Day 2: FILM & TELEVISION SUMMIT

Hosted by Eddie Schmidt, Academy Award Nominated Filmmaker, Writer/Producer, Professional Wiseass

Read more for bio

Eddie Schmidt, Academy Award Nominated Filmmaker, Writer/Producer, Professional Wiseass

Filmmaker/commentator Eddie Schmidt has a split personality. On the one hand, he’s an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker and Board President of the International Documentary Association (IDA), with prestigious film credits including four Sundance premieres: THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED, the Academy Award nominee TWIST OF FAITH, CHAIN CAMERA, and TROUBADOURS. On the other, he’s a comedy

writer/director/performer, who has helmed series and specials for HBO/Lionsgate, E!, AdultSwim.com, and IFC; mouthed off on-camera for the Starz/Encore specials, IN THE GUTTER and SEX IN THE CINEMA; gone toe-to-toe on G4’s ATTACK OF THE SHOW; and regaled Ira Glass on NPR’s THIS AMERICAN LIFE.

Schmidt is, in fact, a prank comedy pioneer who - along with his cohorts from OOZE (ooze.com) - created bogus special interest groups like PWEETA (People Who Enjoy Eating Tasty Animals), The Force Is A Tool of Satan, and The Adults for Adult Cinema, with their legendary underground exploits landing them a development deal with FOX. Schmidt and OOZE’s book, THE FINGER: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO FLIPPING OFF, was a cult hit upon its initial release and remains so to this day.

Schmidt has been seen onstage at the DGA, Comedy Store, and the Troubadour with his guitar, appeared clad only in a towel with Morgan Spurlock on the Documentary Channel, and made Lily Tomlin crack up at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He’s currently orchestrating the release of funnyman Harry Shearer’s serious new documentary, THE BIG UNEASY (split personality again), and his two worlds may collide with an irreverent pop culture chat show in the works entitled (what else?) THE SCHMIDT LIST.

Recently, Schmidt executive produced the comedic documentary CANDYMAN, a bittersweet tale of the inventor of the Jelly Belly jellybean, which debuted on the Documentary Channel in November 2010, and released on DVD by Indiepix in 2011.

You can follow all things Schmidty on Twitter (@Eddie_Schmidt).

Digital Hollywood Content Summit VIII - Tuesday, Oct 18, 2011