The Love, Ronny comedy group shamelessly shares its love for laughs and ‘90s boy bands.

“You’ve heard of ‘N Sync right? Small-time boy band, played an arena or two. Well, they happen to be so-named after the last letters in their first names, so because we’re not ashamed of our love for ‘N Sync, we named Ronny after the last letters of our last names,” Ben Rosen, a 2011 Syracuse University alumnus and a member of Love, Ronny, said in an email.

A Los Angeles-based group of SU alumni recently teamed up with a friend and alumnus from Southern Methodist University to create the group. Besides Rosen, there are three other 2011 grads — Danny Skinner, Tony Cavallo and Raffy Ganimian — and Chris McCreary, a 2011 SMU drama graduate. The group writes, produces and records comedy sketches and posts them to their YouTube channel every Tuesday.

Rosen said working with friends in a group and doing what they all love was a no-brainer. Post graduation, the group realized that they must pursue comedy, and in order to make it in this business, they had to do it together.

“The ‘love’ part is what we’re about. Making people laugh or smile, why we do what we do is because we ‘love’ to do it,” Rosen said.

Rosen is not new to the world of comedy. His father was a traveling stand-up comedian with a group of Jewish cantors, which Rosen said had an influence on his upbringing. Rosen performed with his family at their local Jewish Community Center and performed comedy throughout his teen years. Some of his earlier influences were Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and “Monty Python.”

At SU, Rosen was involved in First Year Players, and was also a contributor to The Daily Orange. Senior year, Rosen was in the CirtusTV comedy group, “Float Your Boat” working as a producer, writer, director and editor.

“I remembered reading several stories about VPA and Newhouse grads who’d gone on to launch their own companies. I couldn’t wait to graduate and do the same, not just launch a company but also share a success story with students who might be wondering: What does the future really have in store?” Rosen said.

Cavallo, a Boston native, was also part of the “Float Your Boat” group and was a member of the Black Box Players, a student-run theater group. Before that, Cavallo’s first role in a production was as Rooster in his middle school’s production of “Annie.”

One of his most rewarding moments at SU, he said, was when he produced and directed “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” by Bert V. Royal in an attic on Euclid. He said he and a group of friends built the set and worked the soundboards and lights themselves.

One of the other SU alums in Love, Ronny, Ganimian said he, too, had comedy in him from the start, as he used to strut around with his pants pulled high, imitating Steve Urkel.

Ganimian was in several shows while on campus, including “Dog Sees God” and “Room Service.” He also directed “The Palooka” by Tennessee Williams. Some of his comedic inspirations include “Monty Python,” “I Love Lucy,” Jim Carrey, Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers.

Chris McCreary, the graduate of SMU, joined the group after hearing about it through his best friend from high school, Danny Skinner, who went to SU. McCreary said that comedy has been the lone, constant passion in his life. And although he is still trying to figure out what he wants to do for a living, he said he knows it must involve making people laugh.

Ideas for the comedy group’s sketches are not solely drafted for the purpose of entertainment, as Rosen believes that inspiration can come from everyday life and experiences. Cavallo added that inspiration can even come from their drunken follies.

The company is new, but the members have high hopes for the future. People they hope to work with include Leah Remini, Alison Brie, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen. Along with celebrity cameos, which they are keeping under wraps, they are in the process of setting up pages on Funny or Die, CollegeHumor and Break.com. Live shows are also in the works, as well as cross-promotion with other companies and brands in and out of the Syracuse University network.

For those who want to pursue drama as a career, the members of Love, Ronny are encouraging and have some insight and wisdom to offer from what they’ve experienced so far.

Said member Raffy Ganimian: “Constantly work on your craft and study the greats — the old school comedic actors. Move to LA, find a group of people that want to do what you’re doing, and just do it.”

Published on October 23, 2013 at 1:30 am