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[This story contains spoilers for Obsession.]
In 2018, two aspiring actors named Cooper Tomlinson and Curry Barker met while in line during their first day at Los Angeles’ New York Film Academy. The pair quickly struck up a friendship over The Walking Dead and Weezer, likely debating the eternal question about whether the latter’s Blue Album or Pinkerton is the superior record.
The two quickly realized that producing their own material on YouTube could provide them the more immediate, hands-on education they were craving. So they dropped out of NYFA’s acting program and dove head first into generating web series, sketches and short films on their channel called That’s a Bad Idea. Their efforts are highlighted by an award-winning short film known as The Chair (2023) and the no-budget found-footage feature, Milk & Serial (2024).
In between their prolific collaboration, Tomlinson and Barker would still audition for random acting roles and write their own solo projects. Cut to July of 2023, Tomlinson attended a gathering to celebrate Barker’s role on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and that summer evening would ultimately change their lives in ways they never could’ve expected.
