Ukrainian blogger Vladimir Lutsik worked as a wedding photographer until February 24, 2022, but the great war made adjustments to his life, effectively leaving him without work. To feed his family, the man decided to make radical changes - he began filming humorous videos.. They went viral on the Internet and began to gain millions of views, and the image of the “granny” became one of the most beloved among Ukrainians. Moreover, the servicemen ask the blogger not to stop, because his videos lift their spirits.

– Vladimir, before the full-scale invasion, you worked as a wedding photographer for 12 years. And today your videos as a comedian collect millions of views on social networks. How did this happen? – Actually, the war prompted this, no matter how sad it may sound. I was a wedding photographer and photographed many weddings every year.. But after the Russian invasion, people stopped getting married, and if they did have a wedding, it was small, only for the family.. A profession like photography began to fade into the background, and I was simply left without a job. At some point I thought: what to do next

So I started making humorous videos to attract the attention of my audience and clients.. I uploaded videos to TikTok with the hope that they would go viral and, accordingly, more work would appear in wedding photography. Because before I could photograph up to 30 weddings a year, but now it’s like it’s cut off: no one calls, no one writes.

At first these were humorous videos about photography, but I realized that this is a very narrow niche and you won’t get much speed in it. Quite by accident I made one or two videos that were completely off topic - and they went viral pretty well. In particular, it was a video that I filmed on Easter: you are standing near a church with a basket, and the priest is sprinkling so that all the water flows over me. The video received two million views in just two days..

People started following me en masse. This motivated me a lot - I started making videos more actively. I saw that it is possible to shoot a short video for a few seconds, it can “fly” - and the audience begins to come to you.

I immediately got into the topic of rural life - something that is very close to people, because most of us still come from rural areas, even those who live in cities. For many, this turned out to be so relatable that people began to distribute the video and subscribe to the page. This is how my journey began. It's been almost three years since I've been blogging.. I'm glad I really found myself.

I once went to a football match with my children and people came up to me and asked me to take a photo.. I looked at it all and thought: how could it happen that two years ago I was photographing a wedding, and now I’m standing at the stadium and they’re asking me for a photo That is, you definitely understand that you are doing something important in this life..

When people ask me how things are going, I always answer that everything is just great.. And I’ve been saying this for many years - no matter what I have. People are surprised: how wonderful it is? One thing happened there, another happened there. And I answer that every day a person lives is actually filled with something good. You don't know what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so you need to rejoice every day.

People often think: I’ll buy a house or a car and I’ll live! But in fact this is a misconception. Even if you have little money now, but you are alive and well, you have a family, children and you can all get together at a friendly holiday table - this is already happiness. – Your videos contain many different images that organically coexist in one frame. You can easily transform yourself and play children, women and pensioners yourself. How long does it usually take to shoot a video What is the most difficult thing for you in this process – Probably the most difficult thing is not the filming process itself, but coming up with a script. Because when there is a good script and everything is clearly thought out to detail, filming a video turns into technical work. It’s very easy for me to get into a role - I can cry in five seconds, and these will be real tears. I didn’t study to be an actor, but transformations are easy for me. But sometimes you have to sit for a long time on scripts, think, write, rewrite. And this is what comes the hardest.

– You say that in five seconds you can cry. How do you hold back your laughter - At first it was all funny. And it was funny to everyone. I realized that you can’t shoot humorous videos playing only a male role - there should be women in the frame too. What was my first wig I remember when it arrived and I put it on for the first time - the whole house laughed. The children shouted: \? Aren't you ashamed?

Then people started sending me different clothes - I already have a whole wardrobe in my garage. And now it has become such a part of my work that children can come home from school, walk into the room when I’m filming a video in the guise of a “granny” or some woman, and not even pay attention.. \! " It’s the same with our whole family: I can come to the village to visit my parents or my wife’s parents, we shoot a video, they come into the house - and no one even reacts. This is already like “good afternoon” (smiles).

