#AnAmericanDream Logline: A cheerfully gullible college graduate embarks on a journey into adulthood that whisks him into the insanity of 21st century America, where he is beset by a parade of gun-crazed zealots, paranoid government agents, fundamentalist preachers and reality TV hucksters. Synopsis: William Bowman is a gullible but enthusiastic college graduate who has high hopes, and is sure that his lowly fast-food job will lead to greater things. When his gun-crazed father manages to get William a job in high finance, William’s can-do attitude and ability to follow the rules end up getting him noticed at the company, and it gets him a ribald sexual initiation as well. But William’s path will be a rocky one. William sets off on his own path in the world of paranoid 21st century America, where he becomes a travelling salesman of Christian fundamentalist propaganda books. Along the way, he finds himself lured into reality TV shows, as well as frequent sexual romps, and he even finds himself hosting a public execution. But when William accidentally discovers a government cover-up and conspiracy (he hears a radio report of a terrorist attack before it happens), he becomes a target of government agents who want to torture him, and revolutionary activists who want to exploit him. William manages to keep himself alive throughout this violent journey, but when he agrees to become the main character on a reality TV show called ‘Dead Man Running’, William’s status as public enemy #1 might just lead him to an untimely, but inevitable end. Twitter: @AnAmericanD #AnAmericanDream

WRITER/DIRECTOR NOTES I’m a writer and director. TV (from The Newsroom to Good God and many series in between), a novel, and a number of Hollywood films when I started out that were fun and made lots of money but won’t get me into the pantheon. When I wake up, I write or think about what to write – often without any idea where the material will land. This project is typical. It came to life after watching ten years of CNN and its desperate attempt to keep the American dream alive while in fact, it showed us night after night the collapse of democracy and the American dream replaced by a dystopian nightmare. The common good trumped by greed. Christianity hijacked by a cult mentality. Gun fever replacing security. Freedom and the rights of the individual packaged in the rhetoric of hate and paranoia. The vast majority struggling to get by while the 1% suck up the nation’s wealth by owning the politicians who give them free reign. This was all fodder for a script, but how to get it made? I believed that the film’s lead needed to be an unknown actor; hence without a star, it had to be “low budget”. Starting there the challenges began - challenges that were often frustrating but also surprisingly interesting. We were forced to think about production that demanded a whole new layer of creativity. How do we get this scene for this money? Can we make this day with a five person crew? I fell for the challenge and hooked up with Jason Tan (a cinematographer I had worked with before) to make this script work at approximately $1.3 million. Jason brought a remarkable imagination when it came to production invention but with narrative always in clear view. We went to work - one writer/director, one tech wizard, using all the newest available film technology and the co-operation of Shaftesbury when we needed office space, casting help, financing models and coffee. Since the story was about a young American Candide, the lead was key. Almost a one man show in the tradition of Lindsay Anderson’s “Oh Lucky Man and “If” and Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange.” A long search, with Shaftesbury’s help, led to a 20 year old Jake Croker living in Vancouver but originally from England. To our project, he is what Malcolm McDowell was to “If” and “Oh Lucky Man.” An actor who so embodies the character that

we now can’t think of that character on the page without his face coming into view. I have, in my TV days, as director, producer, writer, often wondered why there were so many people on the crew. As much as I felt good about creating jobs, the hard fact was that so much could have been accomplished with fewer hands. I wrote, directed and produced a short series here, many years ago, called Married Life and we used one cube truck. A larger unit with trucks lining the streets could have done the job but I’m not sure that it would have been as interesting a show. The mini unit and crew gave rise to crises that required invention which had its way of defining the show’s character. What I want to do with this project is bring people with deep film experience into a low budget situation where all they have learned in the conventional production world can be put to the test on a low budget production. The people we have brought in so far (many of the best I know) would not do this without a script and a vision they believe in. Ken Finkleman

KEN FINKLEMAN

Ken Finkleman is an award-winning television and film writer, director, producer and actor. He is best known for his Emmy® Award-winning series The Newsroom for CBC and PBS, a biting satire that mined the darkly humorous world of broadcast news. He also produced Married Life, Foolish Heart, Foreign Objects, More Tears and At The Hotel for CBC, and wrote screenplays for a number of Hollywood films in the 1980s including Madonna’s Who’s That Girl and Grease 2, as well as both writing and directing Airplane II: The Sequel. Most recently, Finkleman wrote, directed and starred in

Shaftesbury’s comedy series Good Dog/Good God. Finkleman’s first novel, Noah’s Turn, was published by HarperCollins in 2010.

KEN FINKLEMAN WRITER/ DIRECTOR

Series Good God 2012 TMN (13 episodes) Good Dog 2011 HBO CANADA (13 episodes) At The Hotel 2006 CBC (6 episodes) The Newsroom 2004/5 CBC (36 episodes) Escape From The Newsroom 2002 CBC (TV Movie) Foreign Objects 2000 CBC (6 episodes) Foolish Heart 1999 CBC (6 episodes) More Tears 1998 CBC (6 episodes) Films Airplane II 1982 Wrote & Directed Grease 2 1982 Wrote

JAKE CROKER

U.K.-born actor Jake Croker grew up in Alberta and currently resides in Vancouver. He has previously had recurring roles in The Killing and The 100. This is his first lead role.

About Shaftesbury Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television, film and digital platforms. Shaftesbury's slate includes 11 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, UKTV, and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment; Houdini & Doyle for Sony Pictures Television, Corus Entertainment, ITV, and Fox; thriller series Slasher for NBCUniversal's Chiller; and Kids' CBC series The Moblees. Shaftesbury's digital arm, Smokebomb Entertainment, produces original digital, convergent, and branded entertainment projects including the hit YouTube series Carmilla, funded by U by Kotex®; mystery series V Morgan Is Dead, brought to life by RBC; fashion comedy series MsLabelled, produced in partnership with Shaw Media and Tetley Tea; supernatural drama Inhuman Condition; and the Slasher VR app for iOS, Android, and Oculus Rift. In June 2014, Shaftesbury launched shift2, a branded entertainment agency that drives profitable engagement with millennials using scripted series, turning brands into executive producers.