Morgan Spurlock

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Morgan Spurlock
File:Morgan Spurlock 2012 Shankbone.JPG
Spurlock at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival world premiere of Mansome
Born Morgan Valentine Spurlock
November 7, 1970
Parkersburg, West Virginia, U.S.
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Upstate New York, U.S.
Alma mater New York University
Occupation Film director, television producer, screenwriter, playwright
Years active 1994–2017
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Spouse(s) Priscilla Sommer (m. 1996; div. 2003)Alex Jamieson (m. 2006; div. 2011)[1]
Sara Bernstein (m. 2016; sep 2024)[2]
Children 2
Website <strong%20class= "error"><span%20class="scribunto-error"%20id="mw-scribunto-error-3">Lua%20error%20in%20Module:Wd%20at%20line%20405:%20invalid%20escape%20sequence%20near%20'"^'. http://<strong%20class="error"><span%20class="scribunto-error"%20id="mw-scribunto-error-3">Lua%20error%20in%20Module:Wd%20at%20line%20405:%20invalid%20escape%20sequence%20near%20'"^'.Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Morgan Valentine Spurlock (November 7, 1970 – May 23, 2024) was an American documentary filmmaker and television producer. Spurlock received acclaim for directing the documentary Super Size Me (2004), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.[3]

Spurlock also directed Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? (2008), POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011), Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011), and One Direction: This Is Us (2013). He was the executive producer and star of the reality television series 30 Days (2005–2008). In June 2013, Spurlock became the producer and host of the CNN show Morgan Spurlock Inside Man (2013–2016). He was also the co-founder of the short-film content marketing company Cinelan, which produced the Focus Forward campaign for GE.[4]

He released the documentary Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! in 2017, but then wrote a blog post acknowledging that he had a history of sexual misconduct, which led to the film being dropped from distribution. He resigned from his production company, and the documentary was re-released in 2019.[5] In 2024, he died of cancer at age 53.

Early life

Morgan Valentine Spurlock was born on November 7, 1970, in Parkersburg, West Virginia,[6] and was raised in Beckley, West Virginia. His parents, Ben and Phyllis Spurlock,[7] raised him as a Methodist.[5] He said he was of Scots-Irish and English descent.[8]

Spurlock graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia, then attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a BFA in film in 1993. He was a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta.[9]

Career

Before making the 2004 Academy Award-nominated Super Size Me, Spurlock was a playwright, winning awards for his play The Phoenix at both the New York International Fringe Festival in 1999 and the Route 66 American Playwriting Competition in 2000.[10]

He also created I Bet You Will for MTV. I Bet You Will began as a popular Internet webcast of five-minute episodes featuring ordinary people doing stunts in exchange for money. Examples of rhe scenarios which transpired include eating a full jar of mayonnaise (US$235), eating a "worm burrito" (US$265), and taking shots of corn oil, Pepto-Bismol, lemon juice, hot sauce, cold chicken broth, and cod liver oil (US$450.00 for all nine shots). The webcast was a success, with over a million hits in the first five days.[citation needed] MTV later bought and aired the show, which Spurlock hosted. The list of documentary films that inspired Spurlock includes Brother's Keeper, Hoop Dreams, The Thin Blue Line, Roger and Me, Harlan County USA, and The Last Waltz. He considered Brother's Keeper the greatest documentary of all time.[11][12] In 2008, he signed a deal with Fox Television Studios.[13]

While attending a screening of the movie Catfish, Spurlock approached the film's producers afterwards and called Catfish "the best fake documentary" he had ever seen.[14][15]

Super Size Me

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: Super Size Me
File:MSpurlockSundance08.jpg
Spurlock at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival

Spurlock's docudrama Super Size Me was released in the U.S. on May 7, 2004. This production was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and Spurlock won the first Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay[16]. He conceived the idea for the film when he was at his parents' house for Thanksgiving, and while watching TV saw a news story about a lawsuit brought against McDonald's by two teenage girls who blamed the fast food chain for their obesity.[citation needed]

The film depicts an experiment he conducted in 2003, in which he says he ate three McDonald's meals a day every day (and nothing else) for 30 days. The film's title derives from one of the rules of Spurlock's experiment: he would not refuse the "super-size" option whenever it was offered to him but would never ask for it himself. The result, according to Spurlock, was a diet with twice the calories recommended by the USDA. Further, Spurlock attempted to curtail his physical activity to better match the exercise habits of the average American; he previously walked about 3 miles (4.8 km) a day, whereas the average American walks 1.5 miles (2.4 km).[citation needed]

