We The People Fest

Films Scheduled to Screen:

AMERICAN BLACKOUT
Described by LA Weekly as “one of the most important political docs of the last several years”, AMERICAN BLACKOUT chronicles the recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 while following the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. McKinney not only took an active role investigating these election debacles, but has found herself in the middle of her own after publicly questioning the Bush Administration about the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
www.americanblackout.org

DEAR OPRAH: Non-Voting America's Wildest Dream
Of all western democracies, the United States has the lowest turn-out at elections. When electing their president, the most powerful political leader in the world, almost a 100 million Americans don’t vote. At other elections that number can go up to 200 million. One year before the 2008 presidential elections, a young European film crew went in search of America’s missing voters. Who are they? Why don’t they vote? Would American politics change if they would vote?

During our search, Oprah Winfrey, for the first time in her career, endorsed a presidential candidate. But what if Oprah would turn her focus to mobilizing the millions of non-voters? Who better than Oprah? She can turn any product she favors into a hot selling item. In hopes of a Hollywood happy ending, the journey ends with this request at Oprah’s studio in Chicago.
www.motivoter.com

HACKING DEMOCRACY
The disturbingly shocking HBO documentary HACKING DEMOCRACY bravely tangles with our nation's ills at the heart of democracy. The film the Diebold corporation doesn't want you to see, this revelatory journey follows tenacious Seattle grandmother Bev Harris and her band of extraordinary citizen-activists as they set out to ask one simple question: How does America count its votes? From Florida and California to Ohio and Washington State, filmmakers Simon Ardizzone, Robert Cohen, and Russell Michaels starkly reveal a broken system riddled with secrecy, incompetent election officials, and electronic voting machines that can be programmed to steal elections. Equipped only with a powerful sense of righteous outrage, the activists take on voting machine industry, exposing alarming security holes in America's trusted voting machines. They even go dumpster diving at a county election official's office in Florida, uncovering incendiary evidence of miscounted votes. But proving our votes can be stolen without a trace culminates in a duel between Diebold voting machines and a computer hacker from Finland - with America's democracy at stake.
www.hackingdemocracy.com

Holler Back - [not] Voting in an American Town
Awarded “Best Documentary” at the Sunscreen Film Festival, and screening at festivals across the country - from Miami to Philadelphia - this hour and 15 minute documentary explores why more people, especially young people, don’t vote. Revealing interviews with non-voters draw you in as one after another they express their anger and lack of faith in a corrupt and unresponsive system. Fast-paced and cut to a dynamic soundtrack that includes The Teddybears, Moby, Stroke 9, The Magnetic Fields and Cody Chesnutt; HOLLER BACK takes place during the contentious 2004 presidential election in Allentown Pennsylvania. With impressive detail and considerable humor, the tight and highly charged film focuses on the entrenched problems of our elections: from the twisted complexities of the electoral college to easily hackable voting equipment.
http://hollerbackfilm.com

HOW OHIO PULLED IT OFF
Winner of the Viewer’s Choice Award at the 5th Annual Akron Film Festival, HOW OHIO PULLED IT OFF chronicles the theft of the presidency, and the public outcry that followed. Infuriated by official malfeasance and partisan indifference, citizens took swift action. Multitudes protested in the streets, the voting rights movement was revitalized, and the powers-that-be were forced to pay attention. The story continues today, casting a shadow of uncertainty on the 2008 election and beyond.
www.howohiopulleditoff.com

NO UMBRELLA: ELECTION DAY IN THE CITY
Screened at the Sundance Film Festival and audience award recipient of at the Sydney International Film Festival, ELECTION DAY IN THE CITY is an unblinking look at the 2004 US Election Day failures in one of Ohio's poorest neighborhoods. In the most hotly contested state in the country, gridlock at inner city polls ignites tempers and sets off charges of conspiracy. No Umbrella drops us squarely into the chaos as we watch the irascible octogenarian councilwoman (Ms. Fannie Lewis) take on polling place breakdowns, an unresponsive bureaucracy and an increasingly agitated electorate.
www.noumbrella.org

…SO GOES THE NATION
"…SO GOES THE NATION" examines America's electoral process through the 2004 presidential election showing how the voting public is manipulated by both parties marketing machines. Political activism and the thoughts of voters themselves are revealed in the ultimate cross-section state: Ohio.

