Ivan Kaye has founded the production company Comedy Ink Productions together with his friend, the actor and writer Douglas McFerran. The company produces short comedic projects like the web series Brilliant (2007-2010) and the short films Sherlock Holmes Confidential (2013) and Acter (2020). In 2022, they widened their scope by producing two horror shorts that are not yet released to the public.
Story & Vision
The company has been founded in January 2007 when Ivan and Douglas had the idea to produce their web series Brilliant as a proof of concept. There were plans to expand it to a feature film. Negotiations with the BBC took place and in 2012 it looked like the funding for a movie had been sorted. These plans, however, have eventually been cancelled when Ivan went on to start filming on History Channel’s hit series Vikings, followed by a busy schedule in subsequent years. The company continues to produce independent (dark) comedy and other genres in short film and web series formats.
Productions
Brilliant (2007-2010)
Brilliant is a comedy series with three episodes of half an hour length revolving around Frank (Douglas McFerran), a wannabe writer turned literature teacher, and Colin (Ivan Kaye), a dentist with marriage issues who is a not too successful hobby inventor.
To get a first impression, have a look at this 1:30 min teaser clip for episode 1:
You can also watch all three episodes for free on Vimeo:
Episode 1
shows us amusing clashes between Ivan’s character Colin and his wife Sylvia (also a dentist) who might like boxing a little too much as well as Frank’s attempts at dating women and fending off overenthusiastic students.
Episode 2
takes us on a dangerous adventure as Colin is alone at home and, after burning some of his wife’s stuff without thinking of the consequences, flees to the woods dragging along a reluctant Frank who would have preferred to stay at home reading Hemingway. That would have been the smarter choice as Colin and Frank soon find themselves at the mercy of a lunatic with a rifle.
Episode 3
If you like Christmas, watch this and think again! You will find that there is a reason for Santa-Colin’s grumpy question: “Why does Christmas always bring out the worst in people?” From Sylvia’s speech through a less than peaceful dinner overshadowed by the mysterious menace of “Cat Man” to a violently jealous husband you will find enough reasons to be grateful that YOUR Christmas is less messy.
Sherlock Holmes Confidential (2013)
In Sherlock Holmes Confidential you will encounter a comedic approach to Sherlock Holmes with an array of Ivan’s famous facial expressions and witty dialogue written by Douglas.
Teaser Slideshow on Youtube:
Full short film on Vimeo:
Acter (2020)
With Acter Ivan has released his own dark comedy take on the experience of actors with selftapes. This short film which premiered in April 2020 on Youtube offers a rare peek behind the curtains of an outwardly glamorous industry. It could eventually be turned into a web series with two more episodes that are already mapped out.
You can watch the full film with English and German subtitles on Youtube:
Horror Shorts
In 2022, Ivan and Douglas teamed up again in order to film two horror short films in Ivan’s place. One by the title of Contagion stars Ivan and is directed by Douglas. Having no dialogue, it is ideal for Ivan to demonstrate his acting skills beyond words. The other film stars Douglas and is directed by Ivan, using the well-known horror-comedy topos of a scary ventriloquist’s dummy.
More Info on Ivan
Check these pages on this website:
Find Ivan on IMDb.
Read about Ivan on Wikipedia.