Over the course of filming he gained 25 pounds (11 kg), became quite puffy, and suffered liver dysfunction and depression by the end. Spurlock's supervising physicians noted the effects caused by his high-calorie diet—once even comparing it to a case of severe binge alcoholism. Following Spurlock's December 2017 assertion that he hadn't been "sober for more than a week" in three decades, the claims of his liver dysfunction being caused by eating McDonald's food solely for 30 days have been called into question.[17] Spurlock also did not release a diet log documenting his diet during filming of the documentary to the public.[5]

After completing the project, it took Spurlock fourteen months to return to his normal weight of 185 pounds (84 kg). His then-girlfriend (now ex-wife), Alexandra Jamieson, took charge of his recovery with her "detox diet", which became the basis for her book, The Great American Detox Diet.[18]

In his reply documentary Fat Head, Tom Naughton "suggests that Spurlock's calorie and fat counts don't add up" and noted Spurlock's refusal to publish the Super Size Me food log. The Houston Chronicle reports: "Unlike Spurlock, Naughton has a page on his Web site that lists every item (including nutritional information) he ate during his fast-food month."[19]

Subsequent films

External video
210px
video icon Morgan Spurlock: The greatest TED Talk ever sold, TED Talks[20]

Spurlock's second feature documentary, Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. In the film, and in interviews, Spurlock explored the fight against terrorism and views the argument from both sides, in which he tries to find Osama bin Laden.[citation needed]

Spurlock directed The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!.[21][22]

Freakonomics is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, which premiered in April 2010. Spurlock was at the helm of this project alongside five directors (Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Alex Gibney, Seth Gordon, and Eugene Jarecki).[citation needed]

The one-hour documentary Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival premiered on AMC on 12 October 2010.[23]

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is a 2011 documentary film about product placement, marketing, and advertising which was reportedly itself financed through product placement.[20][24] The Greatest Movie Ever Sold was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011.[25] It was released in the US in April 2011. It screened in the New Zealand Film Festival in August 2011 together with an appearance by Spurlock to talk about the movie.[citation needed]

In mid-2010, Spurlock worked with Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, Ain't It Cool News founder Harry Knowles, and comic book creator Stan Lee to create the documentary Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope, to cover the stories of convention fans.[26][27] Whedon, Lee, and Knowles served as executive producers. Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull, who independently financed the documentary, told Variety, "We look forward to capturing the spirit, energy and people that Comic-Con has infused into legions of fans, bringing these audiences and projects out of the halls and onto a world stage."[28] On April 6, 2012, Spurlock released the film to selected theaters in the United States, as well as video on demand outlets.[citation needed]

Spurlock hosted and produced the CNN series Morgan Spurlock Inside Man, which aired from June 2013 to August 2016.[29]

Spurlock helped distribute A Brony Tale, a documentary directed by Brent Hodge on the brony phenomenon and on the musician and voice acting career of Ashleigh Ball. The film was selected for theatrical distribution under the label Morgan Spurlock Presents. The film had a July 8, 2014 theater release.[30]

Spurlock teamed up with Hodgee Films again on the 2015 series Consider the Source, in association with Disney's Maker Studios.[citation needed]

30 Days

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: 30 Days (TV series)

In each episode, a person (sometimes Spurlock himself) or a group of people spend 30 days immersing themselves in a mode of life markedly different from their norm (being in prison, a devout Christian living in a Muslim family, a homophobe staying with a homosexual person, etc.), while Spurlock discusses the relevant social issues involved. FX began airing the show on June 15, 2005. In the premiere episode of the first season, "Minimum Wage", Spurlock and his fiancée lived for 30 days in the Bottoms neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, earning minimum wage, with no access to outside funds.[citation needed]

In the second-season finale, Spurlock spent 25 days locked in a Henrico County, Virginia (a county outside of Richmond), jail to experience life as an inmate.[31] He did not complete the entire thirty days in jail because most inmates in Virginia serve 85% of their sentence, so Spurlock was released when he reached that benchmark.[32]

