Vitaly Zdorovetskiy

Vitaly Zdorovetskiy
Personal information
Born Vitaly Zdorovetskiy
(1992-03-08) March 8, 1992[1]
Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast, Russia
Nationality Russian
Occupation
YouTube information
Channel name VitalyzdTv
Years active 2011–present
Genre
Subscribers 8.8 million
Total views 1.1 billion
Network Maker (2011–2014)
Collective Digital (2014–present)
Associated acts
Subscriber and view counts updated as of November 2015.

Vitaly Zdorovetskiy (Russian: Вита́лий Здорове́цкий; IPA: [vʲɪˈtalʲɪj zdərɐˈvʲɛtskʲɪj]; born March 8, 1992), better known by his YouTube username VitalyzdTv, is a Russian-born YouTube personality, prankster, comedian, and actor. He is known for his public prank videos, which he uploads to his YouTube account. As of November 2015, his main channel videos have garnered more than 1 billion views and more than 8.7 million subscribers, while his vlog channel has more than 107 million views and 1.6 million subscribers.

Early life

Zdorovetskiy was born in Murmansk, Russia on March 8, 1992,[1] and moved to Odessa, Ukraine shortly after, where he was raised. Later, his family emigrated to Florida, where Zdorovetskiy attended Park Vista Community High School for two years.

Zdorovetskiy attempted to become a professional skateboarder at an early age and produced his first videos featuring himself and his friends performing skateboarding tricks in order to attract sponsors. However, due to injuries sustained while skateboarding he was forced to give up this career path.[3] Just shortly after turning 18, Zdorovetskiy took part in an adult film scene with pornographic actress Diamond Kitty for the adult entertainment company Bang Bros in 2011.[3]

Career

Miami Zombie Attack Prank

In 2012, Zdorovetskiy received his first significant success, with the video "Miami Zombie Attack Prank!" Inspired by the cannibal attack of a homeless man in Miami in May 2012, Zdorovetskiy dressed up as a zombie and traveled to some of the poorest neighborhoods in Miami to scare random bystanders. By January 2015 the "Miami Zombie Attack Prank!" had been viewed more than 30 million times. The video was also featured on the Comedy Central television show Tosh.0.[3] A sequel video prank was produced filming him in Columbus, Ohio chasing residents through the streets with a hockey mask on, wielding a chainsaw. The video made it to five million views within a week on YouTube.[4]

Russian Hitman Prank

On July 16, 2012, Zdorovetskiy and cameraman Jonathan Vanegas filmed the "Russian Hitman Prank". As part of the prank, Zdorovetskiy approached a Boca Raton man (later identified by Sun-Sentinel as 51-year-old Andre Brown) and informed him they had 60 seconds to get away from a briefcase he placed on the ground. After Zdorovetskiy revealed the whole thing to be a prank and that there was a hidden camera nearby, the man started attacking him and his partner and called the police. Zdorovetskiy was arrested by Boca Raton police department,[5] on charges of threatening to detonate a bomb.[1] According to the Sun-Sentinel, "Police arrested Zdorovetskiy on Monday for inciting a fake bomb threat, though the prankster said that the arrest will have no bearing on future videos. 'I'm just sad the person got upset,' he told the Sun-Sentinel. 'We're pranksters, we don't fight back. That's not professional.'" At the time of the prank Zdorovetskiy's YouTube channel had only about 100,000 subscribers, however due in part this incident and other exposure, his channel grew to over four million subscribers within just over a year.[6] Following the incident the victim of the hoax stated that while he felt the joke went too far, he did not believe that the pranksters should be severely punished.[7]

Extreme Homeless Man Makeover

On July 20, 2013, Zdorovetskiy released the video "Extreme Homeless Man Makeover", in which he befriends a homeless man named Martin and provides him with new clothes and a hotel room. The video posting resulted in a job offer that Martin accepted.[8] He was also reunited with his wife. The project also included an attempt to raise money to have Martin's teeth fixed, for which Zdorovetskiy was able to raise about $10,000 online. The fundraising campaign was canceled before it was completed, because of Zdorovetskiy's criminal history. However, Zdorovetskiy received several offers from surgeons to do the dental work for free.[9] The surgery and the video story was featured on television news casts including the Good Day LA Fox morning show.[10]

Gold Digger Prank

Other videos he has created include the "Gold Digger Prank", featuring a woman who rebuffs his advances until she believes he drives a Lamborghini Gallardo sports car.[11] The video generated more than 18 million views in its first week of posting,[12] making VitalyzdTV the third most watched YouTube channel in the world during that week with over 45 million views.[13] Gawker wrote of the video that, "On its surface, the latest prank from YouTube jokers Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, Roman Atwood, and Dennis Roady, isn't quite as controversial as their previous stunts. But, underneath that surface, "Gold Digger Prank" will likely go down as one of the most divisive "social experiments" they've ever conducted."[14]

