Class clown, satirical viral video with friends, stand-up comic and now as director of video for a website, Woodmere native Tyler Gildin has put his creative and humorous talents to work.
Gildin, 26, and his team at Elite Daily, was awarded a New York Emmy earlier this year for a video that chronicled the story of Atlantic Beach resident Oliver Miller, 15, who suffers from severe seizures compounded by blindness and developmental delays that stem from a seizure he had prior to his birth, and his mother, Missy, who campaigned to make medicinal marijuana legal in New York state. The oil form of marijuana could be used to reduce the frequency and severity of the seizures.
“We actually had set out to do a much larger documentary on marijuana legalization in general, with Oliver’s story being a small component,” Gildin said. “But once we interviewed Missy and kept up-to-date with all she was doing, we knew we had to pivot and primarily focus on their story.” The state legalized medicinal marijuana in June 2014, but distribution has yet to begin.
“He and his team were amazing,” Missy Miller said. “They put me at ease immediately and asked such spot-on important questions! They really understood my son’s need for this and the toll that the fight was taking on our family.” The video includes the Millers attending the ceremony when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill.
Before Gildin covered serious subjects he was a cut up in school and received the requisite punishments from sitting in a corner to being sent to the principal’s office. His mother, Melissa Gildin, was called often, he said, and it was easier for teachers to get a hold of her when Tyler was in Woodmere Middle School as she is a teacher there.