Happy New Year!

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 movie, 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 [email protected]. 
 
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