Son of Cheap Trick's Robin Zander finds online fame

He’s 6-feet-2-inches tall, thin, has platinum blond-dyed hair with a black streak, and women swoon at the sight of him.

At least that’s the way it is for Ian Alexi-Zander, 28, of Rockford on the popular and award-winning, 4-year-old “Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager” YouTube series. The comedic Web movie series spoofs the “Star Wars” and “Twilight” movies. Each segment typically lasts about five minutes. The series has had more than 50 million views.

Zander, son of Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander, plays Damien Nightshayde. His character is a vampirelike guy who was hired to be a stock boy.

“Chad Vader” is filmed in a Madison, Wis., grocery store in the middle of the night, and is set in the fictional Empire Market. Chad is the purported younger brother of the dark, helmeted “Star Wars” central character Darth Vader. Chad’s goal is to crush the market’s competition, though he clashes with employees and customers.

Zander started on the series three months ago and has appeared in three episodes. His time on-screen runs from 30 seconds to a minute.

Every second counts, he said. “You can’t have down time in a five-minute series,” he said.

His initial appearance in Episode 6, “Vampire Market,” was a big hit with fans, Courtney Collins, producer of the series, said in an e-mail interview.

Collins created his character and cast Zander in the role. She said she had seen Zander online in a short film. She knew who he was because she has been a Cheap Trick fan since childhood. And, she said, “Ian had the look of what I thought would make a good vampire — classic features, dark, intense eyes.”

Zander’s character has become the hero of the current Season 3, she said. In the 10-minute-long season finale, which went online last week, Zander’s character removes a bomb from the store and saves all the other characters. But when Damien Nightshayde takes the bomb to the parking lot, it explodes. Because Zander’s character is a vampire, does he die? After all, vampires are immortal, aren’t they?

Zander’s girlfriend, Aley Kreinz of Rockford, said she swears Zander watched the “Twilight” movies “a few hundred times” to get the comedic edge on the “Edward” main character played by Robert Pattinson. Both Damien and Edward vow to protect other characters until their heart stops beating.

Collins said she’s unsure if there will be a fourth season of “Chad Vader.” “We’d like to do another season, (but) it might not be for several months,” she said. The producers and creators are working on other video projects and would be more likely to consider another season if they get additional sponsorships to pay for expenses, she said.

Zander said he’s glad to have the chance to perform in “Chad Vader.”

“It’s a ton of goof packed into five minutes,” he said. “And for some reason, people gravitate toward it.”