Break a Leg

Our very own Peter Cooke wrote a college paper on one of the best, most good-looking subjects you can pick -- me. He is gracious enough to share it for our newest fan blog!

Stay tuned next week for Sam Wood's blog!

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I stumbled across "Break a Leg" on one of my treks across the vast world wide web. The internet sitcom came highly recommended from several people I had met in attempt in satiate my addiction to the show "Arrested Development." Originally taped as a five minute pilot for a networkcontest, "Break a Leg" was the brainchild of a motley crew. Created by a pair of brothers, the show starred several of their friends and other local actors from San Francisco. After losing the contest the cast did not despair and posted the video on several websites. It struck up a strong cult following-of which I am proud to be a member of-and never looked back.

The premise of the show was that a young writer just had his new sitcom picked up but faces several difficulties: a lack of money, a director who can't direct and he learns that he's going to be killed. The show's creators, Yuri and Vlad Baranovsky, wanted to make a satire of the inner workings of Hollywood, but ironically had no prior knowledge on the subject. I'm still not sure what drew me into "Break a Leg," whether it was the chaotic characters or the way I saw parts of myself portrayed by the characters and the creators. Investigating into the show's production, I met Yuri, who wasn't the typical guy you meet over the internet, and spoke with him about the show and the challenge of getting a big networks attention.

I talked to Yuri dozens of times, and we grew close despite being thousands of miles away. The more I conversed with Yuri, the more I admired him, learning about how he had started with nothing in his hometown of Kiev, Russia and immigrated to America, motivated by his love of writing. Yuri was the epitome of who I wanted to become-a man following his dream-despite the hardships that might befall him. "Break a Leg" had begun releasing their third episode when I had an eye opening conversation with Yuri.

Our chat began like any other one until we stumbled into philosophy and the deterioration of the American life. I asked Yuri why he continued creating "Break a Leg" getting behind it, shoveling days of effort into it with little recognition and reward. Yuri simply replied, "Because there's nothing quite like creating your own world where the only person who has control is me, Vlad and the characters themselves." To Yuri, filming "Break a Leg" wasn't about gaining privacy and that celebrity status, it was about the creativity and passion that writing and acting allowed him to channel into a work of art, or as a character in "Break a Leg" refers to sitcoms as "comedic life paintings."

I never forgot that conversation. Yuri redefined the measure with which I rated life. Yuri and the rest of his crew and cast had nothing to lose and did what they loved. There was nothing macabre about it. I was determined to change my way of thought, looking for something I loved. Like my own, the future of Yuri and "Break a Leg" has yet to be determined, but as long we are doing something we love who knows.

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Quick note -- Peter mentions talking to me over AIM. I've posted this before, but many of us will gladly speak to any of you over instant messenger when we have the time.

You can add the follow AIM names to contact us:

BreakaLegSitcom - Yuri
Ante31337 - Vlad
Jus10m82 - Justin (Chase Cougar, Director of Photography, Editor)
Someonemanr - Dashiell (Crew Guy, Editor, Director of Photography)

Thanks! Stay tuned for Jen Day tomorrow!
-Yuri