Mad as Hell
Cenk Uygur is a Turkish-American political commentator, who is the creator and host of The Young Turks, which is described as the largest online news program in the world. After graduating from law school, Uygur began The Young Turks as a public access TV show, before moving on to doing a radio show and eventually an online show posted on YouTube. Mad as Hell follows the story of Uygur’s career as he struggles to become a relevant commentator and his brave venture into the new world of online media. The Young Turks was one of the first online news programs, beginning as video streams of Cenk Uygur’s Sirius radio show. He eventually moved the show to YouTube, where Uygur has reached more than one billion views. While it can be argued today that online media is bigger than television, this hasn’t always been the case. Indeed, Cenk Uygur had TV ambitions and spent some time as a commentator for MSNBC. However, since Uygur equally criticises both left and right wing politics, his harsh opinions eventually lead to his departure from the network. Cenk Uygur is an early pioneer in an online media world, which is increasingly becoming more relevant than TV news programs. You essentially have to be a fake to be a success on TV and Uygur refused to change who he was, just to get a successful TV program. Overall, Mad as Hell is an interesting look at a man, who is helping to change how political commentary is presented in the modern world. 8 | LIKED IT Screenings:
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Tues, April 29, 7:30 PM – TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
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Wed, April 30, 3:15 PM – Hart House Theatre
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Fri, May 2, 4:00 PM – Scotiabank Theatre 3
