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Jody Hill
Perseverance, a background in tae kwon do and a fistful of credit cards helped elevate writer-director Jody Hill from struggling filmmaker to the center of attention at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival with his debut film, "The Foot Fist Way" (2006). A raucous low-budget comedy about a small-town martial arts instructor whose world comes unglued after he discovers his wife's infidelity, the picture caught the attention of Will Ferrell and partner Adam MacKay, who distributed it through their own production company. Its cult success put Hill in the driver's seat for several high profile projects, including an HBO pilot, "Eastbound & Down" (2008) and a feature comedy, "Observe and Report" (2009) with Seth Rogen.