Premiere Speakers Bureau

Eddie Schmidt is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work ranges from powerful, real-life dramas to razor-sharp satirical comedy. The latter is in evidence in the acclaimed IFC documentary THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED, an irreverent investigation into the MPAA film ratings system and its impact on American culture that Schmidt produced, co-wrote, and shot much of. Nominated for Critic’s Choice and GLAAD Awards, RATED caused a sensation at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, earning raves from the NY Times, LA Times, Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone, among others. Notably, the film led the MPAA to announce reforms to its movie ratings in January 2007.

The prior year, Schmidt was nominated for an Academy Award for producing HBO’s powerful, Academy Award nominated documentary TWIST OF FAITH, about a man who confronts the trauma of boyhood sexual abuse by a Catholic priest. FAITH premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 2005 Amnesty International Film Festival. Previously, Schmidt produced CHAIN CAMERA a compelling and cutting-edge portrait of contemporary urban high school kids. CHAIN, which foretold the video blogging craze, premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and stands as a landmark film about the teenage experience.

For television, Schmidt produced and photographed HBO’s SHOWGIRLS: GLITZ & ANGST, an explosive documentary musical that was one of the channel’s highest-rated specials of that year. He also produced the hospice chronicle THE END for Cinemax Reel Life, and was a writer/producer for the hit syndicated series BLIND DATE. As a pundit/commentator, Schmidt has frequently appeared on G4's daily talker, ATTACK OF THE SHOW, as well as MSNBC, IFC-TV, Starz, and The Reelz Channel.

Notably, Schmidt contributed to (and appeared on) National Public Radio’s popular series THIS AMERICAN LIFE with Ira Glass. He also co-wrote the popular humor book, THE FINGER: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO FLIPPING OFF. Along with his FINGER cohorts, Schmidt has enacted various satiric media pranks as a member of the guerilla comedy troupe, OOZE.

Schmidt is currently adapting the popular stage show and Simon & Schuster book MORTIFIED into a hybrid documentary feature that he will direct. He is also attached to direct a documentary about the golden years of National Lampoon. 2008 marks his third consecutive year on the Board of Directors of the IDA (International Documentary Association), a non-profit dedicated to the art of nonfiction filmmaking.