Hard to Be Me - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Hard to Be Me is an independently produced dramedy series created by and starring Edward Robert Bach. The show follows second year art student Kevin Hamilton (Bach) and his vlog in which he tells the story of his week more through his art than his words. This device would frame future episodes of the show.

This framing device has led to Hard to Be Me being called "the first web 2.0

Web 2.0

The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...

television show" and is often cited by the director of the pilot episode Erik Cieslewicz as one of the main reasons he worked on the project. It has been described as "a little Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...

a little Everybody Hates Chris

Everybody Hates Chris

Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...

and a lot of famility-oriented funny," which is also often cited by the pilot's creators as a major component of the show.

Currently being pitched to networks by an agent, Hard to Be Me has won a "slew of awards at film festivals."

Production

"There is definitely some of me in the plot and character developed around Kevin" according to Bach, but he still hopes "Viewers will see themselves in all the characters" as well. It took about a year from start to finish to produce the pilot episode. Bach has stated numerous times that he would like the characters in the show to be relatable and empathetic while the plots to be universal and family friendly. Additionally, the reason to set the show in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

was to show "the softer, non-political side of DC and the people who live here."

According to Cieslewicz, "the goal from the beginning was to create a broadcast-ready pilot," and that the production considered "hundreds" of actors from the Washington D.C. area when casting. Kevin's favorite artist in the show is also one of Bach's as well: Drew Struzan

Drew Struzan

Drew Struzan is an American artist known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include all the films in the Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Star Wars film series. He has also painted album covers, collectibles, and book covers.- Early life and education :Drew Struzan was born in Oregon...

. According to Bach, Struzan "liked the idea of the Pilot" and his self portrait appears in the pilot.

In August 2010, the show reached an agreement with Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper

Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...

to provide her track It's Hard to Be Me

Shine (Cyndi Lauper album)

Shine was an album released exclusively in Japan in 2004 by singer Cyndi Lauper. The album was ready for release in 2001 but Edel Records, the label it was recorded with, folded. The leaked tracks from a demonstration disc quickly circulated on the Internet and by 2002 Lauper realized there was no...

as the theme song of the show.

Main characters

Edward Robert Bach as Kevin Hamilton
Kendra North as Patricia Hamilton
Katie E. Jones as Shannon Hamilton
Michael Garvey
Michael Garvey
Michael "Mick" Garvey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the Victorian Football League .-External links:* at Blueseum...

as Patrick Hamilton
Ali Walton as Olivia Willis-Henshall
Doug Henderson as Daniel Corrigan
Megan Hurst as Juliet Crawford
Kelli Biggs as Dr. Candice Wilkes
Estenia Goodridge as Melody
Carleen Troy as Shareece
Brandon Rice as Malcom
Addie Cannizzaro as Wilkes T.A.

Synopsis

Using the framing device of Kevin's vLog, the pilot follows Kevin receiving the weekly assignment of creating the vLog from his demanding Communications 101 professor Dr. Candice Wilkes (Biggs). His first blog, introducing his family and friends, introduces the audience to the universe of the show as well. The show also follows a group of characters, who like the audience, are watching Kevin's vLog as part of the narrative of the show.

Reception

In addition to calling the pilot "the first web 2.0 TV show," The Wausau City Pages also described it as "giving a truly unique perspective on youth, life and social media technology." Blogger William Powell declared in his review that the show was "directed with crisp professionalism by Erik Cieslewicz" and that "Hard To Be Me is a pilot that will probably wind up on the small screen on a major network soon. Mark my words." Additionally, the pilot has won many awards screening in film festivals.

Awards

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| 2011
| Silver Ace
| Las Vegas Film Festival
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| Television Pilot Category
Jury Prize
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| 2011
| Best Dramedy
| New York International Independent Film and Video Festival

New York International Independent Film and Video Festival

New York International Independent Film and Video Festival is a film screening event in various American cities. It was founded in 1993, and its website claims it has been recognized by the film and entertainment industry as one of the leading film events on the independent festival circuit...

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| Short Category
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| 2011
| Silver Award
| California Film Awards
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| TV Pilot Category
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| 2010
| Audience Award
| Central Wisconsin Film Festival
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| Short Category
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| 2010
| Platinum Award
| Nevada Film Festival
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| TV Pilot Category
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| 2010
| Best Television Production
| Oregon Film Festival
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| 2010
| Best Television Pilot
| Colorado Film Festival
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| 2010
| First Place
| Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival
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| TV pilot category
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| 2010
| John Muir Award
| Yosemite Film Festival
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| TV pilot category
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| 2010
| Best TV Pilot
Direction
| The Indie Fest
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| Award of Merit
Erik Cieslewicz
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| 2010
| Best TV Pilot
| New Media Fest
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| 2010
| Star Award
| The Indie Gathering
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| TV pilot category
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| 2010
| Best TV Pilot
| New York International Independent Film and Video Festival

New York International Independent Film and Video Festival

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| 2010
| Leading Actor
Leading Actress
TV Pilot
| Accolade Competition

Accolade Competition

The Accolade Competition is an international, non-traditional, virtual awards venue. Awards go to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries....

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