{"id":40817,"date":"2024-09-17T16:29:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T20:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=40817"},"modified":"2024-09-19T15:08:40","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T19:08:40","slug":"film-sunflower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/","title":{"rendered":"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Set in the 1980s, <em>The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower<\/em> chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Sitting in the passenger seat, Terry Wehe Ryan \u201969 grabs the steering wheel and veers the car off to the side of a country road. Her husband, Rob Ryan \u201969, has just broken the news that he\u2019s firing her from their tech startup\u2014so he can afford to keep another female employee on the payroll.           <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a scene dramatic enough to be in a movie\u2014which is exactly where it appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Titled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themanwhosavedtheinternet.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower<\/em><\/a>, the independent film depicts the personal and professional lives of the Cornellian couple (who remain happily together to this day, after 55 years of marriage)\u2014focusing on the role Rob played in producing some of the Web\u2019s early critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThink of the possibilities if people were better connected,\u201d the actor portraying Rob tells his team in one scene. \u201cThey could work from home instead of going to an office; they could buy goods on their computer without having to drive all the way to the store.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The drama\u2014which is not yet available to stream but has played at numerous film festivals\u2014begins its tale in 1983.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-700x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Movie poster for The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower, featuring a big sunflower on the poster.\" class=\"wp-image-40824 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-700x1024.jpg 700w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-205x300.jpg 205w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-768x1124.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-1049x1536.jpg 1049w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-1079x1580.jpg 1079w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-540x790.jpg 540w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-270x395.jpg 270w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-342x500.jpg 342w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-171x250.jpg 171w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A-85x125.jpg 85w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/poster-the-man-who-saved-the-internet71-A.jpg 1093w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption>The movie poster.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Having become <em>persona non grata<\/em> in Silicon Valley due to clashes with management at a previous job, Rob is desperate for work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Terry\u2019s encouragement, he eventually founds his own company, Ascend Communications, whose three initial employees work out of the couple\u2019s living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a key juncture for the firm, with investors threatening to bail, Rob saves the day by coining a management concept he dubs the Sunflower Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Think of the possibilities if people were better connected.<\/p>\n<cite><strong>Rob Ryan \u201969<\/strong> in the film<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The methodology\u2014whose name refers to the flower\u2019s structure, with a large center surrounded by many petals\u2014helps the company define its core and ancillary products and market sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(The title refers to the idea that the Sunflower concept therefore paved the way for Ascend to play its key role in the nascent Internet.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRob made a big change to our whole world, and nobody really knows about it,\u201d says Ori Yardeni, the film\u2019s director and co-writer. \u201cThat\u2019s a simple but good reason to make a movie.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A scene from the movie of the Ascend team at the computers.\" class=\"wp-image-40823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC_5309-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The film depicts the founding days of the couple&#8217;s start-up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Shot in Serbia with British actors in the leading roles, Yardeni\u2019s film takes viewers back to an era when the \u201cWorld Wide Web\u201d was seen by many as a niche interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As one character puts it: \u201cThe Web is just for those few geeks trying to play lousy video games.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the tumult the movie depicts is Rob\u2019s decision to retain a key employee\u2014the female engineer at the center of that argument in the car\u2014while laying off Terry, an attorney and the firm\u2019s cofounder.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"826\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"40825\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-826x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Wedding photo of Rob and Terry Ryan.\" class=\"wp-image-40825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-826x1024.jpg 826w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-242x300.jpg 242w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-768x952.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-1239x1536.jpg 1239w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-1264x1567.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-632x783.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-316x392.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-400x496.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A-200x248.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/Rob-Terry-1969100-A.jpg 1291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 826px) 100vw, 826px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"40822\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Rob and Terry Ryan during their time at Cornell.\" class=\"wp-image-40822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-1054x1580.jpg 1054w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-527x790.jpg 527w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-263x395.jpg 263w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-333x500.jpg 333w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-167x250.jpg 167w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A-83x125.jpg 83w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1974-A.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">The Ryans on their wedding day in 1969 and in the mid \u201970s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And like so many Silicon Valley founders before and since: heart-wrenchingly, Rob is ultimately voted out as CEO of his own firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The film\u2019s dramatic low point, the ouster is engineered by a colleague\u2014hired on the recommendation of a trusted board member\u2014while Rob is in the hospital recovering from an injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on attending the film&#8217;s premiere (held at Hollywood\u2019s famed Chinese Theatre in June 2024), Rob says he had mixed feelings at revisiting those chapters of his life as depicted onscreen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSeeing all the different betrayals brought back the exact emotions that had occurred in real time,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"625\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-1024x625.jpeg\" alt=\"Actors on a Zoom call with Rob and Terry Ryan.