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Serhiy Stepanysko

City – Kyiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Becoming a comedian

Serhiy Stepanysko is a popular Ukrainian stand-up comedian, a resident of the Underground Stand Up club, a participant in successful humorous projects, a master of Ukrainian philology by education. The guy’s first acquaintance with comedy happened like this: his mother, a teacher, took Serhiy to a humor evening held at a Zolochiv college. The event resembled a KVN in content: several teams fought for victory in various competitions on stage. Cheerful music, songs, jokes, a warm audience – even then Serhiy liked the general mood of the evening.

Having decided to try his hand at the entertainment genre, Serhiy Stepanysko began to actively participate in creative groups at the school where he studied. In the 11th grade, he played in the KVN and, upon entering the university, did not abandon creativity and even became the captain of the student team. During that period, he met comedian Anton Tymoshenko and other representatives of Ukrainian humor, who by that time already had their own style and recognition in wide circles. The friends created their own team, which in 2017 was selected for the TV festival "League of Laughter".

Independent creative path

Realizing that the potential of team performances had exhausted itself, Serhiy decided to develop as a solo artist. The artist has been doing stand-up independently since 2018. At that time, the start of a career in humor was more promising, because the number of competitors was small. However, no one canceled the importance of charisma and talent in achieving popularity. Therefore, Serhiy began to actively develop his own style and expand the army of fans of his work.

The experience of his colleagues in the creative department suggested to the comedian that performances within certain formats and as part of humorous groups are more promising in conquering a wider audience. This prompted Serhiy to join the Ukrainian Stand Up Agency project. The community members focused on promoting Ukrainian-language stand-up, which greatly impressed Serhiy Stepanyska, who sought to reduce the amount of Russian-language content on the Internet and on TV, while reviving the audience's interest in Ukrainian culture and humor.

Collaboration with other comedian groups was not the only tool for developing a humorous career. Sergey tried himself in popular TV shows, one of which was "Make a Comedian Laugh". The modern stand-up star lost in the first minute. There were several more attempts, but they were aimed more at satisfying Sergey's vanity than at increasing the artist's popularity. And the money earned in the project during the full-scale invasion went to the needs of the military.

Among the important means on the path to success, Serhiy Stepanysko singles out activity in the Internet space. Creating and promoting content on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok works for a wider audience. After all, expecting recognition throughout the country after a concert for several dozen spectators, even with cool and relevant material, is naive. And the prospect of large-scale tours opens up to the artist thanks to persistent and methodical work.

The role of philological education in the career of a stand-up comedian

Serhiy Stepanysko has a master's degree in Ukrainian philology. The knowledge and experience gained, according to the comedian, have taught the artist to think and analyze large amounts of information. It is not surprising that philological topics occupy an important place in the comedian's material. Among other things, Serhiy Stepanysko jokes about:

• relations in the field of Ukrainian stand-up comedy;
• own formation in the comedy genre;
• anxiety and trips to a psychotherapist;
• social media rants and much more.

Topics that are taboo in humor for Sergey:

• about mobilization in a negative way;
• about the experience of the military – without their personal permission;
• about Russians – if it diminishes the feeling of threat from the enemy (in Serhiy's opinion, such jokes diminish the merits of our defenders);
• racism, sexism, cruelty.

Today, despite the large number of negative events that fill our lives, Serhiy Stepanysko continues to find inspiration for creating new jokes and programs. After all, humor remains one of the most effective antidepressants for people. And the comedian calls the biggest thrill for him the laughter of the military, who come to concerts and give confidence that all your actions are not in vain.

Yura Kolomiyets

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – Stand-up, improvisation

Comedian's Formation

Yura Kolomiyets is a popular Ukrainian stand-up comedian, creative producer, and showrunner of "Underground Stand-up." He is responsible for the strategy of the club's YouTube channel, development, editing, and directing various formats. He jokes that sometimes while working on editing, he starts to hate comedians because he has to do a lot of painstaking work to present a quality final product – the artist's performance – on the channel. What "annoys" him the most are unnecessary sounds and exclamations. At the same time, he perfectly understands that his own performances look exactly the same from the outside. It's like a live performance by a singer during a tour or at a festival – it is impossible to avoid unsuccessful moments completely. In the end, it is these moments that fill the event with the authenticity that the audience of fans appreciates most in live interactions.

