– From Cynopsis “Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s premiere of the Ukrainian fantasy series “Cossacks” arrives on Crackle on September 1. Directed, written, and shot on location in Ukraine and featuring a cast of Ukrainian actors, “Cossacks” is a 12-episode sword and sorcery fantasy series”
Hmm. Is this a good thing or tone-deaf, given the current tragedy unfolding? I’m still considering it. On the one hand, there are many talented Above and Below-the-line creatives in Ukraine, and the region’s largely untold (suppressed) history is compelling. But this is another “fantasy” genre that I find overserved and exhausting, and it typically takes serious budgets to pull off a good one. While the Ukrainian creative community is up to it, I wonder if CSS is up to that task.
Most importantly, will there be any component to helping the millions of Ukrainians impacted by war? Refugees, amputees, orphaned and traumatized children.. the needs are great. To NOT do something substantial would speak loudly and come across as exploitative. CSS is self-described as a “Socially Conscious” company, so one would think they would do the “right thing.” Yet, I have a personal experience with the company that gives me pause to give them the benefit of the doubt or any grace after “My Crackle Debacle” (more to follow). Compared to the scores of other companies I’ve dealt with over the years, I’ll take a profit motive first company any day because at least they’ve been straightforward.
As for CSS, I am left wondering if their “socially conscious” description is to serve as a band-aid for other ills, much the way many companies claim to be “green.” I have used the same “socially conscious” moniker to describe “Raw Travel” but have dozens of examples to illustrate how we walk the walk, not just talk the talk. For the sake of my Ukrainian pals, I hope my experience with CSS and Crackle was a one-off. As for me, for now, I’m not convinced, but I hope I’m wrong.
PHOTO CREDIT: AIM TV GORUP – The photo is of me with a little orphaned girl in a tiny, formerly occupied village near Bucha. I was told by Lada, the saintly founder of the orphanage where the little girl now lives, that she was found wandering alone in Mariupol just days after the Russian full invasion. No one knows if she was abandoned or, more likely, her parents killed. Lada’s orphanage is funded 100% by donations. This would be an excellent place for CSS to show they are a “socially conscious” company by helping her or the many others like her.
