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About Upcode

of American doctors report feeling burnt out 1

78%

49%

would not recommend the career to their children

400%

Increase in  health insurance premiums since 1999 2

150%

Increase in private insurance company profits since 2009 3

Insurance companies are winning the never-ending war with doctors over patient bills.

One doctor, faced with losing everything, fights back with the only tool he has left: medical fraud.

in unneeded medical   expenses each year.  4

$210B

Americans are billed for

of US GDP was spent on healthcare in 2016 5

17.4%

4 National Academy of Medicine Report 2012

6 Economic Policy Institute.

CAST

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Jerry Topitzer

as Dr. Fritz

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Brian Dole

as Cal

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Emily Chastain

as Dr. Trudy

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Ruby Lewis

as Alice

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Julia Register

as Katherine

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Gisela Adisa

as Ainslee

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Cameron Croker

as Nate Chambers

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Marcus Troy

as Marcus

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Chris Daftsios

as Mr. Andrews

PRODUCING TEAMS &

KEY CREATIVES

Jerry Topitzer

CREATOR & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Jerry is a recovering  NYC banker, who for 18 years, lived a double life.  By day, he was a Wall Street executive.  At night, he secretly performed improv and learned how to write a sketch. At the height of his career, he quit to perform in dingy comedy clubs and in some (mostly terrible) theatre, TV, film, and commercials. He wrote, produced & acted in some short films which made him feel like maybe there was joy in the universe again.  Upcode is based on tons of research, and on Jerry's experiences as a teenager, helping his psychologist father submit the endless paperwork to his dad's insurance company in order to get paid - with the result being an endless stream of denials.  And somehow this made him think: comedy!

Edwin Adlam Herod

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

& CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Edwin, a writer and photographer at heart, is an award-winning filmmaker and commercial producer—developing, creating, and strategizing video advertising content for clients like IBM, CIT BANK, and ABBOTT. As a cinematographer, his narrative feature work includes Looking for the Jackalope (featuring Stephen Root and Mary Testa) and second unit photography for award winning drama The Sounding (featuring John Sears and Harris Yulin). Additionally, Edwin wrote and co-directed Fourteen Seeds (Best Narrative Short, Hollywood Film Festival), but he is mostly known for his dad jokes. And endlessly mocking Jerry. 

Drue Pennella

DIRECTOR & CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

A lifelong actor, Drue once spent three years of his life in fishnets performing The Rocky Horror Show in venues both respectable and seedy throughout Europe. Three years he considers very well spent! When he was done having toilet paper thrown at him Drue turned his attention to directing. He has directed the award winning motorcycle documentary The Badger - Made in Trenton (winner of The Motorcycle Film Festival Audience Choice Award), co-wrote and co-directed Hats in the Air (winner of The Brooklyn Bowl Audience Choice Award) and co-directed Fourteen Seeds (winner of Best Narrative Short at the Hollywood Film Festival)

Greg Fortier

WRITER

Greg is a screenwriter based in LA, originally from NYC. Famously-humble, he’s been honored with awards such as “Best Comedy Feature Screenplay” at the Austin Film Festival (2019), “Best Short Script” at Table Read My Screenplay: Hollywood (2018) and recently had 2 scripts named to the International Screenwriter’s Association Top 50 of 2020, Fast Track Fellowship. He owes at least several of his creative bones to his parents, both classical musicians, his ample practice as the straight man to his borderline-insane college roommates, and his love of language to his Grandpa Saul, slayer of the Sunday crossword. 

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