Synopsis
Muckrakers is a new webisode comedy series that follows the misadventures of two clueless freshman journalism students.
On the prowl for the story of the century for their J101 class, the two dangerously ambitious friends find themselves planting Diet Coke and Mentos 'bombs' on people, stealing equipment from hard of hearing kids, going undercover in the frats, unraveling the clues behind frog baby, and most of all, figuring out how to wear a trench coat.
Behind the Scenes
Muckrakers began as the brainchild of Dan Finnen back in January 2009 after he overdosed on 'Seinfeld' and 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' over the holidays. Writing the first season in a matter of two months, Dan wanted to create a sitcom style webisode series set inside the narcissistic world of a college campus. However, Dan had to go direct 'Bloody Good Movie', and shooting was postponed to the fall of 2009.
Fall 2009 rolled around and in October both Matthew Robert Smith and David Podsiadlik were cast in the two lead roles. Glenn Pratt, Derek Cox, Katrina Pena, and all sorts of other cool kids were roped into crewing. However, the gods conspired to prevent us from shooting at all costs, and production was finally pushed back to the very last week of the fall semester in mid December.
Shooting went incredibly well, even though we were doing an almost entirely outdoor shoot in the dead of winter. Our production log, full of photos and all sorts of good behind the scenes stuff, can be found on the blog at the following links:
Season 1 Production Log
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
As we roll out the first season, we're already hard at work writing and preparing season 2, which will premiere sometime around April!
Cast and Crew
Frank - David Podsiadlik
"I have been blessed to have come from a long line of polish and italian factory workers. My efforts to become an actor have been scoffed at and ridiculed but I have pursued my dream of being an actor nonetheless. Muckrakers has been a fantastic production to be a part of, and one that everyone will enjoy and gregariously laugh at. Thanks to my Dad, my Ma, Dominic, Brian, and the love of my life, Brooke."
Paul - Matthew Robert Smith
"I am Matthew Smith. I am an actor. After graduation this May, I plan
to move to Chicago and pursue this life of acting that I have set in
motion for myself. It started at an early age. In the womb, I wowed doctors with my performance of "Get me Outta here!", a musical set to the score of Queen's Greatest Hits. The rest, as they say, is history."
Director, Writer, Executive Producer, Creator - Dan Finnen
"Hailing from the rust belt paradise of Cincinnati, Ohio, I have been writing, directing, producing, and everything else-ing film since the heady days of early high school back in 2004. So far I've managed to direct two feature length films, Run Hollywood Summer and Bloody Good Movie, as well as a whole slew of shorts. I have a healthy obsession with Skyline Chili and am an avid photographer in my free time. I am an advocate for the hard of hearing, have worn hearing aids since I was three, and ironically enough, have initials that spell DEF. Much thanks to my parents and everybody else who has supported me as I pursue my crazy dreams."
Producer - Glenn Pratt
"Hello all. I am the business end of Muckrakers, but that doesn't mean I don't have a blast. Working on Muckrakers has been an awesome roller-coaster experience and extremely enjoyable, like a carnival but you are in charge. I hail from the west side of Indianapolis, and I am very fortunate to do what I love. Producing film content. My thanks go out to my family and friends, without whom I wouldn't have realized my profession and the wonderful people that I work with day in and day out."
Assistant Director, Set Design, Costumes - Katrina Pena
"Hi. How are you? My name is Katrina Pena, (Pen-yuh.) senior at BSU.
I was the Assistant Director, as well as the man in charge of costume and set design for Muckrakers. Originally, I’m from a little city on the lake called, Whiting, IN. It smells a lot like burnt soap and gasoline. This past summer, I produced a feature length film, called Bloody Good Movie. I dabble in all sorts of roles for various projects but thoroughly enjoy being a Producer. I’m in love with everything about being on a set, and everyone involved was so incredibly wonderful to work with. Cheers to Season two! =)"
Director of Photography, Sound, Opening Sequence- Derek Cox
"I am Derek Cox and I was forced to work on Muckrakers as part of my parole and penance from the Dan Finnen Juvenile Detention Center for Young Adults and Miners (Coal and Iron Ore, mostly). I work on the show as the Director of Photography/Camera Man/Sound Supervisor/Colorist etc. etc. and so on and so forth. I also play music and was responsible for the horrific intro and credit tunes. you're welcome."
Location Sound, Opening Sequence - Hobie Crase
"I am a freshman telecommunications major at Ball State University. I was more than thrilled to be able to work on the set and in the post-production of Muckrakers. I hope to continue the path I'm set on now and work in cinema."
Special Thanks to Ball State Department of Telecmmunications, Ball State Honors College, and Elizabeth 'Betsy' Pike.
Contact
Questions? Concerns? Hate mail? Love letters? Prince in some country who wants to transfer a bunch of money into my account to 'protect it and totally not just steal your account number or anything'? Email Dan at
