We are continuing our #DontSleepOnDigital Series. Our vision and goal for this series is two fold;
- To highlight an underrepresented genre in the medium of serial fiction.
- To introduce the shows to new audiences.
We are featuring the web series Broken At Love. We binged the entire series and we loved it. Broken At Love is funny, entertaining, realistic and relatable. Take for instance, Vivie’s, the show’s heroine, scenes with her girlfriends, so on point. Who hasn’t had a family member like Aunt Hedy? And the scenes with Vivie just hanging out or dancing with her friends? Hilarious. We saw so much of our own life in Vivie’s.
Karolina Sivas’ portrayal of Vivie is authentic and grounded.The core of the series is Vivie’s, perspective and experiences regarding matters of the heart. But the show also delves into her career and Vive’s relationships with her family and friends. The show does an excellent job of giving the audience a well rounded depiction of Vivie.
We don’t want to give too much away because for those who haven’t watched the show you should. However, we must at least share with you our favorite parts of the series so far; the players party, when Vivie’s family comes for her graduation, Vivie’s dream and the audition scenes with the three guys. The characters are charming. We love them all. We especially love Darin, Aunt Hedy, Olivia and of course Vivie. You can binge the entire series in merely a few hours; do it.
We spoke to Broken At Love’s creator Karolina Sivas, creator and much more. She’s the show’s writer, producer, casting director and editor. She literally does it all. We talked to Karolina about her background, her many talents and how everything she’s experienced in her life has all led to Broken At Love.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. We love the show. I can’t wait to get into that. But first tell us more about you, Karolina, and how you got into acting.
“My first performance was at the age of seven. Our school district put on a program called Oral Interpretation and I memorized and acted out a poem in the program. I loved it, participated every year and received a superior ribbon. That was my first introduction to performing. By the fifth grade, I was ready for more. I enrolled in actor, Alan Autry’s, (In the Heat of the Night, Grace Under Fire) actors’ workshop where I took acting classes 1-2x a week and performed scenes and monologues in showcases. Those acting classes solidified my love for acting. My obsession with acting hasn’t wavered since I fell in love with it as a child.”
Karolina, we never tire of hearing where people knew exactly what they wanted to do with their life early on. Technically, we could call your first poem in Oral Interpretation your first role. But would you also consider it your breakout role?
“I would say it was actually when I was in the eighth grade when I was cast as the lead of my school play, a spoof of the Phantom of the Opera titled The Phantom of the Op’ry. Carrying a play was an amazing challenge, and my peers started to see my acting as something I was very serious about and good at. And the play was actually cute and clever. My leading role wasn’t a simple ingenue. But instead was one of the crazier characters in the production. My parents though might tell you it was when, in the sixth grade, I was given just one weekend to memorize and perform the entire ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas for the school’s Christmas pageant. We are still looking for the home movie of that one. That was pretty awesome.”
You are a master in front of and behind the camera. When did you develop an interest/skills in directing, writing and producing?
“I have been writing since I learned to write. Seriously when I was in elementary school, starting as young as six, I developed a book series (which I hope to develop more one day). The stories were based on my childhood experiences – moving to a new city, being the new kid in school, getting my first puppy, bullies…so it’s probably not a surprise I’m writing about my adult life now! Writing about myself got me into a lot of young author fairs and got me a lot of A’s on class projects. As far as all the rest, when I was 14, my parents got me a camcorder for Christmas. And that peaked my interest in filmmaking I would spend my summers making my own projects with that camera.”
Wow. You were enterprising and talented at a young age. You have a solid foundation and are well versed behind and in front of the camera. Do you prefer one over the other?
“I love both. I enjoy the solitude of writing. But I also love putting the work up on its feet.”
Now that we have learned more about you and your journey, it really is no surprise you arrived here. This has been in motion. What was the inspiration behind Broken At Love?
“The more I answer these kinds of questions the more I realize how long ago I started this whole thing. It has been an eventful eight years since I first put pen to paper. A lot of personal experiences drive my writing. I’ve had so many experiences that seem so strange when you remove yourself from it and just lay the facts out. On way too many occasions I’ve met people I once made an opinion about (good or bad) from watching them on TV. And those experiences have led to some good stories for the show. I also have a really good photographic memory, which many people don’t know. I can remember so much detail from experiences I’ve had that I can use in my writing and even my directing. At the core though, Broken At Love is a classic good girl meets bad boy story, over and over. And I just love those kind of stories.”
And we just love us some Vivie. We described her as authentic and grounded. What three words would you use to describe her?
“Idealistic” is an obvious one I’d use. She likes to believe everything will work itself out in a positive way. “Analytical” is another one. It’s a joy to write Vivie’s long monlogues where she analyzes everything. And the third one would be “creative”. She’s been developing projects since season one. But in season three we are exploring the show within a show storyline.”
Love love love the show within a show storyline. We so agree on your description of Vivie. In your opinion how has she evolved over the course of the series?
“I was always concerned, from a writing perspective, about Vivie’s growth but the process has been organic. My favorite scene of the whole series is in season one episode eight “Players Party” on the staircase of the house party. That monologue is so epic. And it is not something I can see her saying now well into the third season, because she has evolved. She’s become a bit more direct.”
She’s an evolved Vivie for sure. We listed “Player’s Party” as one of our favorites too. What have been some of the other highlights for you so far?
“Without a doubt, New York! Filming season three in New York brought new life and a new energy to the show. It has given me new stories to tell and a new talent pool to work with. New York is a different lifestyle, has a different pace which requires a different style in my writing.”
I’m not going to say who, but the show has one of my favorite reality crushes of all time. Who have been some of your favorite guest stars?
“Well you can’t say something like that and not tell me! Casting has been a fascinating experience. I suggest viewers check out season two episodes to see the cast that joined to play my family members. I definitely want to bring as many of them back as I can for the new episodes coming up in season three.”
Oh the first time we met Vivie’s family is another one of our faves! Good stuff. You all have done 19 episodes. How many more episodes/seasons do you envision for the show?
“Yes we have released 19 episodes with lots of bonus content on our YouTube channel, including a couple of behind-the-scenes episodes. The second half of season three is currently in development. Since we moved to New York, it takes a bit more work on the producing end. I have no idea when it will all be over. I thought I would stop after season one because I figured I would be out of ideas. There is a part of me that would like to close the chapter on this. But then there is the other part of me that says not until I feel I have accomplished all of my goals or told all of my stories.”
Where can people check out Broken At Love?
“The show’s official website is – http://www.brokenatlovetheseries.com
And subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified when new episodes drop- http://www.youtube.com/BrokenAtLove.”
What would you tell someone who has never seen the show to peak their interest?
“Watch and see if you can guess who I’m writing about. There are clues everywhere. I love doing that when listening to songs! Same idea. And I think it’s really relatable, especially the way we tackle social media.”
Indeed. How can viewers and fans connect with you?
“Please connect with us on social media; Twitter @BrokenAtLove, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BrokenAtLove, and Instagram @BrokenAtLoveTheSeries.
I love hearing from viewers! There is much more on the horizon! Follow along with us!”
Thanks so much for the interview Karolina!
Check out Broken At Love!
The official Trailer is below!
I AM KP Smith
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