"Nermut Bundaloy" / Co-Creator / Producer / Editor

MISSION TO ZYXX is an improvised science fiction podcast following a team of ambassadors as they attempt to establish diplomatic relations with planets in the remote and chaotic ZYXX QUADRANT of the TREMILLION SECTOR. They work for the benevolent and harmonious FEDERATED ALLIANCE, which has recently defeated the evil GALACTIC MONARCHY. The Federated Alliance is definitely less evil.

The Alliance's newest recruit is AMBASSADOR PLECK DECKSETTER, a naive, gung-ho farm boy whose crew includes trusty, know-it-all droid C-53, and hulking, omnisexual security officer DAR. They travel aboard the outdated, sentient starship THE BARGAREAN JADE - aka BARGIE - who has as many ex-husbands as stories about her glory days. Their mission is nominally overseen by JUNIOR MISSIONS OPERATIONS MANAGER NERMUT BUNDALOY, a striving, entry-level bureaucrat yearning for respect.

I make the show alongside six other co-creators: Jeremy Bent, Alden Ford, Allie Kokesh, Shane O’Connell, Winston Noel and Moujan Zolfaghari. Performances are improvised and then edited and sound designed to become sitcom episodes for your ears. Each episode features a special guest comedian playing a character with the unlucky fate of receiving the team of ambassadors on his or her home planet. Season 3 is airing now!

Illustrations by Owen Freeman, Eric Geusz, Steve Dressler, Etgar Torne and Michael Murdock. Photographs by Arin Sang-Urai.

Improviser

2007-Present

I'm one fifth of the improv comedy group Thank You, Robot. We met studying at the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC. Cast includes Jeremy Bent, Matt Little, Christopher Scott and John Robert Wilson. We are apparently the longest running independent improv team in New York City. 

In our long-running show Science Exclamation Point!, scientists give mini-lectures that inspire two improv sets. It happens the first Saturday of every month at Caveat. 

We've performed in various comedy festivals, written for and appeared on TV shows and movies, and do not know the proper time at which to leave parties. Our spirit animal is Chris Gethard. 

The Real Story Behind the Fyre Festival. The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs. May 2, 2017

My Cool Boyfriend Became a Dud Husband. The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs. August 21, 2016

"Reality": A Video-Game Review. The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs. July 1, 2016

Creator / Producer / Host

A podcast festival beamed to movie theaters in the US, Canada and Australia, and later released by Vimeo On Demand and on Netflix - featuring stage performances by Radiolab, Invisibilia, Reply All, The Truth, Lauren Lapkus and Bobby Moynihan. Plus Cocoon Central Dance Team, horn quartet The Westerlies, original comedy videos, and cameos by Ira Glass and Sarah Koenig. I created and produced the show with BY Experience, Inc. It was pretty insane.

Photos by Adrianne Mathiowetz

Co-Producer/Actor

2017

UPDATE: Medal of Victory had its New York premiere at Nitehawk Cinema, and is now available on demand. 

I'm a co-producer of the feature film Medal of Victory, written and directed by Joshua Moise, about two AWOL soldiers who are mistaken for war heroes and become embroiled in a crooked small town mayoral election. The cast includes Will Blomker, Mason Hill and Anna Martemucci, with veteran character actors Richard Riehle (Office Space, Glory) and Jack O'Connell (The Sopranos, Mad Men, Louie, Inside Llewen Davis). Filmed on location in Wisconsin.

I was an on-set co-producer, played the role of reporter Clyde Gee, shot second unit footage, behind the scenes stills and video, and edited news footage that appears throughout the film.

Medal of Victory is a Warehouse District Films production. Previously, I co-edited Warehouse short films The Captain and Me (2007) and Treasury Men in Action (2009, also directed by Moise). 

Trailer

Miramax Emerging Filmmakers video feature about Medal of Victory.

FILM CREDITS

Writer/Animator/Voice

2014

Animation series about a married couple who are astronauts on Mars. Created with Shaina Feinberg. Made with Photoshop, ToonBoom Studio and Adobe Premiere. Three episodes so far.

"A hilarious, out-of-this world view of married life" - Tech Times

Writer, Director, Editor

A) I have no idea why would someone make this video.

B) I made this video.

Anyway, have ya wondered what would happen if you were left alone with someone else's very attractive sex robot? NOT WHAT YOU THINK.

