13 May 2024

The Monty Pythonesque Kiwi comedy trio blowing up

From Nine To Noon, 10:05 am on 13 May 2024

Run by the trio of Adam King, Alan Morrison & Rowan Bettjeman, Viva La Dirt League is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most popular YouTube channels. It's got almost 6.5 million subscribers and over 3.5 billion views. Their Monty Pythonesque sketch comedy is based on gaming, often starting with the question - what happens if you take video game logic and apply it to the real world?

Prior to turning Viva La Dirt League into a full-time business the trio all had jobs in traditional media. Adam the TVNZ director, Alan an NZME video producer & Rowan the "struggling actor". At a time when legacy media companies are struggling, the trio have found a way to make a sustainable living, a mix of ad revenue and direct financial support from their fans. Most recently crowd funding over $4,000,000 to build their own West Auckland studio complex.

Adam & Alan join Kathryn Ryan.

Viva La Dirt League

Viva La Dirt League Photo: Supplied