Jake and Amir - Fired (30 Minute Special)

Fired (30 Minute Special)

'Fired' is very much an extension of the Jake and Amir that people already know. It begins and ends with them at their desks. That being said, it also expands the universe considerably by adding characters, locations, and something even newer to a 'Jake and Amir' plot. Because it's the first time we've done a long-form video with our own small crew, something about it feels very intimate and gratifying.

“ ” Sam Reich, President of Original Content for CollegeHumor Media

On October 11, 2011, the release of the series' first paid episode was announced. The half-hour episode, titled Jake and Amir: Fired, deals with Amir being fired by a fictional new CEO of CollegeHumor - Alan Avery (Matt Walton) - due to the discovery of Amir's numerous shenanigans during his fictional time at CollegeHumor. Jake sees this as an opportunity to finally rid himself of Amir and start a new life. However, after discovering Amir at a new low and unable to find work, Jake feels sympathetically and decides to aid Amir in getting his old job back. To do so, Jake and Amir shoot a new episode of the farcical show "Ace and Jocelyn" involving Amir throwing plates (flying saucers) in a diner, tattooing a 'treasure map' onto his back, interrupting a funeral, raiding an elementary school and launching a live turkey concealed in a cage off a bridge and into traffic. The filming of the episode leaves Jake a broken man yet it fails to impress Alan or earn Amir job back at CollegeHumor. The episode is described by Alan as "garbage" and his application is denied. However Alan is revealed to be a fraudulent man, avoiding taxes and such, so the duo blackmail Alan into re-employing Amir. The episode closes with Amir back to his old ways, once again pestering Jake to become his best friend.

The episode generated considerable attention in online media due to the unusual and pioneering nature of selling an episode of a web series, though a more conventional DVD version was also sold alongside the digitally streamed one. The episode was the first CollegeHumor long-form release to rely solely on its own crew for production.