Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a talk with journalists in Kyiv, Ukraine on Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
Countries are snapping up the rights to “Servant of the People” — a comedy series starring the Ukrainian President, as the Ukrainian President.
Back in 2015, former actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy played Vasiliy Petrovich Goloborodko, a high school teacher propelled to the presidency after a student’s video of him denouncing official corruption in Ukraine goes viral.
Goloborodko sets about running the country while eschewing the perks of being leader by keeping hold of his normal life.
A hit in Ukraine, where it ran for three seasons and a spin-off movie, interest in the show has peaked since Zelenskyy became the face of the nation as it endures attacks from Russia.
Eccho Rights has distributed the program, made by Zelenskyy’s Studio Kvartel 95, since it launched. The company’s managing partner, Nicola Söderlund, said sales have increased dramatically in the last few days, calling interest in the program “remarkable.”
“It’s quite an old show already,” he explains. “But, of course, given the circumstances, it’s become very, very, very interesting for everybody.”
Channel 4 has announced it has the rights to “Servant of the People” in the U.K. and plans to broadcast an episode on Sunday, alongside a current affairs show about Zelenskyy. Eccho Rights also reported deals with MBC in the Middle East, Greece’s ANT 1 and PRO TV in Romania, as well as broadcasters in Bulgaria, Moldova, Estonia, France, Finland and Georgia.
“People get surprised that a comedian can be a politician, but he was,” says Söderlund. “His skills in getting compelling messages to the people, which is what to do if you’re a TV host, has helped him a lot becoming a politician.”
Eccho Rights has donated 50,000 Euros to the Ukrainian Red Cross, which Söderlund says should offset the money they’ve made from selling the show. The company has also removed any Russian or Russian produced TV shows from its catalog.
Söderlund met Zelenskyy in 2012 when they distributed one of his comedy shows called “Crack Them Up,” where ordinary people have to make comedians laugh. The premise of “Servant of the People” appealed to him right away.
Zelenskyy mined the humor of an ordinary man in a corrupt society riding his bike to the presidential palace, forgoing a pay raise and living at home with his mom. “That was kind of the idea,” Söderlund said, "and I loved it.”
“Servant of the People” won the best feature series award at the Teletriumph Awards in Ukraine and also the Gold Remi Award for Television Comedy at the 2016 WorldFest in Houston.
Headspace Health has just launched the 'Headspace for Teens' social impact initiative, which will offer free access to the Headspace app for all teens ages 13 - 18 in America. Alice Nathoo, head of social impact at Headspace joins Cheddar News to talk about the program.
Many brands and industries are announcing their predictions for new trends to watch in 2022. According to Forbes, cooking robots and plant-based meat are just some of the many food trends that are expected to dominate. Jeff Crivello, CEO of BBQ Holdings, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
YouTube star and dancer JoJo Siwa and mom Jess Siwa joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about their show "Dance Pop Revolution" alongside their girl-group XOMG Pop who were formed from the show's competitors. JoJo, who got her own start on Lifetime's "Dance Moms," talked about the differences between competing at such a young age to having the opportunity to executive produce her own project. She also talked about her time on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and competing as the franchise's first same-sex couple.
Boxed, an e-commerce grocery platform that sells bulk consumables to businesses and household customers, began trading under the ticket symbol "BOXD" after completing a transaction with SPAC Seven Oaks Acquisition. Chieh Huang, co-founder and CEO of Boxed joins Cheddar News to talk about the company's growth.
Live music took a big hit last year, and many artists had to cancel or postpone their tours to 2022. Many partnered with the graphic novel company Z2 Comics to make money by creating unique comic book stories. Josh Bernstein, executive vice president of Z2 Comics, and Sridhar Reddy, founder and publisher at Z2 Comics, join Cheddar News to talk about the company's popularity.
On this episode of Your Future Home, Ryan Trudell, VP of Landscape Architecture, Creative Environments, breaks down factors that have led homeowners to become wearier of their living spaces, driving greater demand for outdoor living experiences; Jean Chatzky, CEO of HerMoney.com, discusses ways new homeowners can protect their budget and restore some peace of mind—even if they’ve made the decision to waive an inspection; Cheddar breaks down everything you need to know about how to properly winterize your home.
Not only do outdoor living environments increase the number of spaces you now have for entertainment, but you will see a high return on investment and add value to your home. Ryan Trudell, VP of Landscape Architecture, Creative Environments, joins Your Future Home to break down factors that have led homeowners to become wearier of their living spaces, driving greater demand for outdoor living experiences.
Jean Chatzky, CEO of HerMoney.com, joins Your Future Home to discuss ways new homeowners can protect their budget and restore some peace of mind—even if they’ve made the decision to waive an inspection.
