How to Make It in America
TV Show · Comedy · Drama

In the bohemian subculture of downtown NYC, two twenty-something friends plot to achieve the American dream on their own terms. Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk star in this HBO comedy series that focuses on the adventures of aspiring designer Ben and his free-spirited best friend Cam.

2010 · 27m
Starring Bryan Greenberg, Victor Rasuk, Luis Guzman

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    Pilot
    When his skateboard-deck business venture hits the wall, 20-something graphic designer Ben agrees to fund a 'sure thing' leather-jacket hustle proposed by his good-times best friend, Cam. The partner's scheme morphs into downright desperation when Cam's cousin Rene gets out of jail, looking for payback of an old loan. Meanwhile, Ben is bummed to discover that his ex-girlfriend Rachel is now dating a hot hotelier named Darren, and finds little comfort in his horny pursuit of a sexy young thing during her late-night party. With Rene threatening bodily injury if Cam and Ben don't pay back the loan, a schoolmate-turned hedge-fund millionaire named David ends up saving the day...at least for the moment.
    26 min
  • EPISODE 2
    Crisp
    Using $3G they got via yet another (very) high-interest loan from Rene, Ben and Cam buy up a roll of (hot) premium-denim material, then hit a series of dead ends in their search to find a manufacturer to make samples of their 'Crisp' brand of retro-70s jeans. Along the way they parlay a crashed late-night dinner with a top fashion designer into a brainstorming meeting that may, or may not, hold the key to their entrepreneurial success. Meanwhile, both Ben and Rachel realize that they haven't totally 'moved on,' and vow to try harder in the future.
    23 min
  • EPISODE 3
    Paper, Denim + Dollars
    While Ben and Cam track down a tailor to re-imagine some 1970s-era jeans, Rachel (who works at an interior-design boutique for an eccentric boss named Edie) rethinks her future after reconnecting with a friend who works abroad for the Peace Corps. Eager to get a bigger marketing commitment for his fledgling 'Rasta Monsta' drink, Rene makes a buyout offer his marketing partners better not refuse. After Cam peddles some of Ben's skateboard decks to some upper-crust Manhattan kids, he and Ben round up enough money to pay the tailor, deliver the denim, and launch 'Crisp NYC.'
    24 min
  • EPISODE 4
    Unhappy Birthday
    In an attempt to divert himself from the depressing fact that it's Rachel's birthday and she's being thrown an intimate dinner party attended by her new squeeze Darren (a handsome hotel developer), Ben decides to spend the night taking Kaplan to a velvet-rope nightclub. Meanwhile, Cam lands a high-paying gig bartending at a gala benefit, but decides to forfeit the job to keep a forlorn Ben--and Kaplan and Domingo--company.
    25 min
  • EPISODE 5
    Big in Japan
    After running into a successful designer on the street, Ben and Cam get hooked up with a top Japanese buyer named Hidemi, but find their business taking a surprising detour after showing him their none-too-Crisp jean sample. Meanwhile, Rene runs into some unexpected problems locating a pile of stashed cash in the basement of a woman who is divorcing his ne'er-do-well cousin Tito. And Rachel, hoping to bring some fresh energy into her relationship with Darren, is flummoxed by his euphoric reaction to the party drug Ecstasy.
    23 min
  • EPISODE 6
    Good Vintage
    Despite a fresh infusion of cash from Kaplan, Ben and Cam find it hard to meet Hidemi's vintage-tee quota of 300--until an attractive retail employee named Julie helps bail them out. Rene gets some fatherly advice on how to handle an impending schoolyard showdown with Flaco, the contractor he suspects of stealing his (ill-gotten) money. Rachel's field trip to Connecticut to check on a behind-schedule carpenter ends with Darren taking her to meet his mother Barbara--and then popping a commitment question on their drive home to Manhattan.
    22 min

Related

Cast & Crew

  • Bryan Greenberg
    Ben Epstein
  • Victor Rasuk
    Cam Calderon
  • Luis Guzman
    Rene Calderon
  • Lake Bell
    Rachel Chapman
  • Scott Mescudi
    Domingo Brown
  • Martha Plimpton
    Edie Weitz
  • Shannyn Sossamon
    Gingy Wu
  • Eddie Kaye Thomas
    David "Kapo" Kaplan
  • James Ransone
    Tim
  • Stephen Levinson
    Producer
  • Rob Weiss
    Producer

About

How to Make It in America

Comedy

In the bohemian subculture of downtown NYC, two twenty-something friends plot to achieve the American dream on their own terms. Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk star in this HBO comedy series that focuses on the adventures of aspiring designer Ben and his free-spirited best friend Cam.

Information

Studio
HBO
Released
2010
Region of Origin
United States
© 2010 Home Box Office, Inc.

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Original Audio
English
  • Español (México)
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
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  • Slovenia
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  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
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  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
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  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)