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Jennifer's Blog |
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As we kick off 2019, the team behind When Wire Was King (WWWK) has many reasons to celebrate and be thankful.
Production of WWWK is going well and we are finalizing our trailer, which we are excited to release in early 2019! The team continues to be genuinely moved and amazed by the stories we hear and the insights to which we are privy from the telecommunications giants we interview. It is critical to capture these narratives of life-changing technological and policy developments on film before we lose the story tellers who speak from first-hand experience, or the stories become forgotten. Not only do they share the facts about the global telecommunications revolution, their personal reminisces add texture and color to the story in a way that cannot be gleaned from a straight-forward read of these historical events. My mother always said that if my grandfather was to come back in modern times, the biggest change he would find would be in the profusion of technological advances that occurred after his lifetime. Her words ring true, and I am privileged to depict the story around these amazing changes. My first move, Zebrafish: Practically People, captured my husband’s passion for the amazing potential of these tiny minnows to alter medical research and human health. However, as a telecommunications attorney, now it is time for me to tell the story of my professional passion through WWWK. Speaking of my professional passion, I was enormously honored to be named one of Cablefax Magazine’s Most Powerful Women of 2018 in November. It was fantastic to be recognized for my telecommunications career, as well as my personal interests. I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished in the telecommunications industry, but also as a law professor, writer, and award-winning filmmaker. To be recognized by others within my industry was especially rewarding. The other award recipients with whom I shared the stage are an amazing bunch of extremely exceptional, bright, and talented women. To be included in the same group as these professionals was unbelievable. I feel strongly about paying forward all of the support and encouragement I have received during my career, and think it is incumbent upon me to help develop the next generation of women leaders. This is an extremely important focus for me in my career. As always, we welcome any comments or questions you may have. If you’d like to support our film and help bring WWWK to the screen, please email me at jennifer@whenwirewasking.com. From everyone at WWWK, happy holidays and all the best for a wonderful New Year! We will be back soon with additional updates on WWWK. Jennifer A. Manner Executive Producer and Director
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The same award-winning team that created Zebrafish: Practically People started filming When Wire Was King (WWWK) in mid-September, and we have completed over a dozen interviews to date with some of the most fascinating pioneers in the telecommunications industry.
Luminaries such as Vint Cerf, known as the “father of the internet;” Gary Parsons, former Chairman of the Board for Sirius XM Radio; Henry Goldberg, former General Counsel of the Office of Telecommunications Policy, Executive Office of the President of the United States; Michael Powell, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission; Morgan O’Brien, a pioneer in U.S. wireless telecommunications, and others have graciously shared their stories and memories. These trailblazers provided their unique and, in many cases, previously untold experiences, shedding light on the stunning evolution of the telecommunications industry and providing context for the technology, innovation and regulation that enabled today’s competitive market. Hearing these stories from the folks who developed the industry is amazing and priceless. We are learning about how technology, regulation and economics propelled us to the world we live in today , where “anytime, anywhere” communications is a reality. Understanding this evolution is amazing! Through all of the testimonials we have gathered, it is clear that there were a small group of technologists and innovators who could picture the heights to which a competitive telecommunications industry could soar. Luckily for the modern consumer, these visionaries followed their instincts, and federal regulators chose to find a way to enable this growth and step out of the way – to the extent that was possible. It is phenomenal to consider the fact that the development of the internet, the cell phone, and the journey for competition in both basic and satellite communications all started in the same era. Production of WWWK continues, unveiling and illuminating the underpinnings of telecommunications competition and how the marketplace evolved to its current remarkable state. We are planning to release the WWWK trailer by year’s end, and will continue filming in early 2019. We welcome any comments or questions you may have. If you’d like to support our film and help bring WWWK to the screen, please email me at jennifer@whenwirewasking.com. Jennifer A. Manner Executive Producer and Director I am so excited to kick-off my latest documentary film project, When Wire Was King. Much like my award-winning documentary, Zebrafish: Practically People, When Wire Was King is a passion project.
As part of the telecommunications industry for over 25 years, I have been able to observe first-hand the impact that competition, innovation and regulation make in enabling the marvels of telecommunications. I still remember when telecommunications was a monopoly service in the United States – when a long distance call was the equivalent of an emergency because of the cost. When, in the 1980s and my mother could finally obtain a phone other than a black dial phone, it was a day of celebration in my family! In fact, when many people who were alive in the 1980s or before are asked what is the biggest change they have seen in their lives, the answer often involves technology and the communications revolution. Those monopoly days are long gone. Today, even though we may complain, a range of choices and services is available to us that could not even be imagined in the early days of competition in the 1980s - -whether it is streaming video so we can binge watch, Skype with our friends a world away for pennies, use our Fitbits to stay in shape, or a million other different uses. However, these choices are still not available to everyone, even in the United States, and at times economic choices are made by the companies that control our telecommunications markets and have access to scarce natural resources, like spectrum, that do not benefit consumers. This is where, even today, regulation remains a necessary evil. Our hope remains, however, that regulators, when they must step in, do so in a way that enables the market and the provision of service, and do not result in unnecessary distortions such that consumers actually suffer. Not an easy balance. When Wire Was King is being filmed to capture the thoughts and visions of the folks who changed the telecommunications marketplace through technology, innovation, and regulation to enable the competitive market we see today. We can learn much from these experts. Their experiences can help us shape the future of the telecommunications marketplace and the regulation that enables competition in a way that avoids past mistakes and allows us all – no matter where we are or our economic abilities – to participate in this amazing digital world that has been, and is continuing to be, built. If you would like to support our film, please contact me at jennifer@whenwirewasking.com. We would love to hear from you. Jennifer A. Manner Executive Producer and Director |
AuthorAn attorney by trade, Jennifer is a filmmaker by choice. When Wire Was King is her second documentary film. Jennifer's first film, Zebrafish: Practically People, premiered in January, 2018 and was nominated for 17 awards, winning five to date. Archives
January 2019
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