This timely documentary chronicles the tech-fueled rise and Fyre-style fall of HQ Trivia, the revolutionary "game show on your phone" app that went viral, swept the nation, then crashed and burned. The global live-play game sensation drew millions of daily users to its frenetically fun trivia challenges and cash prizes, attracting celebrity fans including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Neil Patrick Harris, Jimmy Kimmel, and Kelly Clarkson. But its success was undone by corporate clashes, cast changes, and a tragic death. Told through the eyes of former host Scott Rogowsky and other first-person players from inside and outside the company, the film documents the real-life comedy and tragedy that unfolded in front of and behind the cameras.
Mike Miley hails from Lafayette, LA. He earned his BA in English Writing from Loyola University New Orleans and his MFA in Film Directing from the American Film Institute. Miley teaches at the high school and college level, focusing primarily on American literature and film studies. His research into literature and film ranges from popular culture, postmodern American fiction, American independent film, French cinema, rock music in film, and the work of David Lynch and David Foster Wallace. He is the recipient of a Harry Ransom Center Fellowship from the University of Texas at Austin, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholars grant, and has had his work listed in Best American Essays. In addition to academic scholarship, he has written about literature and cinema for mainstream websites and given lectures and talks at film festivals.