\" class=\"wp-image-40901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-1024x625.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-300x183.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-768x468.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-632x386.jpeg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-316x193.jpeg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-400x244.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-200x122.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1-100x61.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/the-actors-in-a-zoom-cal-with-Rob-and-Terry-during-the-shootings-A-1.jpeg 1241w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The actors portraying Rob and Terry (at right) Zoom with their real-life counterparts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>(Another striking factor for him: \u201cThe actor who played me looks like I did many years ago.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ascend made headlines in 1999, when Lucent Technologies acquired it for some $23 billion\u2014in what was then one of the nation\u2019s largest tech mergers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now based in Montana, the Ryans\u2014both Arts &amp; Sciences alums\u2014run a consulting firm, <a href=\"http:\/\/entrepreneur-america.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Entrepreneur America<\/a>, that employs principles based on the Sunflower Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA true entrepreneur is someone who stumbled several times and had to get up and dust themselves off and not give up,\u201d says Terry. \u201cIt\u2019s a resilience test\u2014and we really emphasize that in the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A true entrepreneur is someone who stumbled several times and had to get up and dust themselves off and not give up.<\/p>\n<cite><strong>Terry Wehe Ryan \u201969<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Rob, who has guest lectured at the Johnson School of Management, was named <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2002\/05\/rob-ryan-ascend-communications-founder-named-cornell-entrepreneur-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year<\/a> in 2002. That same year, Cornell University Press published his management guide, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cornellpress.cornell.edu\/book\/9780801488313\/smartups\/#bookTabs=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Smartups<\/a>: Lessons from Rob Ryan\u2019s Entrepreneur America Boot Camp for Start-Ups<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The movie has played at indie film festivals in NYC, Houston, Chicago, and elsewhere\u2014winning the audience choice award for best narrative feature at L.A.\u2019s Dances with Films. Yardeni hopes it will debut on a streaming service in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower<\/em> may have a larger-than-life title,\u201d says a review in <em>Film Threat<\/em>, \u201cbut it is that big and unusual a story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: A scene from the film. (All images provided.) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published September 17, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Set in the 1980s, <em>The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower<\/em> chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":40821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[3098,28386,38753],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-40817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Set in the 1980s, &quot;The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower&quot; chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Set in the 1980s, &quot;The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower&quot; chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T20:29:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-19T19:08:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-17T20:29:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-19T19:08:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":891,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/\",\"name\":\"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-17T20:29:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-19T19:08:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"description\":\"Set in the 1980s, \\\"The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower\\\" chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"A movie scene of Rob and Terry Ryan at the award dinner\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/film-sunflower\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\",\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Saulnier\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/author\\\/ess8\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Set in the 1980s, \"The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower\" chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"Set in the 1980s, \"The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower\" chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2024-09-17T20:29:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-19T19:08:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Saulnier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Saulnier","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Saulnier","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"headline":"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History","datePublished":"2024-09-17T20:29:04+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-19T19:08:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/"},"wordCount":891,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg","articleSection":["Alumni"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/","name":"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg","datePublished":"2024-09-17T20:29:04+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-19T19:08:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"description":"Set in the 1980s, \"The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower\" chronicles two \u201969 classmates in Silicon Valley","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/DSC5813-195-A.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"A movie scene of Rob and Terry Ryan at the award dinner"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/film-sunflower\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Indie Drama Depicts Cornellian Couple\u2019s Role in Web History"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100","name":"Beth Saulnier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beth Saulnier"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40817"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41185,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40817\/revisions\/41185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40817"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=40817"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=40817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}