ANNUALREPORT 2017 2017 ANNUALREPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS REACHING MISSION 2 10 MILLENNIALS I M PACT AT BUILDING 4 A GLANCE 12 TEAMS MPI IN THE STRATEGY 6 14 CLASSROOM FEATURE FILM: OUR TALENT 8 MISS VIRGINIA 16 PIPELINE FILMMAKER PARTNERSHIPS 18 SPOTLIGHT 26 SCREENWRITING 20 WORKSHOPS 28 FINANCIALS & MASTERCLASSES HANDS-ON LEADERSHIP 22 TRAINING 31 LAUNCHING VISION 24 CAREERS 32 MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE: ANNUAL REPORT 2017 1 MISSION 2 THEMPI.ORG/MISSION OPPOSITE: MPI filmmaker Justin Monticello frames his next shot at our cinematography workshop, Moving Picturecraft. OUR MISSION THE MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE is a modern-media production house and talent incubator that creates and supports high-impact film and video content designed to entertain, inspire, and educate audiences with captivating stories about human freedom. MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE: ANNUAL REPORT 2017 3 IMPACT AT A GLANCE 2017 was a monumental year for the Moving Picture Institute (MPI). We’ve been promoting 2017 freedom through film for twelve years, and our work is breaking IMPACT AT into the mainstream like A GLANCE never before. 4 THEMPI.ORG/IMPACT LIFETIME NUMBERS: 38,000,000 We The Internet TV video views to date 128K+ 40+ We The Internet TV Years total watch time for followers & subscribers We The Internet TV to date to date 20+ MPI-supported films available on iTunes, Amazon, & video-on-demand outlets We the Internet TV beats fierce competition to win the 2017 Webby Award for Best Online Film & Video, Variety category. IN 2017: 41 68,000+ Filmmakers supported Students reached with through Rising MPI classroom films Filmmakers Program MPI FILMS AND FILMMAKERS HAVE EARNED COVERAGE IN THESE OUTLETS AND MORE: 65 2% New We The Acceptance rate for Internet TV videos our internship program 800+ 250+ Internship applications Attendees at master- received classes & skills workshops 17 33 Paid internships Mama Rwanda awarded campus screenings MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE: ANNUAL REPORT 2017 5 STRATEGY BUILDING ON OUR BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE “Our goal is to become the world’s single biggest influencer when it comes to promoting positive, freedom- oriented messages through film and popular culture. We have drawn on over a decade of entertainment industry experience to create a blueprint to achieve this vision.” / Rob Pfaltzgraff, President 6 THEMPI.ORG ABOVE: MPI filmmaker Matt Wood reviews his most recent take at our cinematography workshop, Moving Picturecraft. OUR BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE CENTERS ON TWO INTERLOCKING STRATEGIES: STRATEGY ONE: STRATEGY TWO: Establish MPI Establish MPI INFINITE POTENTIAL as ground zero as a full-service FOR IMPACT for freedom- + production and = oriented talent promotion house MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE: ANNUAL REPORT 2017 7 FEATURE FILM: MISS VIRGINIA ENTERTAINING & INSPIRING AUDIENCES THROUGH FILM MISS VIRGINIA Miss Virginia is a dramatic film based “Virginia was a single mother with no money on the life of Virginia Walden Ford, a and few choices. She could have been struggling single mother in Washington, consumed by hopelessness and defeat D.C., who moved her at-risk son from when her son struggled in school and got in their dangerous neighborhood school to a trouble with the law. Instead, she fought for better one in a safe area. Unable to make the tuition payment, Virginia launched a her son and for all children like him.” movement to save her son’s future and the / Erin O’Connor, Moving Picture Institute executive futures of thousands of other children vice president & Miss Virginia screenwriter trapped in failing schools. SPOTLIGHT R.J. DANIEL HANNA, Director Award-winning writer-director R.J. “MPI’s writing workshops and masterclasses Daniel Hanna will direct Miss Virginia. have helped me grow as a filmmaker over An alumnus of several Moving Picture the years. I’m really excited to direct MPI’s Institute workshops, Dan has directed first feature film Miss Virginia not only commercials for giants such as Coca- Cola and Subway. He has edited films because it’s an incredibly moving and timely recognized by BAFTA and the Directors’ story but because MPI understands what it Guild of America. Shelter Animal, a takes to make a great film and get it out into screenplay he workshopped with MPI, was the world.” named in the top 50 for the prestigious 2015 Academy Nicholl Fellowship. As his / R.J. Daniel Hanna, Miss Virginia director first feature, Miss Virginia offers Daniel an invaluable opportunity to take his career to the next level. ä Miss Virginia films in April 2018 and will premiere in 2019. 