Director’s statement
SCAMMAGE DAMAGE
Millions of Americans – and countless people the world over – are victims of scams every year. Thousands every day. Without question, you know at least one person who’s suffered the pain and indignity of being scammed. Maybe you’ve been scammed yourself. There’s nothing fun about it.
THE INNOCENT
Elderly friends and family members have shared their stories with me, stories that involve authentic-sounding pleas for help from strangers, or assistance with complicated banking or computer problems. But it’s not just the older crowd that’s targeted.
Per my research and interviews with both the FBI and top banking officials, it’s clear that con artists are equal opportunity criminals happy to rip off all age groups, especially when it comes to bank wire transfers and credit card theft.
THE GUILTY
Scammers range from well-run international outfits with experienced management and long-time employees to the occasional domestic Mom & Pop Shop and the individual hacker operating out of his or her or their basement. Again, per the FBI, it’s almost impossible to track them down. Almost. Every once in a while somebody gets busted.
AND HERE WE ARE
Our short film intertwines a housewife with an old codger who may or may not be a con man, and his adult daughter, who seems caught in the middle. In some ways, it examines different social means and upbringing in shaping one’s destiny. But as you’ll see, it’s the human element – the heartache, the drive for vengeance and the challenge of forgiveness – that shapes Scam Bam Thank You Ma’am.
Director’s Bio
TW MILLER
A Midwesterner with roots in Minneapolis and Chicago, TW spent 20-some years in Hollywood, writing, producing and directing award-winning TV promos, radio spots and sales presentations for a variety of studios and networks, including Paramount, Sony, ABC, NBC, FOX and Disney, where he landed for five years as Director of Video Production, promoting their syndicated TV programs.
Other work includes field-producing and directing more than 100 segments of “House Calls,” a nationally syndicated reality show; scripting episodes for Discovery Channel’s “More Than Human” series; and helping develop ABC’s medical-reality show, “Vital Signs.”
Most recently, he wrote and directed “Unclaimed,” a short film about a crusty old loner who cremates dead bodies for a living forced to confront his darkest secret when a pesky kid invades his life.
TW has now migrated back to the Midwest and lives once again in Sweet Home Chicago, the City of Broad Shoulders and Loveable Losers in all sports.