In the final two weeks of the 2004 election, the filmmakers sent fifteen camera crews crisscrossing Ohio, a battleground state that has consistently lived up to its familiar political axiom: "As goes Ohio - so goes the nation." Historically, the political and social status quo of Ohio is indicative of the American voting public at large and Ohio has been the center of the political maelstrom many times in its short history: In fact, since 1960, every President to reach office has carried the state. In the entirety of U.S. history, Republican candidates have never taken a Presidential election without winning in Ohio.

"…SO GOES THE NATION" looks at the election and the voting public through lenses large and small, and in doing so, examines both the U.S. voting process and the American national psyche. The documentary ultimately provides a rare and unique opportunity to show the real electoral story of democracy in action.
www.sogoesthenationmovie.com

SPLIT: A DIVIDED AMERICA
Shocking and informative, SPLIT: A DIVIDED AMERICA takes a behind the scenes look at the partisanship dominating our politics. Balancing candid discussions with citizens coast to coast and commentary from some of the sharpest minds analyzing government and society today, it’s a cross-country investigation of democracy in America.
www.splitdoc.com

SWING STATE
The road to the White House in 2008 runs directly through the Ohio Statehouse in 2006. An intimate look at the personal impacts of the political life, "Swing State" follows a family's journey through one the most important races in the history of American politics: the 2006 Ohio Governor's race. Seen through the eyes of a candidate's son, "Swing State" shines a light on a world that is oftentimes as brutal as it is rewarding.
www.inthezoneproductions.net

SWING VOTE
Hitting theaters across the country, SWING VOTE, tells the story of a presidential election that comes down to one man’s vote. Kevin Costner stars as a working-class single father who has the ultimate decision to elect the next President of the United States. Disney chairman Dick Cook calls SWING VOTE, “a timely and heartfelt story that is sure to touch and entertain moviegoers in the same way that some of the classic films by Frank Capra have done in the past.” The cast also includes Kelsey Grammar, Dennis Hopper, Bill Maher, and Larry King.
http://swingvote.movies.go.com

THIS BRAVE NATION SERIES: Episodes 1 & 2
Episode 1 features Environmentalism, New Media, Civil Rights, The Economy. In any other profession, Carl Pope might be considered a "company man." He has worked loyally and tirelessly in the name of the Sierra Club for thirty years, running the organization – the largest of its kind in the country – since 1992. Van Jones has founded several organizations within the last decade, including The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Green For All. They both live in the Bay Area. They both care intensely about saving the environment. The thing is, they use very distinct methods, although the lines differentiating those methods are blurring as we race further into the 21st century. From the environment to the economy, from old fashioned door-to-door fliers to streaming internet video, Pope and Jones discuss the myriad elements effecting our lives today and the many possible solutions that are nearly within reach.

Episode 2 features Union Organizing, NAFTA, Human Rights, Environmentalism, Nuclear Energy, Feminism. Legendary musician Bonnie Rait and legendary organizer Dolores Huerta are also featured. Two women who both achieved great successes in their fields and who are not stopping anytime soon. But while one was marching on the streets for migrant laborers, the other was headlining concerts bringing attention to the risks of nuclear energy and other issues. Two distinctly different women who chose such opposite paths and came from radically different backgrounds, but both chose to spend their lives trying to make the world a better place for all of us. In this conversation, Raitt and Huerta talk about their passions, their regrets, their fears, and most of all their dreams for future generations.
http://bravenation.com

THIS BRAVE NATION SERIES: Episodes 4 & 5
Episode 4 features Environmentalism, Hudson River, Urban Renewal, Protest Music & Civil Rights. In a Lower Manhattan apartment, one of the greatest living musicians and activists sat down with one of the country's newest great leaders. Pete Seeger, with a list of awards and honors longer than the neck on his famed banjo, still works tirelessly at 88 years of age. He spoke with Majora Carter, the young and indefatigable founder of Sustainable South Bronx, an organization that is re-shaping the neighborhood of her youth through pioneering green-collar economic development projects, about the environmental work he has worked at for more than forty years. And while he's at it, he also finds time to sing a couple songs, demanding the film crew sing along, because it's not nearly as much fun singing to someone as it is singing with someone.

