Mary Mazzio, an award-winning documentary film director, Olympic athlete, and former law firm partner,
is Founder and CEO of 50 Eggs, Inc., an independent film production company dedicated to
making socially impactful films. Mary wrote, directed, and produced the highly-acclaimed films,
Underwater Dreams, TEN9EIGHT, The Apple Pushers, A Hero for Daisy, Contrarian, Apple Pie,
and Lemonade Stories. Her newest documentary film, I AM JANE DOE, narrated by Academy Award
nominee, Jessica Chastain, opened in select cities with AMC Theatres in 2017 and is now on Netflix.
The film catalyzed (on a bipartisan basis) legislation signed by the President in 2018.
• I AM JANE DOE, narrated by Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, directed by awardwinning
filmmaker Mary Mazzio, and produced by Mazzio along with Academy Award-nominee
Alec Sokolow, chronicled the battle that several mothers across the country waged against
Backpage.com, the largest online portal for commercial sex. Called “a gripping legal
thriller” (Esquire); “a powerful call to action” (The Los Angeles Times); “the rare social-issue
documentary that has an effect on a social issue” (The Washington Post); “especially
impressive... a powerful piece of work” (Elle); “striking... powerful” (The Film Journal), I AM
JANE DOE has captured not only the attention of film critics, but an avalanche of popular press
as well (e.g. The New Yorker, Esquire, Cosmo, Vogue, NBC Nightly News, a three-part story in
People), providing a remarkable opportunity for culture shift, impact, and awareness, particularly
with respect to the under-reported crime of child sex-trafficking. More importantly, the film has
catalyzed extraordinary activity, including new legislation (on a bipartisan basis) signed by the
President in the spring of 2018; investigative reporting into the links between Google and
Backpage; and a federal criminal probe of Backpage executives, resulting in a 93-count
indictment. The OECD, which invited Mary to speak about the issue of online harm, moved to
amend its charter documentation, so that human rights violations and harm to children
happening online are addressed as the organization moves forward to establish global policy for
online platforms.
• I AM LITTLE RED is a 10-minute animated short aimed at children most at-risk for sex trafficking,
with the goal of prevention and awareness. The film, animated by Academy Award winners Gabriel
Osorio and Pato Escala from Punkrobot, and written by 10 survivors of sex trafficking (aged 14-
21) along with Alec Sokolow (Academy Award nominated writer of Toy Story) and Mary Mazzio
(director/Producer of I AM JANE DOE), is a contemporary re-imagining of the classic fairy tale,
Little Red Riding Hood . In partnership with The US Department of Health and Human Services,
LITTLE RED is expanding to a wide variety of federal and state agencies working with
disenfranchised children. Over 1,000 New York State agencies working with at-risk children are
now using LITTLE RED, and hundreds of shelters housing unaccompanied minors near border
cities are doing prevention training with LITTLE RED. Ricky Martin and his foundation are
introducing the Spanish version into Puerto Rico and Latin America.
• Underwater Dreams, narrated by Michael Peña and funded by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination
Fund and the Bezos Family Foundation, raised over $100 million dollars in corporate and private
commitments in connection with a White House initiative around the film. The film, which
chronicles the epic story of how the sons of undocumented Mexican immigrants learned how to
build an underwater robot from Home Depot parts – and defeat engineering powerhouse MIT in
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the process, was hailed by Jonathan Alter as “the most politically significant documentary
film since Waiting for Superman (The Daily Beast); featured on The Colbert Report and
Morning Joe; called “astonishing... already a contender for the best documentary of 2014′′
(David Noh, Film Journal); “moving and insightful” (Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times) and
named one of the Best Family Movies of 2014 by Common Sense Media, Underwater
Dreams was released theatrically in Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix with AMC Theatres
and then screened at the White House, with introductory remarks by President Obama. A
special version of the film was broadcast on MSNBC and Telemundo (simultaneously in
English and Spanish) with promotion and events throughout the NBC Universal family.
• TEN9EIGHT, which tells the inspirational stories of several inner-city teens as they compete in an
annual business plan competition, was theatrically released in a first-of-its-kind partnership with
AMC Theatres, and broadcast on BET/Viacom, coinciding with the release of a companion book
to the film from Scholastic and a screening at the White House Summit hosted by the US
Department of Education and the Library of Congress. New York Times Columnist, Tom
Friedman, said this about the film in The New York Times: “Obama should arrange for this movie
to be shown in every classroom in America. It is the most inspirational, heartwarming film you
will ever see.” Named as one of the 10 best documentary films on education by Take Part and
selected as a finalist for VH1’s DOSOMETHING Awards, the film was also called “inspiring...
should be compulsory viewing in high schools around the country” (Lael Lowenstein, Variety);
“very well made” (Mike Hale, The New York Times); and “important,” (Marshall Fine,
Huffington Post). The film received extraordinary press in The New York Times, The Financial
Times, Fortune Small Business, Inc. Magazine, BusinessWeek.com, TheAtlanticWire.com, ABC
News, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, NPR, IMUS, and others.
