Steven Greenstreet (born March 14, 1979) is an American
documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
filmmaker
Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
and
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
, known for the controversial film, ''
8: The Mormon Proposition'', which was selected to premiere at the 2010
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023.
The festival has acted ...
. Currently residing in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
he has also worked as a video investigative journalist for
The Huffington Post Investigative Fund and a video producer for the
US State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
. Since 2014 he has been a senior video producer at the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative
daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
''.
Career
Greenstreet's feature debut, ''
This Divided State'' (2005), captures the agitated climate surrounding
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...
's invitation to speak at
Utah Valley State College
Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah, United States. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July ...
shortly before the 2004 presidential elections. The largely conservative community of
Orem
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City.
Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...
erupted with controversy, which Greenstreet approaches from all sides of the debate. The student council’s decision to book Moore was met with protests, petitions, threats, lawsuits, a $25,000 bribe, and even a special appearance by
Sean Hannity
Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...
, who gives a talk on campus only a few days before Moore’s arrival. Juxtaposing candidly personal interviews with shots of unruly demonstrations, the film becomes a microcosm of the national political divisions and the debates surrounding
free speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...
.
Greenstreet illustrates the escalating obesity epidemic in America with his documentary ''Killer at Large'' (2008). The film investigates disturbing trends in how not only food addiction, but stress and fear, under-regulation and misinformation all contribute to the nation’s swelling weight problems.
Examining the often unhealthy state of school lunches and negative influence of kid-oriented advertising, the documentary reveals connections between the government and the food industry, exposing how children are the real victims of this obesity crisis.
Highlighting the example of twelve-year-old Brook Bates, whose 2006
liposuction
Liposuction, or simply lipo, is a type of fat-removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and does not appear to affect obesity-related problems. In the United States, lip ...
surgery made national headlines, the film contemplates how the indoctrination of children to perpetuate unhealthy habits will supersede laying the blame on personal accountability.
The premiere of ''
8: The Mormon Proposition'' (2010) at
Sundance
A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony.
Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood
* Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town
;United States
* Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...
was met with a lengthy standing ovation despite the intense controversy surrounding it.
The film was inspired by ballot measures like California’s "
Prop 8
Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage. It passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned by the ...
," designed to legally prohibit
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
. Addressing the estimated $22 million
Mormons
Mormons are a Religious denomination, religious and ethnocultural group, cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's d ...
had raised along with internal church documents, the film unravels an extensive campaign carried out by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) with intent to influence California’s voters. Contrasting hard statistics with emotionally charged testimonials from gays and families, ''8: The Mormon Proposition'' reveals the detrimental effect of the LDS church’s persistent stance on homosexuality. The church has declined all of the filmmakers’ requests for interviews. A spokesperson for the church said that the church had not seen the film, but that it doubted the film's accuracy based on the trailer and material online.
In February 2013, it was announced that Greenstreet's next project was a documentary on pop singer
Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round".
Kesha's music and ima ...
. Greenstreet, along with
Lagan Sebert, followed Kesha over two years as she performed in various countries and then returned to the U.S. to record her sophomore album, ''
Warrior
A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste.
History
...
''. The documentary was released by
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
and premiered in April 2013.
Greenstreet began hosting ''The Basement Office,'' a New York Post Youtube series concerning UFOs, in 2019.
In March 2014 he was promoted from the staff position of Video Editor at the ''New York Post'' to his current title of Senior Video Producer.
Filmography
* ''The Basement Office'' (2019–) (director/producer/host)
* ''The Curse of Don's Plum'' (2019) (producer)
* ''The Banker Suicides'' (2016) (producer)
* ''
Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life'' (2013) (co-director/producer)
* ''
8: The Mormon Proposition'' (2010) (co-director/producer)
* ''Killer at Large'' (2008) (director/producer)
* ''
This Divided State'' (2005) (director/producer)
References
External links
Steven Greenstreet Homepage''8: The Mormon Proposition'' Official Site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenstreet, Steven
American documentary filmmakers
Investigative journalists
American journalists
American investigative journalists
1979 births
Living people