Director Biography - Daniel Gartzke

Daniel Gartzke is an alumni of University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Radio/Tv/Film Department and an internationally, award winning Director. Dan is the winner of Best Documentary and Best Director awards in India, London, Paris, and Los Angeles for his debut documentary, Light in The Darkness. He brings expertise and vision to the important issue of companion animals and euthanasia in the six time Best Documentary International winner Rescue Story, Saving Companion Animals. This newest film nominated is Tethered, Are We the Experiment? created as an anthem of education and awareness in alignment with the Conscious Content Collective mission. Dan is a valuable contributor to this mission through Shaman Motion Pictures.

Director Statement

Technology has reshaped the way we live our lives. The internet has connected the world. Social media has changed the way we interact with each other. The speed of communication has reshaped the way we do business. So with more connections than ever before, why are depression, loneliness, and mental illness on the rise? This film seeks to discuss the issues caused by the digital integration of our society. The effects of the technology on our brains, the effects of exposing youth to this technology, and the changes to society as a whole are just a few of the many issues we will discuss. The troubling effects of this tech on us and our children raise some rather large questions. Technology itself is neither good, nor evil. It is a tool to be used in a positive, or negative way. One of the biggest questions this film attempts to answer is where the line between the two resides. While the technology seems to be giving us capabilities our ancestors couldn’t have dreamed of, it would seem these capabilities come with a capacity for harm. Is it worth it? Can a happy medium be reached? Are the tools and technology fundamentally changing us as a species? If so, is this a

problem? Is it even possible to return to a more tech-less world? Would that be better, or worse? Are we connecting, are we tethered or are we the experiment?