Shelby Filmmaker Brings Zetterberg and Hockeytown Humor to NYC

What does Shelby Township native and filmmaker Greg DeLiso have in common with the Red Wings center and alternate captain, Henrik Zetterberg? A friend who resembles the Swedish-born hockey star and a love for the game.

The only thing we don’t know for sure is if Zetterberg and DeLiso share the same sense of humor.

While living in New York City after studying filmmaking, DeLiso, 25, along with his friend and actor, Jakob Hawkins, came up with the idea to create a web series called the Fake Henrik Zetterberg, after realizing Hawkins had an uncanny resemblance to the “real Zetterberg.” 

After years of brainstorming, writing, raising funds and production, Fake Zetterberg was launched as a 12-episode web series at noon on Oct. 25 on YouTube, blip.tv and FakeHenrikZetterberg.com. The show chronicles the life of a hapless misfit, played by Hawkins, as he dresses up in full Red Wings hockey gear and continues his day-to-day life in the Big Apple.

Fake Henrik Zetterberg features Kevin “Dot Com” Brown of NBC’s 30 Rock, as Henrik’s best friend, Fake Dikembe Mutombo, and Austin Pendleton, a celebrated character actor whose credits include My Cousin Vinny, Oz, and Short Circuit. Hawkins acting credits include Gossip Girl and As the World Turns.

Since the launch of the series, the first episode has garnered more than 20,000 hits on YouTube and the filmmakers have been featured on the Detroit Free Press and Yahoo Sports, who called the web series “hilarious.”

DeLiso, who met with Patch for an interview at a Shelby Township coffee shop last week, said he has been blown away by the series’ support and positive reviews.

In the Beginning

DeLiso moved to New York City in 2004 after he graduated from Eisenhower to attend the New York Film Academy.

DeLiso said he was 17 when he arrived in New York full of dreams.

“All I could think of was, ‘I got to make movies’ and then when I got there and my dad dropped me off I was like ‘holy #$@*.’”

While still attending the one-year program in 2005, DeLiso began interning with famed Hollywood film editor Bob Mead, who has done work for Producer Ridley Scott.

However, DeLiso said Mead at the time was a struggling editor, and put him to work on a few low-budget films as an extra and assistant editor. While filming Divergence in New Jersey, DeLiso met Hawkins, who was starring in the film and the two became instant friends.

DeLiso, a big hockey fan, had been telling Hawkins for years that he looked like Henrik Zetterberg, but it wasn’t until after the Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2008 that Hawkins admitted there was a striking resemblance – and then a light went off.

“He (Hawkins) was in the dentist and the Red wings just won the Stanley Cup. He saw Zetterberg on a magazine and started thinking, ‘wouldn’t it be funny if you dressed me up in full gear and I just did random stuff?” Hawkins had told DeLiso.

In 2009, the duo began filming 30 second clips of Fake Henrik Zetterberg—dressed in full gear and outfitted in a thick Swedish accent. In one episode, Zetterberg goes to apply for an office job using a trading card as his resume.

DeLiso said the premise of the series was real-life absurdist situations.

“It made sense to base the series off of Big – the Tom Hanks movie because it has the same fish out of water theme,” he said.

Originally, Hawkins and DeLiso had hoped to sell the spec clips to the NHL, but instead, the clips went viral, hitting 200,000 page views and became the most watched video in the Yahoo Canada sports section in 2009.

DeLiso as the editor, videographer and producer and Hawkins, the star and writer of the series, decided they needed to raise some serious cash to turn the clips into a full-blown web series.

After raising more than $5,000 on IndieGoGo.com by promising to give contributors credit on the series, DeLiso and Hawkins hired professional actors and filmed for nine days over summer. DeLiso said the greatest challenge of shoot was keeping Hawkins, who was dressed in full hockey gear, cool during the 90-degree days and 12-hour shoots.

“Jakob is sweating his butt off,” said DeLiso. Anybody who has ever worn hockey gear knows how bad it can smell. It smelled beyond bad – it was just insane,” he said laughing.

DeLiso said the content of the show remains PG-rated because he wants it to appeal to everyone.

“I was thinking if I was 10 and saw this, I would have loved it. I wanted to make sure it was OK for kids to watch,” he said.

What Does the Future Hold For the Talented Filmmaker?

DeLiso, who said he had enough of living in New York City, recently moved back to Shelby Township and plans to continue making movies as he works as a freelance video editor.

Since returning home, DeLiso worked on a film called Canada’s Best-kept Secret, a 70-minute documentary by RD Lawrence, which recently premiered last week in Canada. Click here to view a trailer of the movie.

Also, DeLiso said he’s excited to start collaborating on projects with his friend, Eisenhower graduate Pete Litvin, who has been studying filmmaking in NYC, when he moves back to Shelby soon.

DeLiso started a production company bearing the name of the street he grew up on off of Van Dyke Avenue, called Munrovia Pictures.

In the meantime, DeLiso said he’s still waiting for his chance to meet the “real Zetterberg.”

“We have never been contacted by a player. That would be my dream come true.”