In addition to his work in stand-up, the artist works on his own projects on the internet. The idea of creating his own YouTube channel had been brewing for a long time. Yura wanted to create something of his own and give people the opportunity to see the "more real" side of him. He also wanted to prove to other colleagues in the humor industry that he is capable of producing quality videos. Of course, Yura doesn't yet call himself a YouTube star, but he is confidently moving in that direction. Kolomiyets has even been approached several times for consultations as a YouTube manager.

Creative Path

Yura Kolomiyets' unique style, charisma, and easy communication style have won the hearts of thousands of comedy fans in Ukraine. Stand-up comedy experienced significant growth after the full-scale invasion, when the demand for Ukrainian humor skyrocketed. Yura Kolomiyets solidified his sense of calling during this period. He began performing more frequently at clubs across the country with his own jokes. He realized that popularity and recognition had come when he received feedback from fans after a long silence on his personal channel. Initially, Yura was even offended by the audience for not inquiring about the reasons behind the lack of new videos. However, he later received several positive reviews from people who said they were simply afraid to interrupt the comedian's creative process.

Yura Kolomiyets' creativity touches on various topics:

• Politics and life situations;
• Pets and their owners' culture;
• Travel and foreigners;
• Culinary arts, the restaurant business, hedonism, and many other topics.

Today, the comedian has more than 6 years of experience. He has held successful solo concerts, and his fanbase has grown. His material is accumulating and requires more careful development. When writing, questions often arise: "Am I repeating myself on certain topics? Has this been done by other comedians?" However, Yura has nothing to fear on this front. Even if the same problem is addressed, different authors present it in their own way. True fans of his style will definitely appreciate his unique approach to discussing various issues.

Style and Development of the Artist

Brightly ironic, self-critical, and professional material from Yura Kolomiyets in stand-up has conquered not only the real stage but also the virtual one. The author is actively working on creating his own podcasts and interesting formats. Some of them include:

• “Tasting Savoring.” This podcast format features Yura and his guests (stars of Ukrainian stand-up, famous chefs from popular restaurants) tasting different dishes or drinks. When launching the podcast, Yura mentioned that his goal was not only to chat but to do what he wants – in this case, taste something interesting. Among the guests of the episodes were Vasyl Baidak, Yegor Shatilo, Jaykhun Safarov, Anton Senin, Yevhen Menzelivskyi, and others;
• “The Real Film Club.” Yura presents this format as an addition to the well-known "Underground Film Club." In this project, participants have the opportunity to discuss their favorite films in more depth. Guests of the comedian's film club included Kostya Trembovetsky, Svyat Zahaykevych, Hanna Kochehura, Oleksandr Kachura, and others;
• In 2024, Yura Kolomiyets also joined the team of the stand-up show "Homin Out."

Stand-up and Acting

Yura Kolomiyets believes that the work of an actor and a stand-up comedian are directly related. For example, the comedian creates a large solo program and goes on a tour around the country. He presents the same jokes to the audience. And no matter how much of a hit they are, the presentation is always different. The reason for this could be the performer’s mood, the audience's behavior, or external factors. In such cases, to preserve the essence and power of the joke, one has to truly "act." For some, this is an easier task; for others, it is more difficult. But such moments inevitably arise, and they cannot be avoided.

The comedian notes that in the West, the film industry has long involved comedians in movie shoots. This works because comedians are typically ready-made actors who just need to be directed, and they can handle most of the work themselves. Yura himself has even participated in a casting for a role in a Ukrainian TV series. They needed comedians because actors have to learn how to be funny. And representatives of the humor genre are naturally funny and have nothing to fake.

Yura Kolomiyets: A comfortable comedian with great experience, an ambassador of hedonism, and the producer of your favorite YouTube shows.