"I learned a lot. It was a very formative experience...It was an amazing job to have."
Bill Gates on being a Congressional Page
Background
In 2011, the House of Representatives made a controversial decision to end its 200-year-old "Page" program, which brought young Americans to Congress as messengers. With a fly-on-the wall perspective, Pages witnessed the most extraordinary events in U.S. history. Many have gone on to become senators, congressmen, presidential advisers, civic leaders, and successful entrepreneurs.
We're telling their story for the first time.
We're telling their story for the first time.
The Documentary
Democracy's Messengers: The Untold Story of Young Americans on Capitol Hill gives a behind-the-scenes look into Washington's halls of power from Pages in the Senate, House, and Supreme Court who witnessed our Nation's leaders up-close as they made history from the Revolutionary War to 9/11 and beyond.
It is also the coming-of-age tale of an American tradition and the young people that it shaped, whose proximity to power has served as a reminder to elected leaders to work together--and to leave the country in better shape for those who will inherit it.
The project is being narrated by renowned journalist Cokie Roberts and directed by Hollywood documentary filmmaker Eric Neal Young as a made-for-television documentary with an hour-long runtime.
The documentary is slated for release in 2015.
It is also the coming-of-age tale of an American tradition and the young people that it shaped, whose proximity to power has served as a reminder to elected leaders to work together--and to leave the country in better shape for those who will inherit it.
The project is being narrated by renowned journalist Cokie Roberts and directed by Hollywood documentary filmmaker Eric Neal Young as a made-for-television documentary with an hour-long runtime.
The documentary is slated for release in 2015.
The Producers
The documentary is being produced by Taggart Transcontinental Films, LLC, a production company established by two former Congressional Pages.
Jerry Papazian, Producer
Jerry is the founder of Taggart Transcontinental Films, LLC. He is also Managing Director of Fountainhead Associates, Inc., a California-based management consulting firm he founded in 2002, which specializes in helping entrepreneurs start and grow new businesses. Before starting his own consultancy, Jerry was a corporate securities attorney with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, followed by service as a Vice President at Bear Stearns and subsequently as President and Chief Operating Officer of a public technology company.
Jerry served as president of the University of Southern California Alumni Association from 1995 to 1996 and as a member the USC Board of Trustees from 1994 to 1999. He is active in many civic and community organizations, including We Care For Youth, where he has served as treasurer of its Board of Trustees since 1994. He is the Chairman of the Armenian Film Foundation and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Pomegranate Foundation, the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation, the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games and the Los Angeles Sports Council. He is also a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
Miles Taylor, Producer
Miles Taylor is the co-founder of Taggart Transcontinental Films, LLC and also works in Washington, D.C. on national security issues. He was previously a staff member on the House Appropriations Committee, participating in historic efforts to cut federal spending and helping to oversee billions of dollars in federal programs. Before that, he served as the youngest presidential appointee in the George W. Bush Administration and has focused on national security and foreign policy at the White House, Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, and several think tanks.
Miles is a former Foreign Policy Initiative “Future Leader” and Truman Governance Fellow. He also serves as co-founder of the Washington Leadership Academy, a four-year charter high school opening in D.C. in 2016. Over the years, Miles has helped drive the expansion of start-up companies in D.C. and Silicon Valley. He received his M.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar and his B.A. in International Security Studies from Indiana University as a Harry S. Truman Scholar and Herman B. Wells Scholar.
Jerry Papazian, Producer
Jerry is the founder of Taggart Transcontinental Films, LLC. He is also Managing Director of Fountainhead Associates, Inc., a California-based management consulting firm he founded in 2002, which specializes in helping entrepreneurs start and grow new businesses. Before starting his own consultancy, Jerry was a corporate securities attorney with Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, followed by service as a Vice President at Bear Stearns and subsequently as President and Chief Operating Officer of a public technology company.
Jerry served as president of the University of Southern California Alumni Association from 1995 to 1996 and as a member the USC Board of Trustees from 1994 to 1999. He is active in many civic and community organizations, including We Care For Youth, where he has served as treasurer of its Board of Trustees since 1994. He is the Chairman of the Armenian Film Foundation and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Pomegranate Foundation, the Alpha Tau Omega Foundation, the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games and the Los Angeles Sports Council. He is also a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
Miles Taylor, Producer
Miles Taylor is the co-founder of Taggart Transcontinental Films, LLC and also works in Washington, D.C. on national security issues. He was previously a staff member on the House Appropriations Committee, participating in historic efforts to cut federal spending and helping to oversee billions of dollars in federal programs. Before that, he served as the youngest presidential appointee in the George W. Bush Administration and has focused on national security and foreign policy at the White House, Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, and several think tanks.
Miles is a former Foreign Policy Initiative “Future Leader” and Truman Governance Fellow. He also serves as co-founder of the Washington Leadership Academy, a four-year charter high school opening in D.C. in 2016. Over the years, Miles has helped drive the expansion of start-up companies in D.C. and Silicon Valley. He received his M.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar and his B.A. in International Security Studies from Indiana University as a Harry S. Truman Scholar and Herman B. Wells Scholar.