Indie Spotlight: ‘Sad Motivator’ Is An Ultra-Creepy Black Comedy

We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now.  Read previous installments here. 

This edition of Indie Spotlight is sponsored by Tongal.

If you know someone going through a bad breakup, let them know that it could be worse; at least he doesn’t have a globular, green, murderous best friend whispering sweet nothings in his ears. That’s the situation that drives Sad Motivator, a new black comedy. And if that premise excites you, you’ll probably find a lot to like within the series’ first seven episodes.

Sad Motivator, created by Nathan Alan Bunker, follows a boring guy named Kevin who was dumped by his girlfriend Mary. What makes his more interesting than any other ordinary breakup is the presence of his “friend” Mark. Mark is an animated green blob with buggy eyes and psychopathic intent. As Kevin makes moves on Mary’s roommate Sasha, Mark eggs him on, providing each episode with creepy commentary.

The comedy in Sad Motivator (and the series is branded as a comedy, given its release on Funny or Die) comes from the sheer insanity of Mark’s comments, which are unfiltered and delivered in a flat deadpan. Even without the jokes, Sad Motivator succeeds as a psychological thriller with the potential to excite horror fans. It’s not for everybody, but love it or hate it, Sad Motivator is entirely original, and that’s a descriptor that is rarely attached to indie romantic comedies.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• My Mom On Movies. A filmmaker captures his FaceTime conversations with his mother and builds a series around her unfiltered personality.
• Cuckoo. A thriller about a teenager who appears to recognize her own image in the face of a girl who was abducted years ago.
• That’s Educational. This comedy follows a traveling theater company that primarily teaches life lessons to young children.
• Heather’s American Medicine. A crass advice columnist provides questionable wisdom to those who write her.

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This edition of Indie Spotlight is sponsored by Tongal. Tongal is changing the way creative work gets done, by making it accessible to people everywhere. For brands, studios, and causes, Tongal’s innovative platform provides continuous access to a global network of creatives, offering fresh ideas and insights, and top filmmaking talent to bring them to life. Tongal’s collaborative, merit-driven process enables everyone to focus on the work they do best. The result is outstanding content delivered with great speed and efficiency. Tongal is based in Santa Monica, California.