Virtual Watch Party of "The Coddling of the American Mind"

Ted Balaker is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist, and founding partner of Korchula Productions, a film and new media production company devoted to making important ideas entertaining.

Ted is the director of Can We Take a Joke?, a Korchula Productions feature documentary about the clash between comedy and outrage culture featuring comedians such as Gilbert Gottfried, Penn Jillette, Jim Norton, Lisa Lampanelli, and Adam Carolla. Ted is producing Little Pink House, a Korchula Productions feature narrative about about Susette Kelo’s historic fight to save her beloved home and neighborhood. The film stars two-time Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener (Capote, Being John Malkovich, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Emmy nominee Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love, The Firm, Basic Instinct).

Ted produced the award-winning shorts The Conversation and Cute Couple. He is an executive producer on the feature documentary Honor Flight, which set the Guinness World Record for largest film screening in history when it attracted an audience of more than 28,000 to its premiere.

Ted’s written work has appeared in dozens of publications, including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA TODAY. His research has been presented before organizations such as the Mont Pelerin Society and the American Economic Association. Ted is co-author (with Sam Staley) of the book The Road More Traveled (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006).

Ted is a founding member of ReasonTV and co-creator of The Drew Carey Project, a series of documentary shorts hosted by Drew Carey. During Ted’s tenure, ReasonTV received the Templeton Freedom Award for Innovative Media and in 2008 Businessweek recognized his short Where’s My Bailout? as among the best of bailout humor.

Ted spent five years producing at ABC Network News, producing hour-long specials and 20/20 segments.

Ted graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Irvine with degrees in political science and English.Ted Balaker is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist, and founding partner of Korchula Productions, a film and new media production company devoted to making important ideas entertaining. Ted is the director of Can We Take a Joke?, a Korchula Productions feature documentary about the clash between comedy and outrage culture featuring comedians such as Gilbert Gottfried, Penn Jillette, Jim Norton, Lisa Lampanelli, and Adam Carolla. Ted is producing Little Pink House, a Korchula Productions feature narrative about about Susette Kelo’s historic fight to save her beloved home and neighborhood. The film stars two-time Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener (Capote, Being John Malkovich, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Emmy nominee Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love, The Firm, Basic Instinct). Ted produced the award-winning shorts The Conversation and Cute Couple. He is an executive producer on the feature documentary Honor Flight, which set the Guinness World Record for largest film screening in history when it attracted an audience of more than 28,000 to its premiere. Ted’s written work has appeared in dozens of publications, including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA TODAY. His research has been presented before organizations such as the Mont Pelerin Society and the American Economic Association. Ted is co-author (with Sam Staley) of the book The Road More Traveled (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006). Ted is a founding member of ReasonTV and co-creator of The Drew Carey Project, a series of documentary shorts hosted by Drew Carey. During Ted’s tenure, ReasonTV received the Templeton Freedom Award for Innovative Media and in 2008 Businessweek recognized his short Where’s My Bailout? as among the best of bailout humor. Ted spent five years producing at ABC Network News, producing hour-long specials and 20/20 segments. Ted graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Irvine with degrees in political science and English.

Courtney Moorehead Balaker is an award-winning filmmaker, theatre director, and co-founder of Korchula Productions. Courtney wrote, directed, and produced Little Pink House, an award-winning feature film about Susette Kelo’s historic fight to save her home and neighborhood. The film stars two-time Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener (Get Out) and Emmy nominee Jeanne Tripplehorn (Grey Gardens). It has won a variety of awards including the HBO Audience Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival and the Vail Film Festival Audience Award. Additional film and television credits include Can We Take A Joke?, The Coddling of the American Mind, and America in Primetime, an award-winning PBS documentary series including interviews with Ron Howard, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Alec Baldwin.

Courtney began her film career at Neo Art & Logic, a feature film production company with an overall deal with Dimension Films where she developed new screenplays and went on to serve as Vice President of Development. She spent five years in New York City directing Off-Broadway plays, working with actors such as George Morfogen (HBO's Oz) and Joseph Gorden-Levitt (Inception). Her theater credits include works at SoHo Playhouse, Ensemble Studio Theater, and Theater for the New City.

Courtney holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver and a master’s degree in theatre directing from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and King’s College London where she received classical acting and theater directing training under the leadership of Fiona Shaw and Lord Richard Attenborough.