The third season of 30 Days premiered on June 3, 2008.[33] The first episode of the third season, titled "Working in a Coal Mine", was filmed in Bolt, West Virginia, which is located roughly 18 miles (29 km) from the city of Beckley, West Virginia, where Spurlock was raised before leaving for New York.[34]

In late 2008, FX announced it would not renew 30 Days, making the third season the last.[citation needed]

Other work

File:Morgan Spurlock and Lady Alex.jpg
Morgan Spurlock with Highland Titles in Scotland during filming Morgan Spurlock's New Britannia
  • Spurlock optioned the rights for Chris Mooney's book The Republican War on Science in order to create another documentary film,[35] but released the option in 2008.[36]
  • Spurlock has a role in the film Drive Thru, a horror film about a fictional fast food restaurant that has its mascot come to life and start killing people. It was released on DVD on May 29, 2007.
  • Spurlock presented 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die on Current TV. The show premiered on August 1, 2011.[37]
  • On May 28, 2011, Spurlock was the graduation commencement speaker for the MBA Business program at Sonoma State University.
  • Spurlock's half-hour documentary series A Day in the Life was to debut on Hulu in mid-August 2011. It follows "incredibly focused" people such as Richard Branson and will.i.am for a full day. The series is exclusive to Hulu.[38]
  • Spurlock directed an additional episode of ESPN's 30 for 30 sports documentary series, entitled "The Dotted Line". This documentary takes a look at the competitive world of sports agents. "The Dotted Line" premiered on ESPN October 11, 2011, one day following the premiere of a two-hour documentary, I, Caveman, created and directed by Spurlock for the Science Channel series Curiosity. In it, a group of men and women including Spurlock try to survive in the wild using only Stone Age technology.
  • In 2011, Spurlock presented a TED talk called "The greatest Ted talk ever sold".
  • Spurlock was the presenter of a show in the UK on Sky Atlantic entitled Morgan Spurlock's New Britannia. This was a comedy based around the differences between the UK and the US.[39]
  • Spurlock contributed a brief foreword to Martin Lindstrom's 2011 book Brandwashed.
  • Spurlock's documentary Mansome was announced on March 8, 2012, as a Spotlight selection for the Tribeca Film Festival. The film takes a comedic look at male identity as defined through men's grooming habits featuring celebrity and expert commentary.[40]
  • Spurlock directed the 3D concert film One Direction: This Is Us, starring the English-Irish boy band One Direction, and released August 30, 2013 by TriStar Pictures.[41]
  • Spurlock wrote a book in 2005 as a follow-up to Super Size Me entitled Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America.

Resignation

In December 2017, Spurlock wrote a blog post admitting to what he called a history of sexual misconduct and saying that he was "part of the problem".[42][5] In the post he said that he committed sexual misconduct in his past, including cheating on his past wives and girlfriends as well as settling a sexual harassment allegation.[43] In the post he also said that he was accused of sexual assault while in college.[5] After publishing his blog post, he stepped down from his position with Warrior Poets, a company he had founded in 2004.[44] The move subsequently ended his career as a documentary film-maker.[5]

Spurlock released a sequel film, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, in 2017,[45] to be distributed by YouTube Red, but was dropped since Spurlock's admission of sexual misconduct. Samuel Goldwyn Films distributed the film, instead, in September 2019.[46] In October 2022, The Washington Post reported that Spurlock had "suffered career death" as a result of his misconduct.[47]

Personal life and death

Spurlock was married three times.

In 1996, he married Priscilla Sommer. The couple divorced in 2003.

In 2006, he married culinary artist Alex Jamieson. The couple had a son, Laken James Spurlock, born on December 9, 2006. Laken's birth is depicted in Spurlock's documentary Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?, which Spurlock dedicated to Laken. Spurlock and Jamieson divorced in 2011.

In 2016, Spurlock married filmmaker and entertainment executive Sara Bernstein. Bernstein and Spurlock's son Kallen Marcus Spurlock was born on May 22, 2016.[48] In 2024, Spurlock and Bernstein separated.

