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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
Jerry Topitzer
as Dr. Fritz
Brian Dole
as Cal
Emily Chastain
as Dr. Trudy
Ruby Lewis
as Alice
Julia Register
as Katherine
Gisela Adisa
as Ainslee
Cameron Croker
as Nate Chambers
Marcus Troy
as Marcus
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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