programming, short viral clips, and distribution through services such as YouTube and Hulu. The studio’s programming was varied but consistently comic. Its principal scripted series, net_work, followed workers at a fictional startup also called Black20. Mike O'Gorman and Michael Torpey played the central employees, while recurring roles included Dean the Werewolf, Troy, Stacy, and Tom. The series used workplace situations and startup satire to comment on the culture of internet production. Black20 also produced Sheffield Quigley: Professional MySpace Photographer, which, together with net_work, received a nomination for Best Broadband Web-Series at the 2007 Creative Arts and Entertainment Emmys. net_work was additionally nominated for Best Series at the 2007 YouTube Awards. The Middle Show broadened the company’s format mix. Hosted by David Price, the weekly program featured interviews with people in and around a neighborhood. Ted O'Gorman and Pat Driscoll commonly assisted Price. Segments such as Alec Baldwin's Daughter Calls Back and The Singing Jogger became notable examples of the studio’s ability to turn street-level or interview material into shareable online comedy. Price later received tvweek.com’s 2008 Sexiest Male Web Host recognition in a blog feature by Daisy Whitney. Other Black20 projects explored parody and hybrid formats. Heart Felt presented the troubled lives of puppets and people in a reality-show framework. Overdubbed altered the soundtrack of clips for comic effect. After These Messages parodied familiar commercials and new-product presentations, while Secret Lives imagined the hidden behavior of fictional figures such as the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. These programs complemented the studio’s short viral-video strategy. Several Black20 videos achieved substantial online reach according to the available reference material. Reported examples include 300: PG Version, with approximately 10 million views; I Am A Building: net_work, with approximately 3.6 million; Star Wars PSA: Vader Dad, with approximately 3.3 million; and Naked Gay Ted: net_work, also with approximately 3.3 million. The figures are historical view counts reported in the reference and are not presented as current totals. Black20 attracted financing and strategic interest from established media figures. Jeff Jarvis was identified as an angel investor. Fox Television Studios later acquired part of the company in an effort to improve comedy development for television. No transaction price, closing date, ownership percentage, or post-acquisition operating structure is specified in the available material. The company’s active production period did not continue indefinitely. The final video published on its channel before a lengthy hiatus appeared on June 14, 2010, and the group is described as inactive since 2011. Two older videos appeared on the channel on January 14, 2022, after the long gap, but those posts do not establish a renewed production operation. Black20 is therefore documented as an inactive digital studio whose main historical significance lies in its early web-series work, comedy formats, and transition-oriented relationship with television media.
- 2022
Two older videos appear after the hiatus
[1]Two videos are published on the channel on January 14, 2022, after an approximately twelve-year gap.
- 2011
Black20 becomes inactive
[1]The group is described as inactive from 2011 onward.
- 2010
Last pre-hiatus channel video
[1]The last video published on the Black20 channel before a prolonged gap appears on June 14, 2010.
- 2008
David Price receives web-host recognition
[1]The Middle Show host David Price is named tvweek.com's Sexiest Male Web Host in a feature on Daisy Whitney's blog.
- 2007
Black20 is founded
[1]J. Crowley, Neil Punsalan, and Nelson Castro establish the digital production studio in New York.
- 2007
Black20 web series receive Emmy recognition
[1]net_work and Sheffield Quigley: Professional MySpace Photographer are nominated for Best Broadband Web-Series at the Creative Arts and Entertainment Emmys.
- 2007
net_work receives a YouTube Awards nomination
[1]The series is nominated for Best Series at the 2007 YouTube Awards.
Products and positioning
A comedy-focused digital production studio built around short-form web entertainment, self-referential series, parody, and viral video distribution.
Scripted office comedy web series · 2007
net_work
An office-focused web series starring Mike O'Gorman and Michael Torpey as employees of a fictional startup called Black20. The show used recurring characters and workplace satire to dramatize the culture of an internet-content company. It was one of Black20's principal series and received nominations at both the 2007 Creative Arts and Entertainment Emmys and the 2007 YouTube Awards.
Interview web series
The Middle Show
A weekly neighborhood interview program hosted by David Price, with Ted O'Gorman and Pat Driscoll frequently assisting. The series featured conversations and comic encounters with people in and around the neighborhood, including the segments Alec Baldwin's Daughter Calls Back and The Singing Jogger.
Reality-style comedy series
Heart Felt
A reality-show parody centered on the troubled lives of puppets and people. The format extended Black20's interest in mixing conventional entertainment genres with absurdist online comedy.
Clip comedy series
Overdubbed
A clip-based format in which the soundtrack of source material was altered to create a new comic interpretation. It represents Black20's use of editing and repurposing as a central part of its online-video style.
Commercial parody series
After These Messages
A Black20 series built around comic treatments of popular commercials and new products. Its premise allowed the studio to imitate advertising conventions while presenting them as short-form entertainment.
Character-based viral comedy series
Secret Lives
A viral series that imagined the private or hidden behavior of fictional characters, including the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. The concept used familiar cultural figures as the basis for short-form parody.
Comedy web series · 2007
Sheffield Quigley: Professional MySpace Photographer
A Black20 web series that received a nomination for Best Broadband Web-Series at the 2007 Creative Arts and Entertainment Emmys. The available reference does not provide further production or plot details.
Brand decisions
- Fox Television Studios acquires part of Black20M&A
Background
Fox Television Studios sought to strengthen its comedy development for television through a relationship with the digital production studio.
Action taken
Fox Television Studios acquired an unspecified part of Black20. The available material does not disclose the price, percentage, closing date, or detailed governance terms.
Aftermath
The transaction connected Black20's web-comedy production with a major television development company, but the available record does not document a sustained later operating history.
Recent events
- 2022
Black20's YouTube channel resumes activity after a long gap[1]
Other
Two older videos appeared on the Black20 channel on January 14, 2022, following a roughly twelve-year gap after the last pre-gap publication in June 2010.
- 2007
Black20 launches as a digital production studio[1]
Other
Black20 begins operating as an American online-video studio founded by J. Crowley, Neil Punsalan, and Nelson Castro.
- 2007
Black20 web series receive 2007 Creative Arts and Entertainment Emmy nominations[1]
Other
net_work and Sheffield Quigley: Professional MySpace Photographer were nominated for Best Broadband Web-Series.
- 2007
net_work receives a 2007 YouTube Awards nomination[1]
Other
The office comedy web series was nominated in the Best Series category at the YouTube Awards.
Fox Television Studios acquires a stake in Black20[1]
M&A
Fox Television Studios acquired part of Black20 to support its television comedy-development efforts. The available reference does not state the transaction value or exact date.
Sources2 sources
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