Andy Samberg has to be one of the luckiest guys alive. Look at that goofball. Between trysting with starlets like Natalie Portman and Kirsten Dunst, his day job includes making shorts like "Lazy Sunday" at Saturday Night Live. And it all started with video sketches Samberg and his Lonely Island cohorts posted on the Web. (The other two guys got writing gigs on SNL.) So it’s fitting that Samberg is helping kick off YouTube Sketchies, a nine-week comedy video competition that begins today.

The three-stage competition involves creating funny videos then having them judged by "entertainment industry professionals" and YouTube users. The contest is sponsored by Sierra Mist (owned by PepsiCo), so the winners will receive "a brand assignment and a production budget" to create a funny, soda-themed short that will be featured on the company's site. Also you get some free tickets to Andy Samberg's next movie.

Submissions for Round 1 are being accepted until May 31. Entries must be original videos that are shorter than 3 minutes, and you have to be a legal U.S. residents to enter.