8 THEMPI.ORG/MISS-VIRGINIA BELOW: Two-time Emmy award-winning actress Uzo Aduba attends the 2014 Emmy Awards. SPOTLIGHT UZO ADUBA, Emmy-winning lead actress Award-winning actress Uzoamaka “Uzo” Aduba will bring the role of Virginia to life on screen. Aduba is best known for her compelling breakout performance as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013– present). An Emmy winner for both comedy and drama, Aduba will bring unparalleled heart and dynamism to Miss Virginia. EMMY AWARD WINNER OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES (2014) EMMY AWARD WINNER OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES (2015) SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD WINNER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES (2014) SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD WINNER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES (2016) GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS — SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TELEVISION FILM (2014) GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS — SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TELEVISION FILM (2016) MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE: ANNUAL REPORT 2017 9 REACHING MILLENNIALS: WE THE INTERNET TV FUELING DEBATE WITH “TOUGH LOVE” COMEDY In 2017, We the Internet TV proved that our “tough “I think what I love most about WTI love” comedy could reach the mainstream. is that I never know if I will agree with what you say. I have seen We’ve had viral success this year: one video alone clocked enough of my peers regurgitating over 4,000,000 views, 50,000 likes, 75,000 shares, and Comedy Central to appreciate a thousands more online comments and conversations. channel that isn’t driving a singular political narrative.” The industry noticed. In April, We the Internet TV won the Webby Award (the Oscars of the Internet) for Best Online / Facebook follower comment Film & Video Variety Show, beating out Conan O’Brien, Katie Couric, and 60 Minutes. With Moving Picture Institute filmmaker and comedian Lou Perez at the helm, our videos are creating common ground for discussion among Millennials and Generation Z. And they keep coming back for more. “In a world oversaturated with political comedy content, we’ve always believed the way to break through and be seen was to keep hammering home our truly unique ä Featured in USA Today, Salon.com, perspective on politics, culture, Kennedy, FoxNews.com, the Guardian, and life. Every day, more fans FunnyorDie.com, the New York Times, the Adam Carolla Show, and more discover us.” / Lou Perez, We the Internet TV head writer & executive producer 10 THEMPI.ORG/WE-THE-INTERNET OPPOSITE: Head writer Lou Perez takes We the Internet TV on tour, reaching hundreds of college students across the United States. Garnered over 38,000,000 total views across YouTube & Facebook to date Logged over 40 years of watch time to date Created 65 original comedy videos in 2017 Won Best Online Film & Video, Variety Category at the 21st Annual Webby Awards Cultivated an audience comprised of 93% Millennials & Generation Z 11 We the Internet TV co-writers Luke Spallino and Boris Khaykin accompany head writer Lou Perez on the red carpet at the 2017 Webby Awards. 41 RISING FILMMAKERS supported by We the Internet TV to date 12 THEMPI.ORG/WE-THE-INTERNET BUILDING TEAMS: WE THE INTERNET TV CULTIVATING COMEDIC TALENT THROUGH WE THE INTERNET TV We the Internet TV isn’t just a Webby Award–winning comedy news channel with millions of views. It’s also an engine that drives our talent development, accelerating the careers of talented comedy writers, editors, and directors who want to break into the competitive comedy scene. SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT LUKE SPALLINO, Intern Fellow BORIS KHAYKIN, comedian & Produced Writer We the Internet TV fellow Luke is a rising comedy writer. His Moving Boris is a writer, director, editor, and Picture Institute journey began with standup comedian. Time Out New York has an intern placement on We the Internet named him a rising star, and he has toured TV. On our set, he learned valuable the nation and hosted multiple shows. skills like writing and editing scripts, Through our Rising Filmmaker Program, operating teleprompters, and assisting he contributes regularly to We the Internet with cinematography. That earned him TV, writing, directing, editing, and appearing a fellowship to continue working on in sketches. the production. He worked his way up, eventually co-writing several We the Boris directed, edited, and/or co-wrote Internet TV sketches, including one that twenty-one We the Internet TV videos with he perfected in our 2017 Comedy Writing 5,600,000+ total views. Workshop. He is now writing a comedy short to serve as a calling card, which he worked on in our revision workshop. “I want to find an intelligent Luke co-wrote twelve We the Internet TV middle ground for dealing with videos with 3,000,000+ total views. the pathological nature of today’s political climate. Coming from the former USSR, I don’t like seeing “Interning with MPI helped me American youth embrace concepts develop essential writing skills that that expand the government’s enabled me to compose Webby– ability to be tyrannical.” Award winning comedic sketches.” MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE: ANNUAL REPORT 2017 13 MPI IN THE CLASSROOM: 2081, FI$H, AND MAMA RWANDA SPARKING CLASSROOM CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ECONOMICS & EQUALITY FI$H: HOW AN ECONOMY GROWS 2081 MAMA RWANDA 14 THEMPI.ORG/2081 THEMPI.ORG/FISH THEMPI.ORG/MAMA-RWANDA This year, Moving Picture Institute films and educational materials reached 7,400+ teachers and 68,000+ students in classrooms and on campuses across the country.