ATM Robbery Prank

On March 4, 2014, Zdorovetskiy along with fellow pranksters Roman Atwood, Dennis Roady, and Chase Gilroy, filmed a prank involving them jumping out of an SUV and pretending to rob a fake ATM. The ATM, belonging to Atwood, had been previously placed at diverse locations in Columbus, Ohio and filled with fake money. After a few minutes the pranksters arrived and pretend to be stealing money from the machine. After several 911-calls from witnesses, the police arrived at the location and arrested Zdorovetskiy, Atwood, Roady and Gilroy on charge of disorderly conduct and inducing panic, also confiscating their cameras and recording equipment. A public trial held in Columbus from June 24 to June 25, 2014, with the Columbus Police Department as the plaintiff resulted in the pranksters winning the case. The YouTube video now has over 6 million views (as of October 2014).[15]

2014 FIFA World Cup Final

On July 13, 2014, Zdorovetskiy ran onto the pitch during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final in Brazil between Germany and Argentina with "Natural Born Prankster" written across his torso and attempted to kiss German defender Benedikt Höwedes.[16] Brazilian authorities arrested him, but he was released hours after the match after friend and fellow YouTuber Yousef Erakat paid his bail which was equivalent to US $100. Erakat had traveled to Brazil with Zdorovetskiy and was sitting next to him before he ran onto the pitch.

Chainsaw Massacre Prank

On October 15, 2014, Zdorovetskiy pulled a prank which involved himself dressing up as Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, pretending to saw off the legs of Hanhart syndrome patient Nick Santonastasso with a chainsaw in front of unsuspecting witnesses.[17] The prank went viral, receiving over 30 million views in 3 weeks.

Personal life

Vitaly currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his mother. He is currently working on a movie with his friends Roman Atwood and Dennis Roady, both fellow YouTube pranksters. In November 2015, Lionsgate officially acquired worldwide distribution rights for Natural Born Pranksters.[18] In 2015 Vitaly started a "60 Day Challenge" where he challenges himself and his viewers to lose weight.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Vitaly Zdorovetskiy Police Arrest Report". policearrests.com. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  2. ↑ "VitalyzdTv channel stats". socialblade.com. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Bryant Eng (February 5, 2013). "FAU’s Prank-Star: Vitaly Zdorovetskiy". University Press Online. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ "The moment practical joker terrifies Columbus, Ohio residents by chasing them in the streets wearing a hockey mask and wielding a chainsaw". Daily Mail. September 22, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  5. ↑ Clarkson, Brett; Komenda, Ed; Sentinel, Sun (July 17, 2012). "'Miami Zombie Attack' pranksters Jonathan Vanegas, Vitaly Zdorovetskiy arrested after prank fails". wptv.com. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ Chase Hoffberger (July 17, 2012). "YouTube Rascal Vitaly Zdorovetskiy arrested for bomb hoax". Daily Dot. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  7. ↑ John Thomas Didymus (July 19, 2012). "Police arrest zombie prankster Zdorovetskiy for bomb hoax". Digital Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ Jeff Nadel (December 8, 2013). "Youtube pranksters gone good". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  9. ↑ Terrence McCoy (August 13, 2013). "Indiegogo Closes Vitaly Zdorovetskiy's Campaign To Fix Homeless Guy's Teeth". Palm Beach New Times. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ Jeffrey Thomas DeSocio (November 6, 2013). "Vitaly: The Extreme Homeless Makeover". Fox 11. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Viral ‘Gold Digger Prank’ Shows Woman Reject Guy For Date…Until She Sees He Drives a Lamborghini or other expensive cars". The Blaze. October 15, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ Mike Shields (October 22, 2013). "Gold Digger Prank Nabs 18 Million YouTube Views in a Week Motorboarding for breast cancer, Aquaman round out VideoWatch ranker". Adweek. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  13. ↑ Joshua Cohen (October 26, 2013). "Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide – Week Of 10/25/13". TubeFilter. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  14. ↑ Neetzan Zimmerman (October 15, 2013). "Pick-up Prankster puts target through Gold Digger test". Gawker. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  15. ↑ Warren, Amanda. "Famous Prankster Arrested, Video Confiscated for 'Evidence'". activistpost.com. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "World Cup 2014: Moment streaker invades pitch and attempts to KISS German star". DailyMirror. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  17. ↑ Scott Stump. "'Dead' man living: Disabled teen-turned-Internet star 'lives by inspiring others'". TODAY.com.
  18. ↑ Waxman, Olivia B. "Lionsgate Picks Up Movie About YouTube Pranksters". TIME.com. Retrieved 2015-12-27.

External links

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