Vulcan Productions Announces Talent and Films for
“We The Voters: 20 Films for The People”
Nonpartisan Digital Project Featuring 20 Short Films Designed to Activate Voters
Across the Country in 2016 Election to Launch September 14
New York (September 7, 2016) – Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions today announced
the talent and films for We the Voters: 20 Films for the People, a nonpartisan digital
slate of 20 short films designed to inform, inspire and activate voters nationwide with
fresh perspectives on the subjects of democracy, elections and governance in the lead-up
to the 2016 elections. Anabelle Acosta, Tom Arnold, Mario Cantone, Rosario Dawson,
Grace Helbig, Josh Horowitz, Richard Kind, Joshua Malina, CharlotteMcKinney, Ana
Ortiz, Harold Perrineau and Analeigh Tipton will star in thiscollection of shorts that takes
on the issues that define our generation — student debt, inequality, healthcare,
immigration, media polarization and more. The project is slated for release on September
14 across over 70 major distribution platforms through leading digital distribution
company FilmBuff.
Brought to you by Vulcan Productions, Show of Force and Warrior Poets, the digital
initiative features comedies, documentaries and animated shorts that unravel how U.S.
democracy works and promote a call to action for Americans to makeinformed choices
and seize the power of their vote. Distributed to audiences through top media outlets,
SVOD providers and mobile platforms, the first ten films are set to launch on September
14, with the second ten to followon October 12. Thefirst ten films include:
Disrupt Lobbying — Josh Horowitz (MTV News) is a muckraker on a mission: to
expose the cabal of corrupt lobbyists who have turned American democracy into a
sideshow. But the fearless, if sometimes feckless, reporter’s expectations are shattered
when he encounters lobbyists who defy the cliché.
How to Master Debate — Seasoned politicians treat debate as a dark art, keeping all
manner of maneuvers up their sleeves. They evade tricky subjects and use diversionary
tactics to undermine their opponents. It can be a dirty game. Stars Joshua Malina
(Scandal, The West Wing) and Richard Kind (Inside Out, Spin City) show us how it
works, using humor to underscore this integral commentary on the importance of straight
talk when confronting the issues.
Hot Tips to Rock the Ballot Booth — The real business of a democracy isn’t all about
the well-publicized names on the top of the ballot. State and local races, and a sometimes
baffling array of amendments and referendums, are featured in almost every election. But
don’t be nervous. YouTube megastar Grace Helbig breaks it down for voters with an
insightful guide to acing the ballot.
#FoundingFathers — Who better to consult about the nuances and modern-day
implications of the U.S. Constitution than the Founding Fathers of the Republic? Thomas
Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison take a break from their afterlives to
offer their richly historicalperspectives. Ana Ortiz (Devious Maids, Ugly Betty), Harold
Perrineau (Lost, The Matrix) and Mario Cantone (Sex and the City) play the Founding
Fathers, combining laughs with essential details about the epic document that defines the
nation.
Mediaocracy — What impact does social media make in shaping political views? Now,
more than ever, debates over candidates and major national issues stir heated
conversations as campaigns are fought on the new digital battlefield. Notable journalists,
such as The New York Times’ chief media columnist Jim Rutenberg, explore the trends
and show viewers how to approach the media with a more critical mindset.
Why We March — The right of public assembly and freedom of speech is guaranteed to
U.S. citizens, an abiding fact of American life that becomes especially evident every four
years during heated presidential campaigns. How effective is public protest in making
change? Conservative activist Mark Meckler, actress Rosario Dawson and Citizen
University founder Eric Liu talk about why they march.
Citizen Next — Some 4.6 million Latinos live in the United States as lawful permanent
residents, but have not obtained citizenship. This documentary introduces a few of them,
and explores both their motivations for living in America and the challenges to their full
involvement in the democracy.
Mission Insurable — This film frames a plight that faces many Americans in a story of
animated derring-do. Secret Agent Brink must escape a villain’s lair in time to register
for healthcare. If he misses the deadline, he’ll be tortured to debt, one broken finger at a
time. The film is funny, but the fact that 60% of personal bankruptcies are caused by
medical bills is not.