Commissioned by CollegeHumor's experimental YouTube channel CH2.

Cast:
Andrew Warner
Will Stephen
Megan Kingsbury

Director of Photography: Matt McClain 
AC/Gaffer/Grip: Jake Lane
Sound Recordist: Jorge Olivo
Opening Title Graphics: Daron Nealis
Production Assistant: Paul Blank 

I  play an elf named Spark in this audio movie, which aired on NPR's All Things Considered on Christmas Day 2014. I co-wrote it with Jonathan Mitchell, who directed. It was also released as an episode of Jonathan's podcast The Truth.

Director, Cinematographer, Editor

Promotional video for the podcast Serial, starring Ira Glass and his 86-year-old friend from the dog park, Mary Ahearn. Aired on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon when Ira Glass was a guest.  

Director/Editor

2014

I directed the video of This American Life's live performance at Brooklyn Academy of Music on June 7, 2014, featuring a musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), stories by Mike Birbiglia (Sleepwalk With Me) and Sasheer Zamata (Saturday Night Live), music by Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), dance by Monica Bill Barnes & Co, and lots more.

It was a six camera shoot, which I live cut then re-edited with Ben Cohen. Produced by Ben Cohen and Ben Katz. Filmed with four Sony F5/F55 cameras with cinema lenses, and two Panasonic remote PTZs. Distributed by This American Life and VHX. 

Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz

Co-Producer/Cinematographer

2005

Documentary film about the genius keyboardist of Parliament-Funkadelic and Talking Heads. Directed by Philip Di Fiore. Featuring interviews with George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, David Byrne, Mos Def, Les Claypool and Warren Haynes. Shows at Jazz Fest 2003 comprise most of the concert footage in the movie. Took four years to make. 

Premiered at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival. Won audience awards at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in Greece. Released on DVD and online by MVD. 

RIP, Bernie. 

ALL FILM CREDITS

Director/Editor/Cinematographer

2004

Short 16mm documentary film about East Village NYC leatherworker Barbara Shaum, who was the first woman served in McSorley's Ale House - the last bar in New York to serve women. Shot on hand-wound Bolex. Edited on Steenbeck flatbed. 

Several festival screenings, including Silverdocs (now AFIDOCS). Aired on Thirteen: New York Public Television. Released on DVD by IndiePix. 

Click that play button to the right to watch the whole movie (10 mins).

ALL FILM CREDITS

Producer/Host

2008-2012

For four years, I hosted a monthly storytelling show called Told. Storytellers performed on a theme, with reactive-connective interludes performed by someone with a personal or professional relationship to the theme. For example, a tarot reader for The Crystal Ball, or a defense attorney for I Fought The Law. The show was filmed as a TV pilot but not picked up as a series.  Told was produced by Heidi Grumelot and presented by Horse Trade Theater Group.

Highlights include performances by Adam Wade, Ian Roberts, Ophira Eisenberg, Peter Aguero and Chris Gethard. 

Told in The New York Times: "Telling Stories with a Tear and a Smile," 4/4/2012.

Producer

2012

This American Life stage show, beamed live into 600 movie theaters. Featuring Ira Glass, David Sedaris, David Rakoff, Tig Notaro, OK Go, Mike Birbiglia, Terry Gross, Monica Bill Barnes & Company and more. 70,000 people attended nationwide. 

DVD | video download (scroll to bottom of download site)

Photos by Adrianne Mathiowetz

Mission to Zyxx - I'm one of six co-creators of this improvised sci-fi comedy podcast. I play Junior Missions Operations Manager Nermut Bundaloy, and am an editor and producer on the series. 2017-2018.

Possible Side Effects - I play a not-so-attentive doctor in this episode of The Truth, written by Casper Kelly ("Too Many Cooks") and starring Adam Wade. 2017.

Naughty or Nice - I  play an elf named Spark in this Christmas episode of the podcast The Truth. Written with Jonathan Mitchell, who directed. Commissioned by NPR's All Things Considered, where it aired on Christmas Day 2014. 

How Did You Like Staying At Our Apartment? - Comedy piece on Jonathan Goldstein's CBC radio show and podcast Wiretap. 2014.

Will I Have Feelings? - Story Collider story about having a pacemaker. 2011.

Hollywood Induced Nightmare  - This American Life story about seeing The Shining when I was seven years old. 2008.

