|
For those who still labor under the misconception that Christian television is boring an uncool, Logan Sekulow has arrived in the nick of time. Clean comedy has never been hipper, and the laughs more gut-wrenching than the skits, bits, and guffaws emanating from "The Logan Show," airing weekly on the music and action sports network JCTV.
Described by the media labelmeisters as a clean alternative to late-night TV comedy, "The Logan Show" is in reality much more - and much edgier. It's all the zany memories millions of American youth have of church youth group cut-ups and high school class clowns, packaged in a non-stop, half-hour variety venue of stand-up comedy, slap-stick skits and outtakes, along with appearances by the hottest Christian music acts.
In short, "The Logan Show"-in its second year and with a growing fan base of millions of viewers worldwide - is one of faith-friendly TV's best new offerings and one of the most popular shows viewed by teens and young adults across the board. "This is huge," said Susan Zahn, an expert in Christian media and president of the Christian PR firm WDC Media. "Logan Sekulow is taking the entertainment world by storm. Without really trying he's positioned himself to be the next big thing in comedy TV."
The son of noted conservative constitutional attorney Jay Sekulow, Logan is forging his own reputation in a far different realm than Dad's, joining ranks weekly with "Logan Show" co-host Chili the Snowman and a cast of eight guys and girls who are showing a generation of youth that clean laughs are cool.
While growing up as the son of one of America's best known conservative legal minds may seem like a less-than-ideal atmosphere for creating a comic genius, Logan explained that much of his "schtick" (that's Yiddish) actually comes from his father's Jewish roots. "My Dad has definitely passed down a lot of the comedy that comes a long with just being raised in a Jewish family," said Logan . "If you look at the long line of Jewish comedians its easy to see there's something there."
The younger Sekulow names among his influences some of the legends of comedy from the 1960, including decidedly Jewish greats like Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, and Jackie Mason, as well as late-night pioneer Johnny Carson, and some of the recent innovative comic writers like Wes Anderson, Bill Lawrence (Creator of Scrubs), the late Mitch Hedberg.
Sekulow is quick to point out that despite his young age (a mere 20) he didn't fall headlong into a career in comedy. He's paid some dues, which includes a degree from Florida 's prestigious Full Sail Film School where he graduated at the ripe age of 15. He also served an apprenticeship with the Nickelodeon Network on a show called "Slimetime Live," an experience that gave him a real taste for performing in front of a live audience. "On one of the very last episodes they threw me on and dropped me in a dunk tank full of slime," he recalls. "As weird as it sounds I immediately fell in love with being in front of the camera."
That early taste for performing was followed by another Nickelodeon show called "UPick Live," where Sekulow appeared regularly as " Logan the Intern," doing unscripted pratfalls - and generally being his own funny self.
Being himself is how Seulow explains his soaring popularity in a highly competitive TV market. "If you are who you are and do something like no one else in your industry has done, you'll get noticed," he explained. He added that creativity and artistic flair are beginning to gain solid appreciation in the Christian community, a change that has benefited his own show. "A big shift is starting to happen in Christian music and TV," he said. "We (Christians) are supposed to be the artist of the world and I think Christians are now accepting more out-of-the-box work, and we are thrilled."
He is quick to dispel the notion, however, that just because "The Logan Show" airs on Christian television, there is some deep spiritual significance in the show. The main goal, he said, is to get people to laugh. "My voice on the show is not to educate someone on spiritual issues or a certain belief system," he said. My job is to entertain. If you saw me talking to a snowman or saw a man attacking me with potatoes, and then I turned around and started talking about Jesus Christ, I wouldn't be taken seriously."
In short, "The Logan Show" is where both Christian and Non-Christian viewers can tune into for some good, clean comedy, not a sermon and altar-call. "Tons of shows are on the air talking about serious issues," he said. "We're glad for those, but we are not one of them."
That, of course, is why the show can front a dime store snowman as Logan 's co-host. Nothing serious there. "During the holiday season I purchased this snowman, the kind you talk into and its mouth moves synchronized with your voice," said Logan , recalling the evolution of his popular sidekick Chili. "He was only supposed to last a few episodes, but before we knew it he'd been with us for 40-plus episodes, and he's still co-hosting."
That kind of quirkiness is what has endeared "The Logan Show" to millions of teen an twenty viewers - and even turned on some of their parents. "This is the funniest faith-friendly show on television - bar none," said Mark McCallie, vice president of programming for JCTV. "Logan Sekulow is one of a new breed of creative Christian young people who are bringing a new freshness to Christian television. We're proud to host the Logan show on JCTV."
For more information, visit www.theloganshow.com .
About JC-TV
JCTV is a Christian youth network designed for the 13-30 age group. JCTV's mission is to positively influence the lives of viewers by giving them programming that is not only entertaining, but that also ministers to them both individually and corporately. JCTV does this through multiple types of programming from music videos with positive messages, to issue-driven talk shows, action sports programming that highlights athletes who are making a difference in others lives, plus live events, concerts and more. JCTV is currently available in over 300 cities in North America , and can also be viewed through live video-streaming on the web at www.jctv.org .
Media Contact: pr@wdcmedia.com
|
