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Cullen Hoback

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Cullen Hoback
Born
Cullen James Hoback

(1981-07-15) July 15, 1981 (age 43)[1]
Los Angeles, California
Alma materWhitman College
Occupation(s)director and producer
Years active2003-present
Known forMonster Camp (2007)
Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)
What Lies Upstream (2018)
Q Into the Storm (2021)
Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery (2024)

Cullen James Hoback (born July 15, 1981)[2] is an American film producer and director. He is also an occasional columnist and speaker. His documentary films include Monster Camp (2007), Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013), and What Lies Upstream (2018), as well as the HBO mini-series Q: Into the Storm (2021). His documentary style has been described as non-fiction horror with a comedic tone.[3] He appears on-camera as a central character in Terms and Conditions May Apply[4] and What Lies Upstream.[5]

Following the release of Terms and Conditions May Apply, Hoback has written op-eds for many journals including The Guardian,[6] presented to the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law,[7] and has appeared as a privacy expert on networks and shows including MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Huffington Post, Stossel,[8] and The Young Turks.

Career

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Hoback directed his first notable film, Monster Camp, in 2007. The film considers various aspects of escapism involved in live-action role playing.[9] The film premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival in 2007 and won the Audience Award for the best documentary.[10] The film also screened at the Seattle International Film Festival and more than 50 other festivals, ultimately receiving a limited theatrical release.[11][12]

Hoback's 2010 film FrICTION is nominally fiction, featuring actors playing characters based on themselves – including a married couple, a teenage student at their arts camp, and Hoback himself – but contains documentary elements, as the production of the scripted film affects the relationships of the actors.[13]

In 2013, Hoback released the documentary film Terms and Conditions May Apply, which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival before going onto various film festivals including Seattle International, Hot Docs and Festival Do Rio. He received a jury prize for best documentary feature at both the Newport Beach Film Festival and Sonoma International Film Festival.[14] The film received a largely positive critical reception, with a cumulative score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.[15] Hoback co-hosted a Q&A about the film on Reddit, with Edward Snowden’s legal counsel at the time, Ben Wizner.[16] Hoback also held a screening in Washington DC for a number of high-powered officials and policy-makers, hosted by Congressman Justin Amash.[6][17] Afterwards, Hoback moderated a discussion with whistleblowers Thomas Drake, Russell Tice, and whistleblower attorney Jesselyn Radack. In partnership with Demand Progress, 20,000 signatures were collected and delivered to lawmakers demanding they get educated on digital privacy.[6][18]

In 2018, Hoback theatrically released What Lies Upstream, a feature documentary focused on scientific regulatory agencies, and the government oversight of drinking water safety.[19][5] The film questions whether the Flint Water Crisis and the Elk River Chemical Spill, are outliers or signifiers of a nationwide scandal.[20] What Lies Upstream was the opening night film at the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival,[21] screened at AFI Docs,[22] and received a Special Jury Prize for Investigative Filmmaking at The Seattle International Film Festival.[23] The film was picked up by PBS' Independent Lens[24] and has been met with a positive critical reception.[25]

Hoback directed and produced a docuseries about the QAnon conspiracy theory, titled Q: Into the Storm. It premiered on HBO in March 2021.[26]

Views

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Hoback has been critical of the relationship between corporations and the government, arguing that they've been complicit in creating a surveillance system.[18][5] On December 25, 2013, Cullen Hoback and Ondi Timoner released a lengthy conversation about how the surveillance situation has evolved since her film, We Live in Public. In an interview with The Guardian earlier that month in December 2013, Hoback commented that whistleblower Edward Snowden should be granted immunity by the US government.[17] Hoback has written several op-eds for The Guardian, one of which focused on how people need to reclaim control of their digital identities.[6] In October 2014, Hoback was a featured speaker at the annual TED event in Jacksonville, titled We Don't Have a Privacy Problem.[27]

