Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman & More Team on New Film Series WE THE ECONOMY
By: Caryn Robbins
Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions and Morgan Spurlock's Cinelan today announced the full cast of over 80 actors, artists and thought leaders who have joined world-renowned directors and leading economic advisors in the groundbreaking new series WE THE ECONOMY 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss. Featuring 20 short films that span multiple genres, WE THE ECONOMY integrates innovative storytelling and technology in order to spark a more informed public understanding of the U.S. economy, while empowering individuals to take control of their own economic futures. The series will launch across all digital platforms October 21, 2014.
The participating actors are: Bob Balaban (Gosford Park), Annalise Basso (Occulus), Kerry Bische (Argo), Brooke Bloom (50/50), Marylouise Burke (Sideways), Mo Collins (MADtv), Laura Ceron (E.R.), Maddie Corman (Begin Again), Susie Essman (Bolt), Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), Nancy Giles (Working Girl), Michael Gladis (Mad Men), Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan), Adrian Grenier (Entourage), Werner Herzog (Encounters at the End of the World), Peter Jacobson (House M.D.), Will Janowitz (Taking Woodstock), Cynthia Kaplan (Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same), Philip Labes (The Mindy Project), Ivan Mallon (The Ultimate Life), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), David James Palmer (Deadly Sins), Jimmy Palumbo (The Family), Ben Rameaka (Wolf of Wall Street), Besanya Santiago (The Blacklist), Christopher Spurrier (Four One Nine), Lili Taylor (The Conjuring) and Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy). "It was a privilege to make a film that brings economic concepts to the public in a concise and meaningful way," says Adrian Grenier, co-founder of SHFT.COM and WE THE ECONOMY director. "Our goal was to unveil the complexities of categorizing and assigning a financial value to natural capital while bringing this topic to the forefront of environmental and economic conversations. Good environmental policy is also good economic policy." Carole Tomko, General Manager and Creative Director of Vulcan Productions, adds, "At its core, the vision of this project is to fuse artistry and storytelling with economic expertise to engage the public in a truly informed dialogue about the U.S. economy." She continues, "This esteemed group of artists and thinkers galvanizes our mission of bringing innovation to the public discourse about the economy, and empowering people to make better economic choices in their own lives."The voice-over artists are: Maria Bamford (The Maria Bamford Show), Billy Eichner (What Happens In Vegas), Shad "Da Beast" Gaspard (professional wrestler), Tony Hale (Veep), Erin Jackson (Exhale, Last Comic Standing), Phil LaMarr (Futurama, MADtv), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Jayson Anthony Paul a/k/a JTG (professional wrestler), Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids), Andy Richter (Elf), Rob Riggle (The Hangover) and Sarah Silverman (The Muppets). "The real challenge was confining the film to less than seven minutes," said WE THE ECONOMY actor/director Bob Balaban. "Experts don't speak in sound bites. And funny improvisers don't necessarily get to the point quickly. But finally we applied a mix of utter silliness to what can be a very technical and serious subject and came up with something we hope will both inform and entertain." WE THE ECONOMY also features original music by composers Jeff Beal (House Of Cards) and Moby, and dance performances by Pilobolus, Harrell, Hokuto "Hok" Konishi (member of hip-hop dance crew Quest Crew) and dancers from the Step Up franchise.
"The thought of making a short film explaining the tax system made my temples throb. Cover the origins and complexities of our National Headache in less than five minutes? Oy," said WE THE ECONOMY director Jessica Yu. "We used the model of 'Schoolhouse Rock' to create an animated musical with characters navigating the ever-changing 'tax highway.' Hopefully the refrain is as stick-in-your-head as any Schoolhouse tune."
For more information about WE THE ECONOMY, please visit www.wetheeconomy.com.
You can also follow WE THE ECONOMY on facebook.com/wetheeconomy, twitter.com/wetheeconomy, and instagram.com/wetheeconomy.
