Belding Rings Bell Again In 'Acting School Academy'

Every once in awhile a web series comes along that you really root for people to discover. For me,  Acting School Academy is one of these gems, and the web viewing public is already starting to take note. In under a week, the first episode has already garnered over 200,000 views.

Acting School Academy is the brainchild of writers Kris Sharma and Michael Mayorga, and executed deftly by Bengal Mangle Productions which consists of producer Mo Darwiche and director Ian Smith. The group has already done quite the job of pushing a ton of accompanying content out with the first episode. In addition to new episodes debuting every Tuesday, all the students attending the “acting school” post confessional vlog style videos every weekday allowing fans to connect more personally with the characters.

Before the launch of the show the guys even put out another series, Charlie the Abusive Teddy Bear, in which child actress and Acting School Academy student Laura Peterson was the star.

Then, there’s Mr. Belding aka Dennis Haskins. Haskins has popped up in a few web series before, most notably Taryn Southern’s Private High Musical. This time he helms the fledgling school as acting instructor Marty DeWitt. After all those years on Saved by the Bell it’s clear Haskins is relishing an opportunity to play an oblivious instructor with an undercurrent of dark wit. DeWitt clearly takes pleasure in witnessing the breakdowns of his tortured and over dramatic acting students. In my humble opinion greater pop culture has missed this guy, and I’m glad he’s back in a fun, campy romp where he can truly shine.

Upon the show’s completion the group shopped it around, eventually signing a deal with KoldCast TV, citing the online network’s understanding of their ancillary platform as the best fit. A second season and an upcoming music video is now in the works. Additionally, the guys say their ultimate goal is to get the series on TV, a worthy and potentially do-able goal for a such a funny, well-planned series.