Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock became well known to most Americans as a result of his 2003 film Super Size Me, in which he documented his health as he spent 30 days eating only food from the fast-food chain McDonald's. Spurlock was raised in West Virginia, and attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he graduated with a BFA in film in 1993. He worked steadily as a playwright before he produced Super Size Me, which was critically acclaimed on the festival circuit, and became a surprise commercial success. Following the positive reaction he received for his film, Spurlock created a documentary television series called 30 Days, in which he or other participants would immerse themselves in a given lifestyle for an entire month. Spurlock spent the first episode trying to survive on minimum wage, while other episodes documented situations like clueless hipsters living on an ecological preservation farm, and a border guard living with a family of illegal immigrants.

Spurlock also worked on other projects, executive producing the drama Chalk, and producing the documentary What Would Jesus Buy?, a film about American consumer culture. In 2008, he helmed his second documentary feature, Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, which opened to mixed reviews. Spurlock continues to both direct and produce documentary fare, with films and on television.