# 🎬 From Basement Hobby to Viral Fame: How Two Friends Built a Career from Old VHS Tapes
**By:** Website Desk
**Published:** October 26, 2025
—
Two childhood friends, **Joe and Nick**, have turned their favorite childhood hobby into a full-time career — collecting and sharing the funniest, strangest, and most random VHS tapes ever made. What started as a small weekend activity in their parents’ basements has now become a national comedy tour and a popular YouTube channel watched by thousands of fans.
Their project is called the **Found Footage Festival**, and it celebrates the weird, forgotten, and hilarious moments captured on old videotapes.
—
## 🎞️ The Beginning: From Wisconsin Basements to Big Dreams
Joe and Nick grew up in **Wisconsin**, where they spent most of their teenage years digging through old video stores, garage sales, and thrift shops. While other kids were buying new movies, they were collecting strange tapes — **exercise videos, home training tutorials, and odd local TV shows** that nobody else seemed to want.
They never thought this quirky hobby would turn into something big. “On a Friday night, Joe and I would go into our parents’ basements, invite friends over, and just watch these videos for fun,” Nick said. “It was our way to hang out and laugh.”
Over the years, their collection grew — from just a few tapes to hundreds, then thousands. Today, they own **over 14,000 VHS tapes**, making it one of the largest private collections of old videotapes in the United States.
—
## 📼 The Found Footage Festival: Turning Nostalgia into Comedy
When Joe and Nick became adults, they decided to share their treasure with the world. That’s how the **Found Footage Festival** was born — a live comedy show where they present the funniest and strangest clips from their massive VHS collection.
Instead of mocking bad movies, they focus on **forgotten gems of everyday life** — awkward workout tapes, funny corporate training videos, old talk shows, or strange local commercials. These tapes weren’t made for Hollywood, but they capture something real and human — moments that were never meant to go viral, but now make people laugh decades later.
One of their favorite finds?
A video titled **“Training Llamas to Drive.”**
Yes — someone actually made a tape teaching llamas how to “drive.” The absurdity is what makes it gold for the duo and their audience.
—
## 😂 The Secret Behind the Laughter
Joe and Nick’s style is unique. Unlike their heroes from **“Mystery Science Theater 3000”**, they don’t sit and joke over movies. Instead, they curate short clips and tell the story behind each one — when it was made, where they found it, and why it’s so funny now.
Their goal isn’t to make fun of people but to **celebrate the weird beauty of the VHS era** — a time before smartphones, YouTube, or TikTok, when anyone could record something bizarre and release it to the world.
“It’s just a bottomless pit,” Nick said with a laugh. “Every time we think we’ve seen it all, another box of tapes shows up with something even weirder.”
—
## 📺 VCR Party: Nostalgia Goes Digital
With technology changing, Joe and Nick took their festival online. They now host **weekly “VCR Parties” on YouTube**, where fans join live to watch new clips from their ever-growing collection.
Each show feels like a time machine — flashing back to the 80s and 90s, with old commercials, retro music, and funny fashion choices. Their fans often send in tapes they find in thrift stores or old basements, helping the collection grow even more.
Joe explained, “There isn’t really an organization devoted to saving the kinds of videos we collect — so in a way, we are the only ones doing it. We’re kind of preserving a piece of media history.”
And it’s true — most people throw away old VHS tapes without realizing they’re losing small pieces of pop culture, humor, and history.
—
## 🌍 Taking It on the Road
The Found Footage Festival isn’t just an online show — it’s a **live touring comedy experience**. Joe and Nick travel across the country, bringing their collection to theaters and comedy clubs. Each event is filled with laughter, nostalgia, and audience participation.
People come to watch, not because the videos are perfect, but because they’re wonderfully imperfect — they remind everyone of a time when technology was simpler and humor was unfiltered.
“There’s something magical about watching these old tapes together in a room,” Joe said. “Everyone laughs, everyone remembers something from their childhood — it’s like a big, funny time capsule.”
—
## 💾 Why It Matters
In a world dominated by digital content, Joe and Nick’s mission feels refreshing. They’re not chasing trends or algorithms. Instead, they’re **preserving lost media** — old memories that could have easily disappeared forever.
Their project also highlights the importance of **archiving**. The VHS era may seem outdated, but it represents a key chapter in media history — when creativity was raw and accessible to everyone.
From small-town workout instructors to local news anchors, every tape tells a story. And thanks to Joe and Nick, those stories are being rediscovered and enjoyed all over again.
—
## 🧡 The Power of Nostalgia
Watching these tapes brings people together — young and old. For some, it’s a trip down memory lane. For others, it’s a hilarious look at a world before social media.
Their YouTube channel comments are filled with messages like:
> “This reminds me of my childhood!”
> “I can’t believe these videos existed!”
> “Please never stop doing this!”
It’s clear that their simple idea — watching weird tapes with friends — has become something much bigger: a community united by laughter and nostalgia.
—
## 🎥 Looking Ahead
After more than 40 years of collecting, Joe and Nick show no signs of slowing down. With thousands of tapes still to watch, their mission continues: to save, share, and celebrate the most random videos ever made.
Their message is simple:
> “Laughter doesn’t always come from perfection — sometimes it’s hidden in an old VHS tape from someone’s basement.”
