Created by Sasha Skulinets, Bread and Butter is a four-episode anthology about artists struggling to make a living in New York City. Each episode follows a different creative navigating self-doubt, ambition, and survival in the city.
In Episode 1, “What’s the Best Career Advice You Have Received?,” Karla (Claudia Thiedmann) works as a production assistant, fetching coffee and doing menial tasks for a film set. During a lunch meeting, she meets Melanie (Calley Luman), who is considering the same career path. Their conversation leads Karla to question whether working adjacent to her dreams is enough or if fulfillment requires something more.
Episode 2, “What’s the Worst Part of Your Job?,” centers on Sam (Henry Truitt Harshaw), a struggling photographer whose business has faltered since the pandemic. He reflects on how easily others dismiss his profession and work, believing anyone can be a photographer with an iPhone. The story captures his frustration as he tries to maintain both artistic integrity and financial stability.
In Episode 3 of Bread and Butter, “How Competitive Is Your Job?,” three actor friends — Tess (Olivia Bodley), Brie (Mira Skye Sorbara Korngold), and Danielle (Anna Lowry) — gather after a long day of auditions. Brie seems to be landing roles, while Tess and Danielle wrestle with rejection and doubt. It seems that landing any job is its own audition.
“Each episode follows a different creative navigating self-doubt, ambition, and survival in the city.”
Episode 4, “Is It Worth It?,” follows Thierno, a filmmaker who quit his day job to pursue directing. His partner, Fay (Natalia Kruk), is somewhat passive-aggressive and questions that decision. At a dinner party, Thierno feels the need to defend his decision, and later, after screening his short film, he worries his friends secretly hated it. The episode ends on his creeping self-doubt, leaving open the question of whether the pursuit of art justifies the sacrifices it demands.
It’s pretty clear that for Sasha Skulinets, Bread and Butter is about writing what you know. Making it in the arts is like the lottery. Anyone can make it big, regardless of talent, level, or dedication. On display in the series is not knowing what it takes to get over the hump and land that first big opportunity.
Knowing people in Hollywood trying to make it, Bread and Butter will feel painfully familiar thanks to its cast. The struggles feel all too real, and in the end, there are no answers, only empathy.
"…will feel painfully familiar thanks to its cast."
