Univer. Novaya obschaga
2013-2014 / 40 episodes
Director: Mike Starchak
Genre: Comedy
Country: Russia
Starring: Nastasya Samburskaya, Anna Khilkevich, Elena Valyushkina, Anna Kuzina, Ararat Keshchyan, Stanislav Yarushin, and others.
Synopsis:
Fifth-year students Anton and Kuzya, who were left for the second year, have luck. Their old dorm is being demolished, and in the new building they are placed in a block with three girls — Kristina, Masha and Yana. Michael also returns to the university as a graduate student — to dodge the army. The guys have become older and… more romantic. Now they want not only sex and parties, but also real feelings. However, winning the hearts of the ladies of your heart is not as easy as it seems.
Mike Starchak:
I went from background extra to director on the same show
Honestly? I have no idea what season this was in a row.
But here’s a great story. Back in film school, I was broke. To make ends meet, I worked as a background actor in different shows. One day, I ended up on the set of Univer—playing a guy in the audience while the character Kuzya sang to his love interest, Alla. I did my job—clapped, cheered, reacted.
Fast forward four years: I’m back on Univer, but this time, I’m sitting in the director’s chair. When I told the main cast about my full-circle moment, they were shocked. Some didn’t even believe me at first. But it’s true—I went from background extra to director on the same show. That’s what I call a career arc.