From Grassroots Comedy:
“Amid chaotic budget cuts and thousands of layoffs across the US government, three federal workers are standing up for their tedious, essential duties in keeping the country running in a new series of videos from Grassroots Comedy, a DC-based comedy nonprofit.
The shorts profile John (Legislative Analyst at the Department of Labor), Ian (Medical Device Reviewer at the Food and Drug Administration), and Van (Locally Led Initiatives at the United States Agency for International Development), exploring their genuine, nerdy dedication to civil service as well as the expansive knowledge, skill, and stomach for paperwork needed to do these vital jobs. The videos are available on YouTube and are being released one-by-one on the Grassroots Instagram account. They connect viewers to WeTheBuilders.org, a website documenting stories from federal employees about their service to the American people.
“Feds are our audiences, comedians, colleagues, and friends,” explains creator Dana Fleitman, who co-produced the shorts. “To see the vilification and firing of the earnest people that we know — many who live and work in the DC area because of a sincere commitment to making America better — is absolutely absurd.” Co-producer and lifelong DMV resident Isaiah Headen concurs, “this is not normal.”
Grassroots acknowledges that these videos are not all that funny. “The mundanity is the point,” explains Fleitman. “These are just normal people doing meaningful jobs, and the way they work has been politicized is the wild part.”