Episode 5 features Journalism, Global Economy, NAFTA, Iraq War, Feminism, "The Sixties" . Author, Activist and Former California State Senator Tom Hayden talks in depth with the author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein, about the state of the fourth branch of government: journalists. Both Hayden and Klein became serious journalists in college, and it was during that time that both experienced their defining moment. When Tom Hayden interviewed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr at the 1960 DNC in Los Angeles, he asked questions while imagining the headline, "Tom Hayden Interviews MLK," but by the time he wrote the article he knew there were more important things in the world than personal glory. Naomi Klein rebelled from her feminist mother until Mark Lepine gunned down fourteen women in what became known as the Montreal Massacre.

It was then she realized people were dying for the beliefs her mother fought for, and that realization awakened the activist within her. After both events, Hayden and Klein dedicated their lives to telling the truth about the world, and doing everything in their power to not use subjects like "they," but use "we" instead. It is that distinction that defines their journalism to this day.
http://bravenation.com

WHAT'S YOUR POINT, HONEY?
WHAT'S YOUR POINT, HONEY? is the new documentary from the creator of “Mad Hot Ballroom.” It puts a fresh spin on political leadership by introducing seven college-aged women as future contenders for President of the United States. The seven are involved with Project 2024, an initiative sponsored by “The White House Project” & “COSMO Girl” magazine, devoted to grooming female candidates for the 2024 presidential election via high-powered internships and leadership training.

This film is a clarion call for gender equality in politics. It weaves young women's ambitions with observations from experts; provides a vulnerable look at today's teens to give insight as to where we are headed; some piquant statistics on female political power, and a few hilarious asides from a posse of ten-year-old girls.
www.whatsyourpointhoney.com

THE YOUNGEST CANDIDATE
THE YOUNGEST CANDIDATE is a feature length documentary film directed by Jason Pollock. A recent winner of “Best Non-Fiction by a New Filmmaker” at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival. It is produced by David Letterman’s company, Worldwide Pants, in partnership with Oscar winner Lawrence Bender (producer of ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘An Inconvenient Truth’) and Balance Vector Productions.
It follows the story of 4 teens that ran for public office in America. Funny, inspiring, poignant, and ultimately uplifting, this is not just a film about running for office. It is the coming of age story of four idealistic young adults who dared to confront the corrupt political systems in America. Through their journey these young candidates learn about fair play, leadership development, racism in politics, the importance of family, and many other lessons that they will carry with them throughout their lives. In the face of great adversity, these four young adults braved all the odds to make it to Election Day to show that regardless of the outcome, it didn’t matter. It’s all about how you play the game. www.theyoungestcandidate.com

Speakers/Performers :

BREAD OF STONE
Living the first nine years of their lives in Indonesia has had a lasting effect on Bread of Stone brothers Ben and Bill Kristijanto. They remember the difference between their view of poverty while living in Indonesia versus what they saw and learned about the poverty there after moving to the United States." Being younger, we were kind of secluded from what was going on there," quotes Ben. "If you're that person (living in poverty), you don't know any better. You don't have anything to compare it to. "I remember I was a happy kid." Infused with an energy that finds its source in their passion for bringing others closer to Jesus, Bread of Stone (BOS) an up-and-coming Christian band based out of Sioux City, Iowa with a sound all their own. Formed by two brothers Ben (vocals) and Bill Kristijanto (guitar) and later joined by friends, they have answered the call to ministry through inspiring music. With a unique blend of rock, pop, and worship, their music takes listeners on a journey through the heights and depths of the human experience.

DR. FRAN E. DORSEY PhD
Dr. Fran E. Dorsey PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pan-African Studies (1981); former director of the Center of Pan-African Culture from 1987-1999 and co-founder and artistic director of the African Community Theatre from 1979-1999 & 2003 to the present, all at Kent State University. Dr. Dorsey is the past President of the national Association for Black Culture Centers and is the Regional Director for Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society. He is also an actor and had a minor role in the movie “Antwone Fisher” with Denzel Washington in 2002 and a major role in the television production of “Such Is Life” in 2006. Currently, Dr. Dorsey is serving as interim chairperson for the Department of Pan-African Studies.

TRACI EASLEY WILLIAMS
Traci is a native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She started her career in high school when she was selected to co-anchor the teen news program “2010 Taking you to the Future,” on the Fox network. Following graduation, Traci continued to work on “2010” as an assistant writer and producer. As an undergraduate at Kent State University Traci worked in the casting department on the HBO films “Renegade Force” and “Proximity.” Upon graduation, Traci moved to Los Angeles and began to work on feature films with renowned Casting Director and Producer Rueben Cannon. In 2005 she returned to KSU and earned her Masters. Presently, Traci is an instructor at Kent State within Journalism & Mass Communications as well as the Pan-African Studies Department. She is also Director of the Center of Pan-African Culture at KSU and working on her Ph.D.