The Poll Dance — Daily polling updates have become a staple of major American
political races, and which ones should you pay attention to? FiveThirtyEight journalists
Claire Malone and Harry Enten present their “millennials guide to polling” to help
viewers put it all in perspective. Their expertise will detail the inside and outs of election
polling and research.
Altered States of America — No matter what state you live in, there arelaws on its
books that are wildly different from federal laws or those of neighboring states. Some
sound absurd. For instance, it’s illegal to own exploding golf balls in Massachusetts, or to
get a fish drunk in Ohio. Floyd, a friendly if mildly paranoid denizen of Colorado, tries to
make sense of it all, showing how state laws complement – or conflict with – those in
other states and with federal law, whether it involves pizza or pot.
About Vulcan Productions
Vulcan Productions is dedicated to the power of storytelling. The division produces
content and large-scale campaigns that entertain, electrify and change the way people
understand the world’s toughest challenges. Vulcan Productions’ films, television series
and digital content spark ideas and turn action into measurable impact. Founded by Paul
G. Allen and his sister Jody Allen in 1997, Vulcan Productions creates contentacross all
platforms, extending the wide-ranging work of Vulcan Inc. in wildlife, science, climate,
oceans, education, technology, current social issues, history and the arts. Award-winning
projects include Racing Extinction, Academy Award(R)-nominated Body Team 12, We the
Economy, #ISurvivedEbola, Girl Rising, and The Blues. Upcoming projects include The
Ivory Game, Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale, Mind of a Giant and Unseen Enemy.
About Show of Force
Show of Force is an award-winning production company that creates provocative
documentary features, series and digital content that inspire audiences across the globe.
Founded by veteranproducers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre, the company’s projects
include Soundbreaking: Stories From the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music (in
partnership with the late Beatles' producer Sir George Martin) premiering on PBS this
fall; the Emmy and Peabody award winning Marina Abramović: The Artist is
Present, and the Emmy award-winning Carrier. After the landmark success of A Path
Appears (2015) and Half the Sky (2012), two broadcast series and multi-platform
initiatives that reached 40 million viewers and made over 3 billion impressions
worldwide, SOF launched a Social Good division that harnesses the power of storytelling
and creates measurable impact on issues of critical importance. Show of Force is
currently in production on a new music series in partnership with Dwayne Johnson &
Dany Garcia/ Seven Bucks Productions for CNN, as well as Humanity on theMove, a
social impact initiative and feature documentary following the global refugee crisis.
About Warrior Poets
Warrior Poets is a New York based production company founded in 2004 by Academy
Award(R) nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. Since its creation, he and producing
partner Jeremy Chilnick have produced multiple award winning films and television
programs. Films include One Direction: This Is Us, POM Wonderful Presents: The
Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope, Mansome, Where in
the World is Osama bin Laden?, The Eagle Huntress, The Pistol Shrimps, and
Freakonomics. Television projects include the award-winning FX series 30 Days, the
IDA award-winning CNN series MorganSpurlock: Inside Man, Showtime’s 7 Deadly
Sins, ESPN’s The Dotted Line, Emmy and Writer’s Guild nominated The Simpsons 20th
Anniversary Special in 3D on Ice!. Digital projects include Hulu’s A Day in the Life,
Yahoo’s Mansome, Failure Club, and Losing It with John Stamos and YouTube
Red’s Vlogumentary.
Warrior Poets’ upcoming slate includes the Toronto International Film Festival selection
Rats, a Discovery “Horror Doc” Film based on Robert Sullivan’s NY Times Best Selling
Book, directed, written & produced by Morgan Spurlock, written & produced by Jeremy
Chilnick. Warrior Poets’ feature film development slate includes the untitled film about
Hollywood Superagent SueMengers based on Brian Kellow’s bestselling biography Can I
Go Now: The Life of Sue Mengers, Hollywood’s First Superagent.