Filmography

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Year Film Role
2003 Gaining Miles Director & Story Short
2005 Panopticon: The Essence of Power Writer, Director & Producer Short
2006 Freedom State Writer & Director Feature
2006 The Everything Machine Director & Producer Short
2007 Dragons Are Real Director Documentary Short
2007 Monster Camp Producer & Director Documentary Feature
2010 FrICTION Co-Writer, Director & Producer Feature
2013 Terms and Conditions May Apply Producer & Director Documentary Feature
2018 What Lies Upstream Producer & Director Documentary Feature
2021 Q: Into The Storm Producer & Director Documentary Series, 6 episodes
2024 Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery Director Documentary Feature for HBO

References

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  1. ^ "Cullen James Hoback, Born 07/15/1981 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  2. ^ Scheer, Robert; Hoback, Cullen (April 21, 2017). "Government Monitoring: You Have the Right to Be Watched". Truthdig (interview). Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020. Robert Scheer: Hi, it's Robert Scheer with another edition of Scheer Intelligence, and the intelligence comes from my guests. In this case, it's Cullen Hoback, a 35-year-old documentary filmmaker.
  3. ^ Brown, Phil (August 2, 2013). "Terms and Conditions May Apply: Doc and non-fiction horror flick rolled into one". The Globe & Mail.
  4. ^ Harris, Brandon (July 11, 2013). "Cullen Hoback on Terms and Conditions May Apply". Film maker Magazine.
  5. ^ a b c "'What Lies Upstream': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Hoback, Cullen (September 19, 2013). "Our data is our digital identity - and we need to reclaim control". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Faculty (2014) 63rd Antitrust Spring Meeting". American Bar Association.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Stossel, John (April 24, 2014). "They Know What You Do (Sunday at 10PM ET on FNC)". Fox Business. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Harvey, Dennis (April 3, 2007). "Review: 'Monster Camp: The Story Of Nero Seattle'". Variety.
  10. ^ "Cinequest 17 Wraps" (PDF). March 12, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2007. (Press release)
  11. ^ "Monster Camp". 2007 Seattle International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  12. ^ "Official website". Monster Camp Movie.
  13. ^ "Movies big and small opening this weekend, Wall Street: Money never Sleeps and FrICTION". KBOO. September 24, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  14. ^ Harris, Brandon (July 11, 2013). "Cullen Hoback on Terms and Conditions May Apply". Film-Maker Magazine.
  15. ^ "Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. July 12, 2013.
  16. ^ "Q&A transcript of Hoback and other producers on Reddit". Reddit. November 17, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Kiss, Jemima (December 6, 2013). "Cullen Hoback calls for US to grant Edward Snowden immunity – video" (Video Interview). The Guardian.
  18. ^ a b "Q&A: 'Terms and Conditions May Apply' director Cullen Hoback on the death of privacy". TNW. July 22, 2013.
  19. ^ Abele, Robert (January 11, 2018). "Documentary advocates to know more about 'What Lies Upstream' in our drinking water". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  20. ^ "Film Review: What Lies Upstream | Film Journal International". www.filmjournal.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  21. ^ Murthi, Vikram (December 14, 2016). "'What Lies Upstream' Selected To Be Slamdance Festival Opening Night Film". IndieWire. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  22. ^ Institute, American Film. "AFI DOCS Film Guide". afi.com. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  23. ^ Knapp, JD (June 11, 2017). "Seattle International Film Festival: 'Sami Blood,' 'At the End of the Tunnel' Come Out on Top". Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  24. ^ "What Lies Upstream | Our Films | Independent Lens | PBS". Independent Lens. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  25. ^ What Lies Upstream, January 12, 2018, retrieved March 27, 2018
  26. ^ Grober, Matt (March 10, 2021). "'Q: Into The Storm' Trailer: HBO Docuseries Aims To "Unmask And Demystify" QAnon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  27. ^ "Cullen Hoback - TED Profile". TED Jacksonville.
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