Recent projects are: Associate Producer for the television drama “Such is Life” which aired on the WUAB channel 43 in Cleveland, Executive Producer for the music video “Thunder” by the world renowned music artists “Nuttin but Strings,” and eight short films which four of them she co-wrote. Last year, Traci developed a television program geared towards college students called “College Summit.” This program airs locally and has been accepted by the Open Student College Network to be distributed to over 200 national and international universities. Currently in production, Traci has two short films, a stage play and a television show.

Mrs. Williams has also developed curriculum at Kent State University to help train students preparing for film and television careers in front of and behind the camera. Some of Traci’s other credits include: Welcome to Collinwood, Antwone Fisher, Against the Ropes, Woman Thou Aren’t Loosed, How to be a Latino Pop Star, Half and Half, The Parkers, The S.S.Cod (documentary), Godsmack (music video), and Legacy (stage play) and many more.

LULU FRIES'DAT
Lulu Fries’dat is a freelance director, producer and editor of film, television, and music. During the 2004 presidential election she developed and directed a series of voter registration PSA’s for VH1. The ads featured Triumph the Comic Insult Dog from Late Night with Conan O’Brien. In 2003 she produced & edited profiles of all the Democratic presidential primary candidates for MSNBC. The series was aimed at younger voters as part of the network’s Embed Campaign. She is currently freelancing at CBS, and has also worked at NBC, PBS, MTV, VH1 & FOX. Documentary work includes Slamnation by five-time Emmy winner Paul Devlin. The film was called "Frenetically High-Powered! Verbally akin to stripping naked!" by The New York Times. She was nominated for a Business Emmy for work on CNBC's "Game On! The Unauthorized History of Video Games".

CHRISTINA GROZIK
Christina Grozik is a film industry professional with over 10 years experience in a variety of areas. Most recently, she organized WE THE PEOPLE FEST with her production partner Paul Shaia. Grozik is the co-producer and the director for the newly completed film “And The Winner Is …”.

Grozik has worked as a production coordinator, location scout, casting assistant and/or production liaison for major feature films including “American Splendor,” “Spiderman 3,” “Welcome to Collinwood,” “Against the Ropes,” “Beautiful Ohio,” “The Longest Yard” and “Antwone Fisher.” She has written, produced, and directed music videos and industrial videos. She has completed contract work as a freelance producer, marketing consultant and model/actress for music videos, independent films, photography shoots, television shows, and documentaries.

Grozik worked for the Greater Cleveland Media Development Corp as vice president until 2005. She co-founded the Cleveland Entertainment Conference after recognizing the need to educate and unify the local independent film community. Among the list of speakers were Joe and Anthony Russo (“You, Me & Dupree”), Don Scott (“Barbershop”), Erica Beeney (HBO’s “Project Greenlight”), and Alan Schechter (“Double Dragon” & “Proximity”). Grozik worked with the Cleveland Film Society to coordinate the Midwest Independent Filmmakers Conference after graduating from Kent State University. She regularly gives back to the independent film community by speaking to production classes and film conferences.

HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS
http://www.myspace.com/hawthorneheights
Hawthorne Heights, a post-hardcore band from Dayton, Ohio, consists of vocalist and guitarist JT Woodruff, lead guitarist Micah Carli, bassist and vocalist Matt Ridenour and drummer Eron Bucciarelli. Hawthorne Heights has found great success on their label, Victory Records, and they released Fragile Future, their third studio album, in August of this year.

STEVEN W. HOOK
Steven W. Hook is professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at Kent State University. He is author, most recently, of U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power (2nd ed., 2008). He is also a co-author, with John Spanier, of American Foreign Policy since World War II (17th ed., 2007) and National Interest and Foreign Aid (1995); and editor of Comparative Foreign Policy: Adaptation Strategies of the Great and Emerging Powers (2002) and Foreign Aid toward the Millennium (1996). His articles have appeared in such journals as World Politics, International Studies Quarterly, Asian Survey, European Security, Foreign Policy Analysis, and PS: Political Science and Politics. Prof. Hook is a past president of the Foreign Policy Analysis sections of the International Studies Association and the American Political Science Association.