– It is “granny” that is perhaps the most popular. In my opinion, in this role you “go into detail” more and more convincingly - gray wig, left hand trembles. In general, how do you, a man, embody female images Do you come up with them yourself or copy them from someone else - No, I don’t copy it from anyone.. Even if you take “granny”, you might partially think that I’m copying her from my grandmother. But my grandmother wasn't like that! So, essentially, I came up with this image.

It’s just that if you pay attention to the average Ukrainian grandmother, they are often a little mischievous, they like to quarrel and shout: “You did it wrong - do it again.”! "

– How do your friends react You live in a small town where everyone knows each other, and you have had such an unusual change of activity. – When I started blogging, everything in my life turned upside down a bit.. The acquaintances and friends I had before the blog simply moved away, but new ones appeared - people who are ok with it. I don’t know why this is so, but, you know, as they say: when a person reaches something in his life, changes something, achieves something, starts doing something else, then his environment changes along with it.

People from my town generally react normally. Two years ago I was running here on the street between houses in the female role - they laughed, filmed from the windows, and then sent me a video (smiles). I understood well: if I didn’t step over myself and start leaving my comfort zone, nothing would work out. After all, if it were so easy, everyone would film. Now I can go to some supermarket to shoot an advertisement, where there are a lot of people around, and for me this is absolutely no problem. I'll change my clothes, do my work, and that's it..

– In today's difficult times, humor helps you in everyday life? Can it be called a certain psychological defense - Definitely yes. I’ll even say more - humor helps not only me, but everyone around me. Because every day I receive a lot of messages. In particular, the military also write: they say, it’s cool that you’re filming, we’re sitting on the front line, watching your videos, and they cheer us up. Military wives also write that the video is simply superb and, no matter what anyone says, you definitely need to continue.

Humor prolongs life, it distracts a little from what is happening now, and allows you to hold on. So this also motivates me a lot.. I see that I'm doing the right thing.

– What kind of humor do you think is inappropriate I read that a comedian was put on trial in Germany for joking about the assassination attempt on Trump. How do you feel about criminal liability for jokes – I don’t touch on the topics of war and politics in any way.. Because why touch on topics that may be inappropriate and painful? I take everyday stories, ordinary life situations as a basis and simply play them out. I try to stay within these limits so as not to trigger anyone.

- But not everyone is as reserved as you.. Therefore, it is interesting to hear your opinion: how do you feel about criminal liability for offensive jokes - This is everyone’s business. Everyone is responsible for their actions, for their actions. I can't answer this question.

– Then what is your opinion regarding the recent scandal surrounding the Honored Artist of Ukraine Alexey Gnatkovsky, who joked on religious topics? The actor appeared on stage dressed as a priest and holding a cross in his hands.. Do you think it’s worth condemning for this - No, it’s not worth it. I was at this performance of the Ivano-Frankivsk Drama Theater, it’s called “Kolyada ta i ples”. I saw, in particular, the moment where Alexey Gnatkovsky played the role of a priest, and I think that there was nothing terrible there. I don’t blame him for this at all and recommend everyone to watch it - it’s very funny.

I also played a priest in my videos, and many priests wrote to me and laughed at this. That is, a priest is an ordinary person, just like me or you. For example, when they laugh at doctors and come up with jokes, that’s ok. And if you laugh at a priest, then it’s no longer ok? Of course, there must be a certain line that cannot be crossed so that it does not offend someone.

– “Kvartal 95” for the first time after the loud corruption scandal surrounding former co-owner Timur Mindich recorded the New Year’s show “United Quarter”. Despite a wave of refusals from artists and public calls to boycott the event, the hall at the concert on December 6 was almost full. Politics and music together or separately? – Politics and music have always been close. For example, many people say that language is not important - they say, what difference does it make what language you speak or what music you listen to?. But actually it's very important. I support those singers who did not go to this show.

