Production of When Wire Was King is Underway!

​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