William Andrew Wedig
Director/Editor
Having directed and edited features, television and commercials, William is an experienced filmmaker in all phases of production.
As series director, William directed 26 half-hour episodes of TEAM TOON, produced for Cartoon Network/FreeMantle Media (now on Netflix). The show features Disney/ABC star Meg Donnelly (ZOMBIES, AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE).
William directed the show EXPOSURE: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT which stars Kate Upton, Brooklyn Decker, and 15 other supermodels, available on Playstation Network/DVD.
William's feature film FORGED (writer, director, editor) won the HBO New York Latino Film Festival and stars Emmy-winner Margo Martindale (THE AMERICANS, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY) and Manny Perez (HOMELAND, PRIDE AND GLORY). The New York Times wrote “‘Forged’ is nasty, brutish and short, in all the best ways.” Variety said lead actor Manny Perez is “frighteningly convincing as a man ruled by desperation.” William’s first feature, RISE OF THE DEAD, was distributed by Lions Gate and won the Colony Film Festival.
Commercially, Will directed COCA-COLA "BEAT THE HEAT" with popular singer Monica Brown as well as Jack Link’s SASQUATCH WATCH with NFL linebacker Clay Mathews III. Other credits include AT&T, Smirnoff, Chevy, Walmart, Russell, and Geico.
William Wedig also directed the music series NOISEMAKERS ON NOISEVOX featuring world-renowned music journalist/MTV VJ, John Norris, featuring bands such as Lady Gaga, Warpaint, and Temper Trap.
William’s editing credits include the PBS documentary JIMMY & ROSALYN CARTER WORK PROJECT, YAHOO! MAIL with Nicole Richie, CHEVY MALIBU with Isaac Mizrahi, and TIME'S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHS.
He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC with a BFA in Film Editing and is bi-coastal.
WEBSITE: WILLIAM WEDIG/IMDB
SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM
A Q&A WITH FILMSHOP BREAKTHROUGH SERIES 2018 FEATURED ARTIST william wedig...
“EVERGREEN” (FEATURE SCREENPLAY)
In the heart of West Virginia’s coal country, a young activist fails to stop the destruction of his boyhood mountain and vows to take an "any means necessary" approach to stop the local mining industry.
What was the inspiration for your project?
While Will was growing up he was stuck between two worlds in his small town in southeastern Ohio. One world was the ultra-conservative, pro-industry coal country lifestyle expected in the Appalachian mountains and the second was the punk rock counter culture and hippy movement that also exists in any forested community. It's directly in the middle of these two worlds where Evergreen takes place.
What do you feel is your greatest challenge moving forward?
The biggest challenge with Evergreen is to be sure that the audience can sympathize with everyone in our film. For us as writers, we’re always attracted to stories that are sympathetic to every character’s reality and choices, including our antagonists.
How has the Filmshop community contributed to your project's development?
Will presented Evergreen in March of 2018 and the story has progressed immensely since that reading. The opportunity to have 20 individuals read your material and provide feedback is a very unique and special opportunity. Additionally, the chance to showcase a project at the Breakthrough Series is equally exciting.
What might Filmmaker Magazine say about your project?
If they were to do a write-up on our project they’d probably call it a geopolitical radical environmental film that tackles big subjects with a deep heart and bold decisions. While most people want the same thing (clean water, good jobs, etc), every person has their own limits when it comes to achieving those goals. And our goal with Evergreen is to challenge the audience to question their own personal beliefs on environmentalism, energy creation, capitalism and different forms of protest and resistance.
What's next?
I am pitching the film now and seeking producers or production companies to partner with and get the film produced. I'm also developing four other films, as well as pitching two TV series.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Both of us actually grew in different parts of Ohio, but met in Los Angeles when Will gave a presentation at VFX house Digital Domain. He's just wrapped his kids TV show and met Jeff afterward. We both happened to be working on films concerning activism and have been working together ever since. Jeff is VFX artist by trade and has worked on films like Star Wars: Episode VIII, Deadpool and Deadpool 2, Dr. Strange, and dozens of others. Will was also recently married at a surprise wedding at his parents' 50th wedding anniversary.
What keeps you up at night?
Trying to figure out how to get all these stories told!