– From my personal communication with comedians, I came to the conclusion that off stage they are quite serious people. Some of them experienced depression and for some time even refused interviews because of this. Moreover, my favorite comedian Matthew Perry, after reading his autobiography, disappointed me very much: I caught myself thinking that I never even smiled - there were only complaints, disappointment, insomnia, and it was described in such detail that I stopped sleeping too. What are you like behind the scenes Which comedians do you admire And who do you keep in touch with – Many people tell me that I’m not at all like in the video. Apparently, because they expect to see a person who constantly jokes (smiles). In fact, this is not so - in life I am different, although I joke very often, I like to sit in good company and laugh.

I had a collaboration with Natalya Chab, with Viktor Samokhvalov, who started making similar videos a little earlier than me. I also maintain a relationship with Vika Ilchuk, better known as “Baba Nusya” - the author of humorous content.

And I admire the actor Alexei Gnatkovsky! This is a man with a talent from God. I was at his one-man performances - he jokes non-stop for two hours. How can you speak in public for so long I probably could never do that.

– If you left a photo for the sake of funny videos on social networks, then this should be financially beneficial? And if it’s not a secret, how much do you earn and how much, as is now fashionable to ask, do you need for a comfortable life in Lviv? – The question is straight to the point (laughs). Once, one school organized a meeting with me so that I could talk to the students in an interview format, and the children also asked: “How much do you earn?”? "

I make better money than when I worked as a photographer. Nowadays I mainly collaborate with brands that order creative humorous videos and, accordingly, pay for it. If we talk about a specific figure, it’s about 50 thousand hryvnia for one video. Additional reposts on social networks can be paid separately - in particular, on TikTok, YouTube or Facebook.

It also all depends on the number of videos I shoot, because this is where my earnings come from. It’s difficult to give a clear amount here, because in one month they can order four videos, and in another – eight. But for a comfortable life in Lviv, these funds are quite enough.

Our family does not have the habit of buying any expensive things. We are always content with less - we eat normally, but we don’t buy marzipan, as my grandmother used to say (smiles). But we try to invest the saved money into something useful.. In particular, we made an investment - we opened a massage parlor. And now we're doing this.

– Writer Larisa Nitsoi recently stated that Lviv is losing its Ukrainian-language quality and sharply criticized the language situation in the city. Do you notice this problem And how do you generally feel about the Russian language and Russian-speaking people – Lvov lost its Ukrainian language for the reason that many temporarily displaced people appeared in the city. That’s why it wasn’t Lviv residents who started speaking Russian. There are many people who came from the east and do not want, do not want to switch to the Ukrainian language.

I take it negatively. For me, language is very important - it should come first. Language is the code of a nation by which a person is recognized. Our aggressor openly declared that he was going to “liberate the Russian-speaking population”. It's a shame that many people still don't realize this..

– Previously, you published stories with your daughter. She hasn't been seen on your Instagram lately.. Doesn't want to act with dad anymore? What does she do? – My daughter is already a teenager, and they have their own lives. So now I often hear: “Dad, don’t take me down! "

I asked her if she would like to be a blogger, because it can be done quite easily. Be that as it may, when you show your family, people subscribe, they are interested in following the blogger’s child. But she doesn't want to - she has her own ambitions.

– Do you plan to try yourself, for example, in stand-up comedy – No, I definitely don’t plan to do stand-up, because I have a fear of the public. When I'm in front of a camera, it's much easier for me. I understand that millions of people will see me on the other side of the screen. One of the last videos I posted has already been viewed by six and a half million - that’s an insane amount! But if I went on stage, where there were only 10 people sitting in front of me, and had to perform stand-up in front of them, I probably wouldn’t say a word. This is actually very difficult for me.

Perhaps this can be learned. You should try different things in life - why not You have to get over yourself. One girl who is involved in public speaking once wrote to me and offered to practice, but there was no opportunity to bring this matter to the end..