About - The PAIN GAME

The Project

In the works since 2004, The PAIN GAME tells the story of America’s overdose crisis as it unfolded in real time through print articles interlinked with time-traveling video pieces and audio interviews.

At its core it is a story with a beginning and a middle, but not yet an end. If you are coming to it somewhere in medias res, we encourage you to go back through the archive and read about the cases and events we have covered in chronological order. As we develop our archive, we will keep our readers/viewers oriented in time. This is important because the story unfurls itself in ways that are both unexpected and ineluctable. As part of our archive will also build out a Cast of Characters and a Timeline of Events as we introduce them (and as we get the hang of this).

We will also cover current or tangential issues under The PAIN GAME banner when we feel we have something unique to contribute to the public discourse based on our deep reporting.

Our story’s end is a work in progress. Our hope is that our paid subscribers will contribute to its direction by engaging with us (constructively) in the comments section. Erica, our Director, has always called this the “choose your own adventure” aspect of what we do. We don’t know how it will all turn out, but we are pretty sure it will indeed be an adventure.

Free subscribers can expect to receive a written post each week, most of which will be studded with integral video clips, as well as occasional video posts. As we get underway, paid subscribers will receive additional video and audio material. And we are hoping that our founding members will serve as our beta audience for longer, theatrical-quality film projects we plan to spin off of the newsletter.

Who We Are

Amy Bianco, Producer/Editor in Chief

Amy Bianco is a book publishing industry veteran who, during the course of her 20-year stint in New York City acquired, edited, and/or published more than 35 nonfiction books, working primarily with scientist-authors exploring the fruitful boundaries between disciplines. Her in-house positions included Sponsoring Editor for trade science at The McGraw-Hill Companies; National Science, Nature, and Medicine Buyer for Barnes & Noble, Inc.; and Associate Agent at John Brockman Associates (now Brockman, Inc.). As a freelance writer Amy co-authored McAllister Hull’s memoir Rider of the Pale Horse: A Memoir of Los Alamos and Beyond (University of New Mexico Press, 2005). She began working on The PAIN GAME in 2012, and in 2016 founded Quarter Turn Media along with Erica Modugno Dagher. Amy is a graduate of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a member of the National Association of Science Writers.

Ed Bianco, Video Production Assistant

Ed Bianco earned a B.F.A. in Film, Animation, and New Genres from the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He has been working on The PAIN GAME since 2022, assisting with both production and post-production.

Mark Larranaga, Producer/Creative Director

Mark Larranaga is an acclaimed Lead Nuke Compositor, Visual Effects Artist, and Director, who stands tall among this generation's most prolific contributors to the world of Hollywood. His credits include blockbuster hits like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron, as well as the renowned HBO series Game of Thrones. And with music videos for Charlie Puth, Janet Jackson, X Japan, Erykah Badu, and Will Smith he has created imagery that has awed audiences worldwide. Mark’s recent work includes a string of successful TV series, including The Offer, Beef, Servant, and Roar. He has embraced a new chapter in his career, collaborating with MSG Sphere Entertainment and venturing into the realms of writing and directing under his own brand, SAINTSLA. Mark joined Quarter Turn Media and started working on The PAIN GAME in 2023.

Erica Modugno Dagher, Producer/Director of Photography

Erica Modugno Dagher is a film industry veteran with more than 20 years of commercial filmmaking experience. As a freelance line producer/production supervisor in Los Angeles and New York City, her credit list includes more than 150 music videos, as well as numerous commercial, docu-reality, and still photography projects. As a freelancer, Erica has pursued her long-held interest in non-fiction educational content, teaching herself how to edit, shoot, and produce her own work. She began filming The PAIN GAME in 2004, and in 2016 founded Quarter Turn Media with Amy Bianco. Erica is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University. She is a member of Women in Film and Television, New England; the Independent Documentary Association; the National Press Photographers Association; Film Specific; and Investigative Reporters and Editors.