Although Spurlock was raised Methodist, he stated in an interview with TV Guide in 2014 that he was agnostic.[5][49]

Death

On May 23, 2024, Spurlock died in upstate New York at age 53 due to complications from cancer.[5][50][51][52]

Bibliography

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Filmography

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Films

Year Film Role Notes
1994 Léon: The Professional Production assistant: New York
1995 Kiss of Death Office production assistant
2004 Super Size Me Himself Director, Writer
2004 The Future of Food Executive producer
2004 Czech Dream Executive producer
2006 Chalk Executive producer
2006 Class Act Executive producer
2007 Drive Thru Robbie, The Hella-Burger Manager
2007 The Third Wave Executive producer
2007 What Would Jesus Buy? Producer
2008 Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? Himself Director, writer
2008 Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong Executive producer
2009 The Entrepreneur Executive producer
2009 Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days Himself
2009 New Brow: Contemporary Underground Art Himself
2009 Abraham Obama Himself
2010 Freakonomics Himself Director, writer (segment "A Roshanda by Any Other Name"), Narrator
2010 Pool Party Executive Producer
2011 The Greatest Movie Ever Sold Himself Director, Executive producer, Writer
2011 Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope Director, writer, producer
2011 The Other F Word Executive producer
2011 How We Covered It Himself
2011 The Unauthorized Documentary, Hangover Part II Himself
2012 Mansome Himself Director, writer, producer
2012 Knuckleball! Executive producer
2012 Glue Man Himself Stars
2013 One Direction: This Is Us Director, producer
2013 Web Junkie Executive producer
2013 Dancing in Jaffa Executive producer
2013 Waiting for Mamu Executive producer
2013 Chronic-Con, Episode 420: A New Dope Himself
2013 You Don't Know Jack Director, writer
2013 Misfire: The Rise and Fall of the Shooting Gallery Himself
2014 A Brony Tale Executive producer
2014 I Am Santa Claus Executive producer
2014 We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss Director, producer
2014 That Film About Money Executive producer
2015 Man Under Executive producer
2015 Censored Voices Executive producer
2015 Made in Japan Executive producer
2015 I Am Dale Earnhardt Himself
2015 Crafted Director
2015 The Princess of North Sudan Producer, in production
2016 Rats Director
2016 The Eagle Huntress Executive producer
2017 Tough Guys Executive producer
2017 Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! Himself Director, writer, producer

Television

Year Show Role Notes
2002 I Bet You Will Host TV series
2004 Last Laugh '04 Himself not credited, TV movie
2004 Know Your Enemy: Al Qaeda's Third Wave Executive producer, TV movie
2005 The 50 Greatest Documentaries Himself TV movie
2005 Merry F %$in' Christmas Himself TV movie
2005 The 10th Annual Critics' Choice Awards Himself TV movie
2005 30 Days Himself Creator, Executive producer
2010 The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! Himself Director
2011 A Day in the Life Director, Executive producer
2012 Morgan Spurlock's New Britannia Himself
2013 Morgan Spurlock Inside Man Himself Director, writer, Executive producer
2013 Losing It with John Stamos Creator, Executive producer
2014 7 Deadly Sins Host Executive producer, Creator

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

External links

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 A video of Spurlock talking about The Greatest Movie Ever Sold Archived 2011-04-09 at the Wayback Machine at TED
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ TV Squad, Morgan Spurlock on The Simpsons Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! Archived 2009-10-06 at the Wayback Machine August 1, 2009.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Spurlock, Morgan (2010). "Looking for people who love Comic-Con". morganspurlock.com. Archived May 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  27. ↑ "Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope – Starring Yourself?" Archived 2010-06-07 at the Wayback Machine. Action Flick Chick. June 4, 2010.
  28. ↑ Graser, Marc (May 20, 2010). "Spurlock, Whedon eye 'Comic-Con' doc". Variety.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Associated Press, "Spurlock to go behind bars" Archived 2006-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. June 13, 2006.
  32. ↑ FX "Thirty Days: Season 2 on the FX Network, Season Finale Episode.
  33. ↑ Capone With Morgan Spurlock About Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? And More!! Archived 2018-11-21 at the Wayback Machine, aintitcool.com, April 18, 2008
  34. ↑ "Spurlock Supersizes West Virginia On The Map" Archived 2009-01-11 at the Wayback Machine.
  35. ↑ "'Science' Scooped Up" Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. The Washington Post. December 17, 2005
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ "Current TV Launches Original Series "50 Documentaries to See Before You Die" Premiering on Monday, August 1" Archived May 24, 2024, at the Wayback Machine. The Futon Critic. May 24, 2011
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ "Toronto Film Review: 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!'" Archived 2017-12-18 at the Wayback Machine. Variety, September 14, 2017.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Morgan_Spurlock&oldid=727483429"