Quick Facts
Biography
Nikol Hasler (born 15 March 1979) is an American internet content creator, producer, writer, and filmmaker known best for her work on Midwest Teen Sex Show, and her frank, direct, dark humor.
Biography
Nikol Hasler is a Wisconsin native who spent years in the foster care system, an experience described as "tumultuous", but one that provided her with a diversity of life experiences. On a Fox Morning program, she stated that she had been sexually active since age 11, and her own web site lists drug abuse, depression, and eating disorders as some of the difficulties faced during her youth. Following high school, a one-night stand resulted in the birth of her first son, and, after dropping out of Southern Illinois University, she became homeless, living on couches and in shelters during the pregnancy and into the first several months of her son's life. She is twice divorced and is the mother of three children.
In high school she was an avid LARP'er with a group of other kids.
Hasler gained attention in 2008 as the host of the video podcast Midwest Teen Sex Show, an informative comedy show known for frank discussions about teenage sexuality. The show's success prompted her to move to Los Angeles in June 2009 with her three children. During that summer, she produced and wrote a television pilot for Comedy Central based on the web series, and worked on a book about sex for teens. Comedy Central did not pick up the show as a series, but her book, Sex: A Book For Teens was released in June, 2010. Hasler remained in Los Angeles after the pilot was shot, stating on Crushable that "Even the d-bags out here who are stereotypical LA don’t bother me because they give me something to laugh at. The sunshine. The food. The hot people. Yeah. This place is cool."
Works
Hasler was interviewed for the January/February 2009 issue of Public Libraries Magazine (Vol 47, Issue 6).
On May 14, 2009, it was officially announced that Nikol's show The Midwest Teen Sex Show, a video podcast about teen sexuality, would be turned into a series for Comedy Central. However, in September 2009 Hasler announced that Comedy Central had not picked up the show for series. Beyond the Midwest Teen Sex Show, Hasler has contributed to projects for a number of publishing outlets, and in various media.
Real American Family, a show on PiC.tv, addresses issues important to many families—being a single parent, choosing healthy diet, preparing for the school year, etc. -- with Nikol's typical frankness and sense of humor. She and her team also created an online safety video for teens called Don't Be An Idiot Online; it was released by E-Spin.
In February 2010, she started an ongoing sex column for the newly launched Crushable called "Sex, Honestly". She also writes an advice column for Milwaukee Magazine called "Love, Sex, Etc.".
In May 2010, copies of Hasler's book, Sex: A Book For Teens, went on sale on Amazon.com. It was published by Zest Publications in San Francisco. The book features back cover endorsements from former surgeon general Dr. Jocelyn Elders and feminist author Betty Dodson.
In July 2010, Hasler accepted a position of a producer for the non-profit One Economy Corporation (of which PiC.tv is a subsidiary), immediately beginning production on a series about teen pregnancy, then revamping Real American Family with an entirely new cast and crew.
The August 2010 issue of Glamour magazine includes a story about Hasler's ex-boyfriend posting nude photos of her on the internet.
In June 2012, a story about living with cancer while being mentally ill ran on the popular website Boing Boing.