PETER LAWSON JONES
On February 9, 2002, Peter Lawson Jones became a member of the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners (“BOCC”). Jones is President of the BOCC and represents the Board as Co-Chairman of Invest in Children, Vice Chairman of the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, Vice Chairman of the County’s Investment Advisory Committee and as the BOCC’s designee to the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and the World Trade Center-Cleveland/International Trade Alliance. Jones previously served two and one-half terms in the Ohio House of Representatives, where he was the ranking minority member of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee and second vice president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Jones is a partner with the law firm of Roetzel & Andress. He was formerly the Vice Mayor and a Councilman in the City of Shaker Heights, Ohio. He was also the first African-American nominated to run for Lieutenant Governor in the history of the State of Ohio. In addition, Jones previously served as Special Counsel for the Ohio Attorney General and Associate Bar Examiner for the Supreme Court of Ohio.

A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Jones was formerly law director and prosecutor for the Village of Woodmere, Ohio, and president of the Ohio Works! Company in Cleveland. He has also worked as a law clerk with the Supreme Court of Ohio, a congressional liaison officer with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a speechwriter and spokesman for the 1976 Carter/Mondale Presidential Campaign and a press and legislative aide with the United States House of Representatives.

Jones has wrote a theatrical play, “The Family Line”, that has been successfully produced at Karamu Performing Arts Theatre, Harvard University, and Ohio University.

BEAR KITTAY
New York native and Oberlin graduate Bear Kittay is an organizer, performer, entrepreneur, and social activist. Since childhood he has been passionate about the convergence of music and politics, organizing music festivals while still in high school, and performing politically-charged music in his travels all over the world. He has worked on several political campaigns and done extensive grassroots political organizing in swing states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. He is a Co-Founder of MUSIC FOR DEMOCRACY, and a strong believer in the power of new media to mobilize the youth of the world for true social change.

MATHEW KRAUS
Matthew Kraus hails from Canton, Ohio. He studied theater at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, graduating in 2001, and acted in independent theatrical productions in the Boston area. Matt’s documentary short film Farming for the Future, a portrait of organic growers in Southeast Ohio, was selected for official competition in several festival programs and garnered Timberland’s 2006 Mion Solutions Environmental Film Award. He recently completed a Master of Fine Arts Degree at Ohio University School of Film.

CHUCK NORRIS
Chuck Norris is an international television and film star, as well as a world-renowned martial arts expert and teacher.

Norris is also a New York Times bestselling author of two books, including the 2004 autobiographical Against All Odds. He has also penned two books of fiction. In 2006 he added the title of “columnist” to his list of credits with the launch of his popular Internet column on the independent news site WorldNetDaily.com. His weekly column is now widely syndicated and carried by Human Events and Townhall, among other outlets. Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America is his first book of social commentary.

A man of deep religious convictions and a giving spirit, among Norris’s more rewarding accomplishments is the creation of his “KICKSTART” program. This character-building, life-skills program has graduated more than 50,000 youngsters since its inception in 1990, with many of them going on to college. Chuck’s goal is to expand the program nationwide.

A former Airman First Class in the United States Air Force, past spokesperson for the U.S. Veterans Administration and Veteran Foundation’s Veteran of the Year Award recipient, he has spent hundreds of hours visiting soldiers at military instillations and in America’s veteran hospitals. In 2007, he was made an honorary member of the United States Marine Corps in recognition of two recent visits to troops in Iraq.

One of the most popular actors in the world, Chuck Norris starred in the CBS television series, Walker, Texas Ranger, for eight full seasons. It is the most successful Saturday night series on CBS since Gunsmoke. The program is currently seen by an estimated one billion viewers worldwide and airs daily in the U.S. and in more than 80 countries worldwide. Millions of people around the world also know Chuck Norris as the star of films such as Delta Force, Missing in Action, Lone Wolf McQuade, and Sidekicks. Few people know he wrote the original screenplays for a number of his box office hits.

Norris’s first international acclaim came as a six-time undefeated World Professional Middle Weight Karate Champion. He is the first man from the Western Hemisphere in the more than 4,500 years of Tae Kwon Do to be awarded an eight-degree Black Belt Grand Master ranking.

Chuck Norris is the subject of countless Paul Bunyan-type fictional “facts” created by fans. It is estimated that there are more than 600,000 such “facts” circulating on the Internet, with one “fact” generating site receiving as many as 18 million visits a month.

