Debunking the Myths of American Poverty
Documentaries for the American Heart and Mind
Telling the truth about generational poverty & the low-wage economy that ensnares millions of essential workers and families.
About Us
Vision Statement
of Filmmaker Brendan Mattingly
and Poverty Activist Bill Simpson:
"We never set out to be poverty crusaders or social agitators. It was never our goal to stand in the breach and call America to account.
As high school friends, we came of age in the 1970s, children of the moonshot, postwar fervor, and small town values.
Our s
Vision Statement
of Filmmaker Brendan Mattingly
and Poverty Activist Bill Simpson:
"We never set out to be poverty crusaders or social agitators. It was never our goal to stand in the breach and call America to account.
As high school friends, we came of age in the 1970s, children of the moonshot, postwar fervor, and small town values.
Our senior class reveled in the patriotic euphoria of the Bicentennial and believed in an America of endless possibilities.
Although Vietnam and Watergate tempered our expectations, we clung to the Founders' vision of shared responsibility and consensus rule.
When we left Allegany High School in Cumberland, Maryland to chase our dreams, pursuit of the greater good was still the national lodestar. Compassion, civility, and fairness still filled the town square.
We rekindled our friendship during weekly Zoom calls triggered by a global pandemic. Go figure.
As we asked each other hard questions about 2020 America, we knew we had to do more than complain and criticize.
We were old enough to remember an America that actually worked together, not perfectly, but sufficiently.
As fathers and grandfathers, we felt a legacy obligation that demanded our attention before our moment passed.
And so, after an intensive process of self-inventory and personal reflection, we took the great plunge and started Confute Films, a place where we can tell important stories, debunk toxic myths, and chase sustainable solutions for the betterment of all."
Brendan and Bill
Allegany High School Class of 1976
Brendan Mattingly began his career in southeast Washington D.C. capturing the images of babies and families in poor neighborhoods that others feared to enter.
The son of a legendary amateur basketball coach in Western Maryland who shook the local sports world in the 1960s by integrating his teams at a time of profound racial unrest, Bren
Brendan Mattingly began his career in southeast Washington D.C. capturing the images of babies and families in poor neighborhoods that others feared to enter.
The son of a legendary amateur basketball coach in Western Maryland who shook the local sports world in the 1960s by integrating his teams at a time of profound racial unrest, Brendan arrived in D.C. perfectly wired to cross divides and build bridges.
As his career took off, Brendan never lost sight of his father's example. He made it his business to balance personal achievement with community giveback to the less fortunate and most vulnerable.
A highly accomplished Mid-Atlantic commercial photographer, videographer, and creative director, Brendan's work has reached millions through the pages of ESPN Magazine, Forbes, GQ, Maxim, Men's Health, People, Rolling Stone, and Runner's World.
Since the 1980s, Brendan has traveled the globe to create commercial photography and video for some of the world's largest corporations including American Express, Anheuser-Busch, CBS Television, and the Discovery Channel. Government clients have included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the General Services Administration and the Northern Virginia Transit Authority.
Brendan's photographs were the cornerstone of the highly successful Under Armour marketing campaign, "Protect This House." Brendan would go on to spend a decade helping the Maryland sportswear company grow into a behemoth international brand.
By the 1990s, Brendan was widely recognized as a top photographer in the sports world, creating magnificent images of famous athletes like baseball stars Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte and football great Ray Lewis.
Through his work with AMVETS on behalf of disabled veterans, Brendan has photographed every American president from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama.
Bill Simpson spent 13 years in Cold War national intelligence before teaching at the University of Maryland (Baltimore) while pursuing postgraduate studies in 20th century history focused on the Great Depression and the civil rights era.
When his C.O.O. position at a suburban family services agency required him to make a series of home vi
Bill Simpson spent 13 years in Cold War national intelligence before teaching at the University of Maryland (Baltimore) while pursuing postgraduate studies in 20th century history focused on the Great Depression and the civil rights era.
When his C.O.O. position at a suburban family services agency required him to make a series of home visits in inner city Baltimore, Bill was horrified to find 3rd world living conditions in the backyard of Johnny U and Brooks Robinson.
After serious soul searching, Bill resigned his lucrative executive position to help launch an anti-poverty nonprofit in East Baltimore with his longtime co-conspirator, Dan Crow of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Ellicott City, Maryland.
For nearly 2 decades, Bill has been at the front lines of intergenerational poverty on the hard streets of East Baltimore where the drug war rages on, the low-wage economy persists, and the safety net has collapsed under the weight of partisanship, corruption, ineptitude, and gross indifference,
Bill has worked directly with over 900 impoverished households, 300 ex-offenders, and nearly every American institution that has a stake in the poverty game.
In 2014, after creating an ex-offender recidivism rate 75 percent better than government programs, Bill's Baltimore nonprofit was recognized by Keller Williams Realty as its national community partner of the year.
Over the past 2 decades, Bill has spoken to hundreds of business, government, and faith audiences about the need for a unified national restart that can uplift poor children, struggling parents, and entry-level workers.
As a poverty advocate, Bill has challenged scores of American businesses to raise wages, provide better benefits, and see the economic advantages of contributing to a more stable and productive workforce.