• The Apple Pushers, narrated by Academy-Award nominee Edward Norton, follows immigrant
street vendors who are rolling fresh fruits and vegetables into the inner cities of New York. The
film was picked up for distribution by Oscilloscope (of which, Tracie McMillan of The Atlantic
wrote: “emotionally, the film packs a wallop”) was exhibited theatrically on Earth Day in several
cities by Whole Foods, followed by a nationwide broadcast on public television’s WORLD
channel. The film has had a wide-ranging series of special screenings, including Aspen Ideas
Festival with Robin Schepper (head of Mrs. Obama's "Let's Move" campaign); the US Department
of Agriculture with Kathleen Merrigan (Deputy Secretary of the USDA) for heads of federal
agencies; as well as pop-up screenings organized by foundations, food policy activists, and policy
leaders – all with the goal of sparking creative thinking about how to solve the obesity problem in
low income neighborhoods. The film received extensive coverage in The New York Times, The
Atlantic, Fox Business, The Washington Post, Variety, Fast Company, Financial Times,
Forbes.com, Bloomberg, MTV.com, EcoSalon, among many others.
• A Hero for Daisy, chronicles two-time Olympian Chris Ernst who galvanized her rowing team to
storm the Yale athletic director’s office in 1976 to protest the lack of locker room facilities for the
women. The film was hailed by The New York Times as a “landmark film”; “fantastic” by
Sports Illustrated; and “remarkable” by NPR. The film aired nationwide on ESPN Classics,
Oxygen, WGBH, and WTSN-Canada; was invited to screen at the Smithsonian; and is in
thousands of classrooms across the country.
• Apple Pie, featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Drew Bledsoe, Mia Hamm and Grant Hill, is a tribute to
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the often-invisible strength, courage and power of mothers. The film was broadcast nationally on
ESPN to critical acclaim and was called “illuminating – told with deftness and emotion... priceless”
by The New York Times; “heartwarming” by Los Angeles Times; “fantastic” by NPR; and
“excellent” by CNN. The film was also a recommended pick in both Entertainment Weekly and
TVGuide.
• Contrarian, narrated by Fred Thompson, chronicles the life of legendary stock investor John
Templeton. The Christian Science Monitor recommended the film as one of its “Top Picks” and
Movieguide, in a four-star review, described the film as a "fascinating documentary produced with
a delicate sense of grace.” Reviewed favorably by The New York Times, Contrarian aired
primetime nationwide on Bloomberg Television, and internationally throughout Asia.
• Lemonade Stories, featuring Richard Branson, Arthur Blank and Russell Simmons, focuses on how
mothers have contributed to the entrepreneurial spirit of their sons and daughters. The film aired
nationwide on CNNfn (and globally in Latin America, the UK, Israel, the Middle East, New
Zealand, and Hong Kong), was the subject of cover stories by USA Today (complete with a trailer
and photos on USA Today’s splash page), Forbes.com, The Christian Science Monitor, ABC
News.com, as well as featured on NPR, Bloomberg Radio, and in Fast Company. Time Magazine
also published an Op-Ed in 2012.
Mazzio, an Olympic athlete (1992-Rowing), is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Georgetown
Law School. She is a recipient of several awards including an honorary degree from Mount Holyoke
College; the Women's Sports Foundation Journalism Award, a Gracie Award, a Myra Sadker Gender
Equity Curriculum Award, a Henry Luce Foundation Fellowship (to Korea), a Rotary Foundation
Graduate Fellowship (to France), and an American Heritage Award (from the American Immigration
Council). Mary, formerly a partner with the law firm of Brown Rudnick in Boston, has served on several
Boards of Directors including Shackleton Schools, Sojourner House (a homeless shelter), The Boston
Youth Symphony Orchestras, The Head of the Charles Regatta, The National Rowing Foundation, and
World T.E.A.M Sports (supporting disabled athletes). She has also served as a judge for the Sports
Emmys. The Schlesinger Library at Harvard University has requested all of Mazzio’s papers for its
collection. Mary and her work have been featured on The Today Show, The Colbert Report, NBC Nightly
News, and in The New Yorker, Esquire, Vogue, Cosmo, People Magazine, Elle, The New York Times, The
Financial Times, Fortune, Time Magazine, USA Today, Business Week, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide,
Sports Illustrated, The Economist, WIRED, The Los Angeles Times, Business Week, The Washington Post,
Variety, The Daily Beast. Other coverage includes: Morning Joe, Dr. Oz Show, Tucker Carlson Tonight,
The Atlantic.com, The Hollywood Reporter, The Film Journal, AP, MTV.com, The Boston Globe,
Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, The Seattle Times, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Village
Voice, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Marie Claire, Forbes.com, MSNMoney.com, Al-Jazeera, Bloomberg,
CBS Early Morning, ABC News Now, CNN Sunday Morning, CNN’s This Hour, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox
Business News, Fox News Latino, PBS Nightly News Report, CNN Headline News, BBC World News,
NPR (On Point, The Connection, It’s Only A Game, Here and How), All in with Chris Hayes, Telemundo,
mun2, Oxygen, ESPN’s Sports Center, Baseball Tonight, and Cold Pizza, GOOD Magazine, Yahoo
News, Washington Times, Huffington Post, Fusion, among others. Mary’s story has been chronicled in
the books One Person, Multiple Careers (by former NY Times columnist Marci Alboher) and 168 Hours
(by USA Today writer Laura Vanderkam).
Mazzio’s work has been supported by The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, The Bezos Family
Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 3M, The Angel Foundation, The Lovelight
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Foundation, New Balance, Welch’s, BlackRock, The John Templeton Foundation, Staples, The Virginia
Piper Charitable Trust, Babson College, Life Is Good, Nike, Clif Bar, Staples, Wellesley College, The
Massachusetts Department of Education, the Kauffman Foundation, the Sahsen Foundation, among
others. She is currently Filmmaker-in-Residence at Babson College.