An overbearing, middle-aged housewife. A soulful yet no-nonsense daycare center director. The young, fiery, neighborhood Latina. And a poodle, angrily bemoaning the fact that he does not understand French to his French-speaking owner. These are a few of the colorful characters brought to life by James Manzello and Matt Pavich, cast members of MTV 2’s “Joking Off” and creators/ stars of the YouTube series “Handsome Dancer.” “Handsome Dancer” encapsulates Manzello and Pavich’s tongue-in-cheek humor and comedic acting chops within 2-minute sketches, wherein they play a variety of roles. The series has recently gained traction and ample social media exposure thanks to the duo’s first music video, “Coincidance,” which was filmed throughout areas of Astoria and Brooklyn. It tells the tale of two different men from various parts of the world, who “coincidancally” bond over the same dance move. “Coincidance” was recently featured on the blog Reddit and, as of press time, has amassed more than 17,000 views. The duo has worked together for nearly a decade, but only began filming online skits in the past several years. At the behest of their friends and fans, the guys finally uploaded all of their content onto one YouTube channel, branding it “Handsome Dancer.” “The name ultimately sounded cool and made sense for us,” Manzello said. The channel currently features 14 videos, including “Coincidance.” Manzello and Pavich’s friends aid in various elements of crafting the “Handsome Dancer” videos. The creative team includes Matt VanDaniker (video editor), Zak Ray and Ryan Albahary (directors of photography) and Jeremy Pearl-Jacobvitz, who performs a variety of duties on set. Manzello himself writes and directs all of the skits, with the exception of one that poked fun at the film “Top Gun.” Back in 2005, Pavich and Manzello met on the set of a feature-length, independent comedy film that Manzello wrote and directed, called “How To Lose in the Game of Life.” Pavich’s sister was dating one of the film’s collaborators and suggested her brother for a small role. “I was getting beat up by a man in the scene,” Pavich recalled with a laugh. The film was surreptitiously shot in the basement of the CUNY Hunter College dorms, where Manzello lived, since the crew did not have a filming permit. While Pavich had only a brief cameo in the project, Manzello remembers being thoroughly impressed by his comedic skills. This marked the beginning of their friendship and artistic collaboration. After completing college, Manzello and Pavich began working together more consistently. Pavich notably participated in Manzello’s Broadway Comedy Club show, “Love in a Tub,” and in 2010, starred in a YouTube music video, ironically titled “Hit Single,” alongside Capitale (one of Manzello’s online personas). Only five years later, their talent would land them spots on MTV 2’s “Joking Off.” Fittingly, Manzello and Pavich auditioned for and landed roles on “Joking Off” together. The show pits comedic duos against one another in a showdown of improvisational skills based on social media posts. Both Pavich and Manzello agree that their genuine friendship enhances their performance, a rarity for a series in which comedians are randomly paired. According to Manzello, “When people ask how we rehearse, we’re like, ‘We sleep at each other’s houses.’” In an era where many comedians seize upon politically incorrect humor for the sake of a sound bite, or with the hope of achieving viral video status, Manzello and Pavich strive to create higher quality content. Though they shy away from topical humor and eschew poking fun at politics and social issues, the duo nonetheless recognizes the importance of an artist’s right to free speech, especially in consideration of the ease with which comedians are lampooned for seemingly insensitive jokes. “Being PC is the worst thing in the world, because racy topics need to be discussed,” Pavich said. But rather than aiming for ephemeral notoriety, the guys want the shelf life of their virtual vignettes to extend longer than a mere week and hope to entertain viewers on a long-term basis. When they are not dancing on the streets of Astoria or filming “Joking Off,” which airs its second season this fall, Pavich and Manzello pursue other projects, including an original television pilot that Manzello wrote and directed, called “The Neighborhood.” The pilot features him and Pavich playing a plethora of characters in a small community. It won accolades for Best Editing and the Audience Award at the 2014 New York Television Festival, and the boys are currently pitching it to television networks. Additionally, Pavich is slated to release his own solo comedy album online, titled “Ups and Downs.” In considering the totality of their work, Pavich and Manzello attribute their success and passion to creating and participating in projects that they themselves deem meaningful. After all, as Pavich surmises with sardonic humor, there is no other path for them to take: “We make this for ourselves because we’re crazy people, and if we don’t do this, we’ll die.” AUGUST 2015 | BOROMAG.COM | 43
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