Norris and his wife Gena have seven-year-old twins, Dakota and Danilee. They live on a ranch near Houston.

KELLY NYKS
Kelly Nyks is the writer, director and producer of SPLIT: A Divided America. A writer/director of short and feature length films, Kelly initiated Split's cross-country investigation. The undeniable need for a snapshot of the Union at this unique historical crossroads is the genesis for his first documentary. Kelly is also a successful actor, and has appeared in numerous feature films.

LAURA PAGLIN
Laura Paglin has been producing and directing films since she was a teenager in Portland, Oregon. Her nostalgic comedy/drama feature, NightOwls of Coventry, tells the tale of cultural turf warfare in the 1970's, where a seedy all-night deli is the "theatre of battle". NightOwls recently opened theatrically in Toronto and continues to play throughout Canada. Her documentary short, Shadow of the Swan - A Composer's Story, which chronicles the triumphs and travails of a disabled contemporary classical composer Dennis Eberhard, premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival and won a Crystal Heart Award at the 2005 Heartland Film Festival. Her most recent short documentary, No Umbrella - Election Day in the City, is a street level view of the 2004 Election Day debacles. No Umbrella premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival where it simultaneously entertained and enraged audiences. Now Paglin is in production on City on the Brink, a feature documentary about a charismatic black mayor who is fighting to save his troubled city.

JASON POLLOCK
Jason Pollock is a filmmaker who currently lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He has just finished writing, producing, and directing his first film, “The Youngest Candidate". It is a recent winner of "Best Non - Fiction Film by a New Filmmaker", at The Traverse City Film Festival. The film is about teenagers who ran for public office in America. Jason wants to shine a spotlight on this growing trend in our culture. He will be touring the country with the film to get the youth vote out through election day 2008. Prior to making this film, Jason was Michael Moore's assistant for almost 3 years. He worked with him from 2003-2006 and during that time aided Moore on his works such as "Dude Where's My Country", "Fahrenheit 9/11", and "Captain Mike Across America". Pollock went to 60 cities in 30 days with Moore in 2004 to get the vote out and he plans to get out there again in 2008 with "The Youngest Candidate".

PAUL SHAIA
Paul Shaia has a diverse background in business and creative endeavors. He most recently organized WE THE PEOPLE FEST with his production partner Christina Grozik. Also, he is a producer and the music supervisor for the newly completed film “And The Winner Is …”. Prior to this, Shaia co-founded Ante Up Audio, a world class recording facility that has recorded a variety of notable artists such as the Dave Matthews Band and Tori Amos and has contributed to the soundtracks of several films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders – The Complete Novel.” Shaia is the co-owner of Victory Properties Inc through which he is active in real estate management and renovation. He is Certified Public Accountant and a trustee with the Downtown Cleveland Improvement Corporation and the Historic Warehouse District.

DAVID SMELTZER
After receiving his BS degree in zoology from Duke University, David attended the graduate School of Film at Ohio University where he wrote and produced “Lucy in Disguise” an hour documentary about the discovery and analysis of the fossil skeleton Lucy. The film aired on national PBS. David then spent fifteen years producing, directing and editing video programs for Chevron Corporation, Mosby-Yearbook, Lippincott-Raven and other clients. In 1997, David turned to teaching television production at Alameda High School in Alameda, CA. In 2005, David left California to accept a position as a tenure track assistant professor at Kent State University.

CHRISTOPHER SPRINKLE
Christopher Sprinkle is a Producer at Brave New Foundation. He is currently working on our Issue Campaigns. He has produced two popular public affairs radio programs, written and produced some twenty radio documentaries on subjects as diverse as political party conventions to reformed drug dealers, produced live event coverage from the Presidential Inauguration in D.C. to the inaugural broadcast of a South American cable news network in Caracas, Venezuela, and he also created the country's only history program on public radio, The Pacifica Radio Archives: From the Vault, heard on public radio stations across the United States.

JOSHUA MICHAEL STERN
SWING VOTE marks Joshua Michael Stern’s second foray as writer/director. His directorial debut, NEVERWAS, for which he also wrote the screenplay, received its World Premiere at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. The independent drama starring Aaron Eckhart, Ian McKellen, Brittany Murphy, Nick Nolte, William Hurt and Jessica Lange, demonstrated Stern’s ability to attract first-rate actors to his films. With SWING VOTE, the commitment of such talent to him and his vision clearly continues, as Kevin Costner not only stars but also produces the film.

