Morgan Spurlock to speak at McAlister

Courtesy Matt Simmons

Morgan Spurlock, the producer, writer and documentary filmmaker best known for the film “Super Size Me” and TV show “30 Days,” will speak at 7 p.m. Monday in McAlister Auditorium.

The talk is part of the Direction Speaker Series, which Tulane University Campus Programming brought back last year for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Past speakers include former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PostSecret Founder Frank Warren.

“Typically we bring politicians in the fall, and in the spring we try to bring someone who can relate to students and be more informal,” said Matt Simmons, TUCP direction chair and president-elect.

TUCP President Monica Kumar said she thought Spurlock would be an ideal speaker for their spring event.

“We are always looking for diverse and illustrious persons to bring to campus,” Kumar said. “Morgan Spurlock is someone who has definitely left an impact on our culture since “Super Size Me” changed the way we looked at fries.”

Spurlock will talk about his work and take questions from the audience. The event will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the release of ‘Super Size Me,’ and footage from the event will appear in its upcoming fifth anniversary special DVD release, which will also include footage from events at other colleges.

“Students in the audience or people who ask questions might end up on the DVD,” Simmons said.

Many Tulane students said they are looking forward to the event.

“I’ve always enjoyed Morgan Spurlock and his work,” said freshman Hunter Smith, who plans to attend Spurlock’s talk. “He does a great job in making the points he’s trying to get across to his audience while keeping it lighthearted at the same time.”

Kumar said she also has high hopes for the event.

“Students will enjoy the talk simply because he’s a fascinating guy,” Kumar said. “I am just hoping that Tulane students will come out to the event and enjoy hearing from him. Perhaps [they will] even learn something.”