ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION
30 DAYS
(12 x one hours)
Created by Morgan Spurlock, the acclaimed director of ‘Supersize Me’. Everyday people spend
30 days living in a social situation which challenges many of their long held beliefs which proves
to be both humorous and entertaining without belittling the subject.
Season One :
MINIMUM WAGE : Morgan Spurlock and Alexandria Jamieson experience what it’s like to live on
minimum wage in Ohio for 30 days.
ANTI-AGING : Scott Bridges of Los Angeles, California, undergoes an anti-aging regime which
includes taking human growth hormone and testosterone therapy prescribed by a doctor.
MUSLIMS AND AMERICA : David Stacy, a Christian from Charleston, West Virginia, lives with a
Muslim family in Dearborn Michigan for 30 days.
BINGE DRINKING MOM : Michiel Nacke of Tempe, Arizona, binge drinks in order to teach her
kids about the dangers of alcohol.
STRAIGHT-GAY : Ryan Hickmott, a straight man from Oxford, Michigan, lives with a gay
roommate in San Francisco, California.
OFF THE GRID : Johari Jenkins of Jersey City and Vito Summa of the Bronx New York live
without traditional electricity or modern consumer conveniences in an eco-village in rural
Missouri.
Season Two:
IMMIGRATION : Frank George is a member of the Minutemen, a citizen’s volunteer group that
patrols the country’s borders. Like all Minutemen, Frank holds staunch anti-illegal immigration
views, as he and his family legally immigrated from Cuba to Miami when Frank was 7 years old.
He will live with a Mexican family of mixed status in a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles,
and will work side by side with the father as a handyman.
OUTSOURCING : Chris Jobin of Mount Vernon, New York – who lost his job to outsourcing in
2003 – travels to Bangalore, India, where he witnesses how the outsourcing of U.S. jobs has
affected the country’s culture. He will live with a family who work in positions that were
outsourced from U.S. companies, and he will secure an outsourced job.
ATHEIST/CHRISTIAN : Brenda, who is an atheist, lives with a fundamentalist Christian family in
Frisco, Texas. She will attend church and take part in the family’s bible study. Her last name is
not used in order to protect her privacy.
NEW AGE : Tom Collett of Denville, New Jersey – an over-worked and over-stressed father –
attempts to find inner peace through New Age means. He will be assigned a life coach, learn
yoga, receive acupuncture and attend a spring equinox ritual.
PRO-CHOICE/PRO-LIFE : Jennifer, a pro-choice feminist who had an abortion over 6 years ago,
resides in a group home for pregnant women in Long Beach, California. She will work in the
home’s pregnancy crisis center and participate in the home’s pro-life activities. Her last name is
not used in order to protect her privacy.
JAIL : Morgan Spurlock experiences life as an inmate inside the Henrico County Jail in
Richmond, Virginia. He will experience 72 hours in solitary confinement, work 15-hour shifts in the
kitchen and be allowed only one hour a week for exercise.
ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION
30 DAYS – Season 3
Episode Listing
#1: Working In A Coal Mine
To kick off the third season of 30 Days, series creator Morgan Spurlock returns to
his home state of West Virginia, to work as a rookie apprentice coalminer known
as a “redhat” for 30 days. Morgan goes to Bolt, West Virginia and lives with
Dale and Sandy Lusk. Dale, the supervisor of the mine where Morgan works, has
mined coal for 35 years and introduces Morgan to a miner¹s way of life. Morgan
gains an understanding of the financial benefits that draw people to coal mining,
but also learns, first hand, the dangerous conditions that miners must face every
day.
As a new miner, Morgan is assigned much of the grunt work, including plastering,
building wooden roof supports, shoveling coal and hauling heavy equipment. On
his days off, Morgan leaves the mine to examine some of the bigger issues
surrounding the coal industry. He meets with Peggy Cohen, 36, the daughter of a
miner killed in 2006 in a Sago, West Virginia mine explosion. Morgan also talks
to both coal industry executives and environmentalists about surface mining and
mountain-top removal to gain perspective on the pros and cons of an industry
that provides the U.S. with the raw materials for 50% of our electricity.
#2: 30 Days In A Wheelchair
Ray played football for Baylor University from 1984-88 before his NFL draft in
1989. He won two Super Bowl rings in 1998 and 1999 as a starting member of
the Denver Broncos. During his fourteen years in the NFL, he also played for the
Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Ray and his wife April have
three children, a 20-year old daughter named Joi and two sons, 13-year-old Ray
Junior and seven year old Darryl. Ray now works as a real estate developer and
coaches his older son Ray Junior.
In 1991, Ray was on the field with the Detroit Lions when his teammate and
friend, Mike Utley, was involved in a play that left him paralyzed from the chest
down – an event that has not dissipated from Ray¹s memory. In fact, it is this
incident that made Ray want to participate in a 30 Days experiment.
For 30 Days, Ray will live in a wheelchair and will rely on his mental discipline to
keep his legs immobile. His home and his car will be retrofitted to accommodate
his needs. Coaching duties for his son¹s football team will continue and Ray will
join the Texas Stampede, the wheelchair rugby team featuring players made
famous in the documentary film Murderball. He will attend a weekly support
group for paraplegics at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation and meet with a
physical therapist to monitor any potential side effects.
Throughout his 30 Days experience, Ray will be under the medical supervision of
Dr. Robert Bruce in order to track any muscle loss, blood clots, pressure sores or
other side effects that could occur while he is wheelchair-bound.
#3: Animal Rights
George Snedeker is an avid hunter who considers it much more than just a sport;
to George, hunting is a way of life. George hunts mainly for deer meat and tries
to use the entire animal in order not to be wasteful. He views himself as a
conservationist, as he manages wild animal populations which enables them to
thrive.
For 30 Days, George will live in Los Angeles with vegan Melissa Karpel, 29, and
her vegan family: parents Don and Madeline Karpel and her sisters Stephanie
and Kimberly, who are 25-year-old twins. Melissa is a Los Angeles Campaign
Coordinator for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a nonprofit organization that fights for animal rights on factory farms, in laboratories, in
the clothing trade and in the entertainment industry.
George will participate in PETA initiatives including a demonstration at a popular
fast food chain, work at a local farm animal rescue center and meet with various
organizations such as Last Chance for Animals, a non-profit group dedicated to
animal rights.
#4: Same Sex Parenting
Kati believes that children should be raised by a mother and a father and not by
same-sex parents. As the mother of two adopted sons Kati believes that she has
ample experience to determine what kind of environment is conducive to healthy,
successful adoptions. In fact, Kati was adopted as an infant herself. For 30
Days, Kati will live in Ypsilanti, Michigan with domestic partners Dennis and
Thomas Patrick and their four adopted sons: Josh, 11; Paul, 8; Joey, 8; and
Raul, 6. The Patrick’s have been together for 10 years, and in 2001, Thomas
legally changed his last name to Patrick. Kati will attend church with the family,
help the boys get ready for school each morning and talk candidly about her
views on parenting and gay adoption as she observes how the Patrick¹s parent
their boys.
Kati will volunteer and travel to the state capitol with the Coalition for Adoption
Rights Equality (CARE), a children¹s advocacy group lobbying for legislation to
legalize dual-parenting rights for same-gender couples. She will socialize with
women from the Lesbian Mom¹s Network, a group that connects lesbian mothers
and their children with families like their own. She will also meet with former
foster children who talk about what it¹s like to grow up without parents or a
permanent home and the need for more foster parents.
#5: Gun Nation
After Pia learned that her friend had been killed by a schizophrenic man wielding
a gun in 1996, she became a gun control advocate who has fought to pass
stricter gun laws in the U.S. Pia believes that the world would be free from gun
violence only by prohibiting the sale of guns to anyone outside of law
enforcement and armed services.
For 30 Days, Pia will live in the heart of gun culture in the rural town of Leesburg,
Ohio with gun enthusiast Ken Ekermeyer, 39, and his 15-year-old son Zach. Ken
is an avid gun collector and rarely leaves home without his gun strapped to his
side. Ken believes carrying a gun is his right guaranteed to every American by
the Second Amendment. As Pia struggles to understand the Ekermeyer’s beliefs
and somewhat isolated way of life, she will work at a local gun store and
experience what it is like to carry a gun in public, learn to handle and fire
weapons and will introduce Ken to other gun control activists who have lost loved
ones to gun violence.
#6: Life On An Indian Reservation
Series creator Morgan Spurlock returns for his second installment this season to
discover what life is like for America¹s most indigenous people: Native
Americans. As he heads west to Navajo Nation near Window Rock, New Mexico,
Morgan will realize just how little he knows about the issues facing this tribal
culture.
For 30 Days, Morgan will live with Deborah and Karl Dennison and their children:
son Kyle, 25 and daughter Cassidy, 15. Deborah holds a PhD in education and is
the superintendent of the Ganado School District; Karl is a physical education
teacher at the tribal Dine College and is a renowned rodeo competitor. Despite
living on a remote desert ranch, the Dennison family has many of the
conveniences of the modern world, yet make great efforts to preserve the ancient
traditions and culture of their ancestors.
While on the reservation, Morgan will live in a traditional Navajo dwelling called a
Hogan, work at a tire shop and spend several grueling hours in a sweat lodge as
part of a “Coyote Ceremony.” He will also experience the economic hardships
and social crises that are common to reservation life while exploring many
misconceptions about Native Americans.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DVD SCREENERS PLEASE CONTACT:
Lynda Harriss, ENTERTAINMENT IN MOTION
TEL: (310) 305 2882 / lynda@skyfilms.com