A career as a filmmaker seemed like a natural fit for Stern, who was born into a family with a unique show business pedigree. His grandmother, Nancy Green, worked as David O. Selznick’s East Coast studio executive, discovering such talent as Marlon Brando, and bringing British actors, like Alec Guinness and Jessica Tandy, to America. Stern’s grandfather, Jules Green, was the original Executive Producer of “The Tonight Show,” which he created with Steve Allen.

Given his ease with actors and a passion for filmmaking that galvanizes production talent around his work, Stern expanded his energies toward producing as well as directing. He currently has several major films in development, including an intense and innovative screen adaptation of KING LEAR, starring Anthony Hopkins, Keira Knightley, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Watts, which Stern is directing.

BEN TAYLOR
www.myspace.com/bentaylorofficial
Ben Taylor, son of renowned musicians James Taylor and Carly Simon, is a "neo-psychodelic folk funk" musician and an actor. Taylor has in the past performed with "The Ben Taylor Band,” but currently tours off his solo effort, the more acoustic, more family-influenced Another Run Around the Sun.

BILLY WIMSATT
Originally a graffiti writer from Chicago turned journalist turned philanthropic and political organizer, Billy has written, edited or published five books Bomb the Suburbs (1994) No More Prisons (1999); Another World is Possible (2001) Future 500: Youth Organizing and Activism in the US (2002); How to Get Stupid White Men Out Of Office/Como Sacar A Idiotas Del Gobierno (2004) and written for numerous magazines. From 2003-2008 he founded and served as Executive Director of the LEAGUE OF YOUNG VOTERS (www.theleague.com) which mobilized 3000+ volunteers; created 300+ voter guides in 32 states; helped swing 15 state and local elections; and passed or blocked 16 pieces of legislation. He is currently working on several projects including green jobs www.Greenjobsnow.com and Vote Today Ohio. He used to live in Ohio (Columbus and Oberlin) and some people think he loves Ohio a little bit too much.

ERIKKA YANCY
Erikka Yancy is an Associate Producer at Brave New Foundation (most recently she worked on the This Brave Nation series) and first joined the company as a 2007 Fellow. Erikka produced several narrative short films including the festival award-winning Marrying God. She is a graduate of the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago with a BFA in acting, and the American Film Institute with an MFA in producing. Her parents are proud of both of her extraordinarily practical degrees.

RON YOUNG JR.
Ron grew up in Lithia Springs, Georgia and like many young men had dreams of flying from the age of five. He became an Eagle Scout and went to college where Ron learned he could fly Apache helicopters by joining the Army. He enlisted. On March 23, 2003, during one of his first combat missions in the Invasion of Iraqi, he and copilot Chief Warrant Officer David Williams were plucked from the sky amidst fierce gunfire about 50 miles southwest of Baghdad.

The two warrant officers eluded the pursuant Iraqi soldiers for hours but were finally taken captive and held as prisoners for 23 days. Two attempts were made to rescue the pilots but the intense fire, “like a hornet’s nest,” was so thick that the efforts were unsuccessful. Finally, Ron Young, Williams and five other POWs were rescued by the Marines. “That was awesome… beyond words…. I felt that I had won the lottery of life,” Young said during his emotional rescue. He now shares his captivating story of dedication, courage, and inspiration with audiences nationwide.

Mr. Young has also worked as a cable news special contributor for The War on Terror, almost won THE AMAZING RACE, and is currently working for the federal government in Washington DC as a White House Political Appointee to Housing and Urban Development.

JASON ZONE FISHER
Jason Zone Fisher, 24, has been performing since the day he was born. At the age of 9, Jason landed the lead child role in the Cleveland Playhouse's production of "Conversations with My Father." After a number of other theatrical and film roles, Jason was a co-host of an Emmy-nominated NBC show in Ohio about the Cleveland Browns football team, called "Browns Blitz." Jason went on to attend the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University on a merit scholarship, where he was a Broadcast Journalism major. Following graduation, Jason founded his own production company, In The Zone Productions, along with friend John Intrater. His feature documentary film directorial debut, "Swing State," premiered at the 32nd Cleveland International Film Festival. The film is a personal, compelling story about a family's life in the midst of the 2006 Ohio Governor's race that attracted significant national attention because of its importance to the 2008 Presidential election. The film features interviews and scenes with Barack Obama, Bill & Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John Kerry, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and a number of other nationally known political figures.