Mad as Hell

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - With one of the most popular and successful web shows in recent times, 'The Young Turks' has become a cultural phenomenon.

Mad as Hell documents the tumultuous, at times hilarious and altogether astonishing trajectory of Cenk Uygur, The Young Turks' main host and founder, as he goes from unknown Public Access TV host to internet sensation by way of YouTube. When he ventures into national television by landing the 6 p.m. timeslot on MSNBC, Cenk's uncensored brand of journalism is compromised as he becomes a thorn in the side of traditional news media.

The feature length documentary captures your attention early on and never let's it go. At the core of things, Cenk's journey, in many ways, is similar to the journey most of us face every day.

Mad as Hell screens at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art on January 29 and 31st. For times CLICK HERE.

In a Q&A with filmmaker Andrew Napier, he shares the long road of how this film came to be.

Please talk about the production or filming process of this documentary, and how did the project come to be? How did you meet Cenk Uygur?

In 2009, I moved to Los Angeles from my hometown in Wisconsin. I had recently dropped out of UW-Madison to pursue filmmaking and my parents were a little sore about that decision. I both needed a job to stay in LA, but I also was looking for a way to get back in my parents good graces.

My dad and brother were fans of this little bizarre online news show called The Young Turks. I found out that the show was based in LA, so I went in and started interning for them, eventually resulting in a full time job, which did make my parents very happy.

However, I was out in LA to make movies, not to work for a web show. Right away I thought Cenk Uygur, the host and creator of TYT, was such a compelling and larger than life character, so after my first week there I asked him what he would think about me doing a documentary on him. Cenk immediately said, "I always wanted a documentary made about me!"

How long did filming take in order to complete the film to your satisfaction?

5 years total. I worked for TYT for about 3 years, and while working for them I was constantly filming behind the scenes as well. Then I was very lucky to be a part of the team that made Curfew, a film produced by Napier that won the Academy Award for Best Short Film, Live Action in 2013, and at that point I felt compelled to focus fully on filmmaking.

I stopped working for TYT and began working on many feature films in various roles. But even after leaving TYT, I kept coming back to film for Mad As Hell, as Cenk's story was constantly evolving. I continued to simultaneously film and edit Mad As Hell over the next two years.

What were some of the challenges you faced in the production of 'Mad as Hell'?

Before I left the company [The Young Turks], I knew it was important to keep this film with me and maintain creative and business control over it. I didn't want it to become a puff piece; I wanted to show Cenk and TYT the way I saw them and the story the way I experienced it myself, with no strings attached. So I asked for both final cut and full ownership. I was lucky to get both from them. But getting what I wanted presented a new challenge, because it was of course my sole responsibility to finance the film.

I turned to crowdfunding to accomplish this. Let me add that this was before Veronica Mars and before Zach Braff did their kickstarters, this was when it was just starting up and I saw the massive potential for a film or anything that had a cult following or any kind of audience to be able to raise funds. With the support of the TYT fanbase I was able to raise almost $70,000. That, with a few generous private investors, is what allowed me to completing the film at the level of technical quality that I wanted.

'Mad As Hell' is so visually pleasing without a dull moment, great editing! Talk about the editing process…the struggles, the easy parts, and what you had to leave on the cutting room floor.

Struggles is a good word to use. When spending a lot of time on one project you completely lose objectivity, but not only that, if I was only working on this one film during those five years, I would have lost my mind. To combat these things, I worked on many other films in various creative roles, editing a few features, writing and selling a screenplay, directing a short, producing a few features, and in-between each coming back to Mad As Hell with fresh eyes and renewed excitement.

The other thing that is so important as a director who also edits is to have another editor there with you. Eric Ekman came on board in the beginning helping me assemble an early cut of the film, which at that time was over four hours long. Unfortunately Eric then got a full time real job and had to leave the project.

I went through a few other editors who didn't work out and then had to do much of the editing myself, but towards the end when I was getting stuck, thankfully Eric came back on board to help me finish it. Having him there made a big difference, we worked very well together and he also had more objectivity towards TYT since he had never worked there. I could not have finished the film without him.

What's your most favorite scene from the film?

The "shut up" scene, for sure. Cenk tells a guest to shut up on air and then the TYT team worries how it will effect Cenk's chances at MSNBC, which leads to a great discussion between them and an epic and hilarious rant from Cenk.

How has this documentary changed you from when you first conceived the idea of the project to the completion of it?

For a while, I was not sure if this would even result in a film--I had hoped, but I didn't know where things were going. I thought the story was becoming interesting as TYT continued to grow on YouTube and gain it's large fan base, but it was when I was following Cenk around in NYC, when he got the pulled from the 6 p.m. timeslot at MSNBC, that was when I knew I had a film on my hands.

How do you feel about having Mad As Hell accepted into the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and seen by the masses?

Very lucky and excited. The film was shown at Hot Docs, but that was a year ago, and now that it is about to be released by Oscilloscope Laboratories on Feb 6th, 'Mad As Hell' playing in SBIFF exactly one week before that is obviously a massive boost for press, excitement, and notoriety in regards to this release. Also SBIFF is a festival I have always wanted to play at and attend. And lastly, I love wine and will take any opportunity to come up to the Santa Barbara wine country. My favorite winery is Foxen Winery out by Santa Maria. I think I may have to make an excursion out there at some point during the festival.

How is the film being distributed?

Oscilloscope Laboratories, a distributor of which I've always been a big fan, (and worked with before on The Past is a Grotesque Animal) came on board after Hot Docs to distribute the film on platforms like iTunes, Netflix, On Demand, TV VOD, DVD, & BLU-Ray, and more. That digital wide release starts on February 6th. In the week before the Oscilloscope release, we'll do a one-week traditional theatrical run in Los Angeles and New York.

The film is also playing across the country through Gathr Films' Theatrical On Demand model, which has allowed fans to get together as a group and watch Mad As Hell on the big screen, the way I wanted people to be able to see it. And that has been an incredible for us and them and will continue on.

With the traditional run, we hope to draw the attention of people who don't know who The Young Turks are, but might be interested in this subject matter of news, politics and Cenk's story.

Mad As Hell is being distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories, and will be available in theaters and VOD on Feb 6th. Available on iTunes and other digital platforms, DVD, & Blu-ray at: www.MadAsHellFilm.com

You may follow the film at: www.Facebook.com/madashellfilm