Three radio stories that aired on various public radio stations: two portraits of subway musicians; one experimental essay about the pier at Coney Island. 2001-2002.

I am director of operations for This American Life, managing technical and business stuff for the show. I voice those sponsorship messages on the podcast. 2006-present.

Image: creative commons

Various projects. Mostly video. Some visual art/design. No haiku yet. 

This American Life presents... SHORTCUT (writer/director/editor)

I scripted, shot and edited this promo video for an app developed by This American Life that lets listeners share podcast clips as videos with animated transcriptions. 

Music Video: Sadies Tears by James Place (animator)

I drew a bunch of squiggles for this music video directed by Jordan Levie and Rachel Garber Cole, for a track off the debut LP by the electronica artist Phil Tortoroli, a.k.a. James Place. 

Miramax Video Blog: Medal of Victory (DP)

I shot the documentary and interview footage for this Miramax video - a behind the scenes look at the film Medal of Victory, featuring director Joshua Moise and producer/actor Will Blomker. Edited by Moise. 

SkyMall Collages (artiste)

Some of the most important pieces of artwork ever created by human hands, made after 12 years of studying America's most influential in-flight catalogue. Included in the permanent collections of zero museums, and the temporary collection of my house. 

Cinemania! Oscars Edition (writer/director/editor)

Sketch comedy video timed to the 2013 Oscars. Dougie Ellroy has landed a special guest for his barely-watched YouTube show about movies: his nemesis, New York Times film critic Vance Inwood.  Starring Jeremy Bent and David Bluvband from The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.  Filmed with three Canon 6D DSLR cameras. 

A Message from Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes & Anna Bass (director/DP/editor)

Video promo for the Town Hall NYC performances of the radio/dance mashup show performed by Ira Glass and Monica Bill Barnes & Company. In the video, they reveal the dirty secret of "Broadway."

Thank You, Robot: In Memoriam (director/editor)

Before starting our 7th anniversary show, my improv comedy group decided to pay respects to the members who died the previous year. Spoiler: we all died, in connected and successively dumber ways. Possum cameo. Stills shot on Canon 6D DSLR. Edited and animated in Adobe Premiere. 

Treasury Men In Action (editor)

Short film directed by Joshua Moise, about impostor EPA workers who attempt to steal a fortune from an elderly recluse, and get more than they bargained for. Co-edited with Moise. Distributed by Hulu. Scroll down to watch the entire film (15 mins).

This American Life: 500 Shows (designer)

This American Life homepage redesign, accompanying the show's 500th episode. Animated thumbnails overlaid the page in a grid, with links to every episode. Code by Rich Orris.

Some outlets where people have been kind enough to write about my projects, interview me, or invite me to speak.

2018

Filmmaker Magazine article about Mission to Zyxx

Lifehacker profile of Mission to Zyxx

Vulture: The Best Podcasts of 2018 (So Far) 

Gizmodo review of Mission to Zyxx

2017

Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine profile for Mission to Zyxx

Vox roundup recommending Mission to Zyxx

Newsweek feature about Mission to Zyxx

An Evening of Humorous Readings, HiFi, NYC

Uptown Showdown mock debate, arguing that fiction is better than facts

2016

Turn It Up Pandora event about audio storytelling

Uptown Showdown mock debate, arguing that adulthood is better than childhood

2015

New York Times article about Cast Party.

HuffPost Live appearance about Cast Party.

2014

ThinkGeek roundup including Thank You, Robot

Tech Times story about A Couple of Astronauts

Miramax video blog about Medal of Victory

Indiewire feature about Medal of Victory

On The Media story about public media organizations

2013

Capital Times article about Medal of Victory

BoingBoing podcast interview

Engadget video interview

Dale Radio live show interview, with the best fictional host in the business

Ideasmyth panel about podcast storytelling, with Catherine Burns (The Moth) and Jonathan Mitchell (The Truth)

2012 

The New York Times article about live storytelling, including Told

SXSW panel about storytelling, with And I Am Not Lying

2011

New York Comedy Festival panel on comedic storytelling

Nieman Journalism Lab article about This American Life digital distribution

2010

Macalester Today alumni magazine feature

2009

92nd St. Y panel about This American Life

2008

TV Guide blurb for Barbara Leather TV screening

Indiewire feature about Channel Thirteen series including Barbara Leather

2005

Film Threat review of Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth