Fyre Fraud (2019)

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<i>[tense music building]</i>

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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[crickets chirping]

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CALVIN: You're living in
your parents' basement

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and you pull out your phone,

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which you look at
100 times an hour.

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MAN: The actual experience
exceeds all expectations.

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CALVIN: You see a music
festivalc

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that exceeds all expectations

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on a deserted island
owned by Pablo Escobar.

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There was music,
private planes,

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and beautiful women swimming
on an island with drugs.

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Man, that's about
as sexy as it gets.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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And then you see these
wonderful, beautiful people

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in places that you're not,

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doing things that you can't
afford to do.

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It really didn't matter that
these guys may be waifs,

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trustafarians,

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and this guy hosting this party
was an obvious fraud

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because many of
these influencers

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are people that you follow‐‐

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that you aspire to be‐‐

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and also this rapper whose
music that you listen to.

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So when an opportunity
presents itself

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to get out
of your parents' basement

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and go be part of something
that's culturally relevant,

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you're gonna absolutely
jump at that.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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JAKE: This tapped into all
the biggest millennial trends.

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‐ [laughing] Yeah!

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MAN: Wow.

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[laughing] Never been
so happy in my life

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to see this group of bozos.

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CC: It's like history
in the making.

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I mean, everyone's supposed
to be here,

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like Bella Hadid,
Kendall Jenner...

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OREN: Fyre Festival was
supposed to be

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the new Coachella,

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the new Burning Man,
the new whatever.

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DANIEL: The whole thing is
wrapped in sex appeal.

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It's in the Bahamas
on a private island

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with a million‐dollar
treasure hunt giveaway.

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SETH: There was swimming
with pigs

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and cuisine unlike
anything you've ever had.

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It was gonna be
an immersive experience

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bordering on impossible.

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JESSE: Exclusivity with
unbelievable access

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to premiere talent.

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Kanye was gonna be performing
at this festival.

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JIA: People spent tens
of thousands of dollars

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on tickets.

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STEWARD: ...and your seats in
their upright position.

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AUSTIN: We were all packed into
a yellow school bus,

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and people are thinking,
"What's the worst thing

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that could possibly happen?"

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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‐ What's happening?
There's no water over there.

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Oh, Jesus.
‐ [laughing]

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‐ I mean, this is just crazy.

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There's trucks all
over the place.

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Still setting things up.

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SETH: There were Amazon
boxes everywhere

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and there was a shower,

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but you couldn't
open your mouth

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'cause the water was green.

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‐ Yikes.
Oh, get the fuck out of here.

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Let's get the fuck out of here.

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AVA: You can party like
an Instagram model

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and, you know,
live the life of your dreams,

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but on the beach, everyone was
just sort of wrecked

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and sunburnt and, like,
this is not what I thought

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was gonna happen.

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‐ It's an absolute circus.
I don't know what's going on.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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JAKE: People were like,
"What did I get myself into?"

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‐ We don't even know.

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We're stranded.
‐ Yeah.

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CC: Tents are blowing away.

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All of the acts
have pulled out.

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MAN: It was a shitshow.

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SETH: You know, like,

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a camp counselor could have
done a better job.

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At one point, a guy was just
standing

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on this little plywood table,
answering questions one by one

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with a line of 100 people
behind him.

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REPORTER: Billy McFarland
created the festival

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and is blaming the disaster

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on poor weather
and bad planning.

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‐ We took a big jump here
and a big risk

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and, uh, V1 has failed.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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‐ You have to start to wonder,
what is going on with this guy?

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‐ Let's take it back
to where it all started.

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REPORTER: Okay.
‐ So,

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I'm a technology entrepreneur,
but I've always really

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been interested in payment
tools and credit cards.

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POLLY: If you ever see
videos of him,

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it's kind of like the same
high‐energy spiel at all times.

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‐ So it's a community‐oriented
payment tool

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that provides guidance,
access, and experiences.

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‐ It's like the ultimate
used‐car salesman.

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‐ I wanna get the key and show
you guys in here.

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We've actually developed
our own little factory.

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POLLY: And he really wanted
to sell you a car.

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And he'd give you a deal.

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CALVIN: You're sitting
there saying, like,

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"I have no idea
what this guy does,

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"but I'm pretty certain,

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"because I can't define it,

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that it's not legitimate."

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REPORTER:
The 25‐year‐old entrepreneur

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created the Fyre Festival
with rapper Ja Rule.

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MAN: For people who don't
know what Fyre is,

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tell the people what Fyre is.

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‐ Like, so, just to ex‐‐
‐ Hey, how you doing?

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Uh, welcome.
[laughs]

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CALVIN: I guess once you attach
Ja Rule to something,

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you know it's legit.

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I mean, that...
[chuckles]

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‐ Well, I'm gonna let my
partner in crime here,

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Billy McFarland,
give y'all a introduction

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of what Fyre is and‐‐and what
it's bringing to the table.

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‐ I see Fyre Fest
as this big snowball

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rolling down Scam Mountain...

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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That has rolled up all
of the previous scams

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into one‐‐
the rise of social media,

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the rise of the
Silicon Valley ethos‐‐

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you know, make it up first,
suck up a lot of money.

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Fyre Fest is all of these
things zooming

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straight at all of our brains,

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landing straight in all
of our Twitter feeds.

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CALVIN: The cacophony of sound
that they were able to create

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using the influencers and
their social media strategy

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was so overwhelming

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that not only did very smart
financial guys give them money,

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but, like,
facts were just totally ignored

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based off of the strength
of their social media strategy.

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VICKIE: What Fyre Festival did
prove

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is that the power
of influence is real,

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because at the time, there was
nothing else but influence.

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BEN: While social media
was their tool,

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it was ultimately
their downfall.

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REPORTER: Fyre Festival
trending along with the hashtag

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#FyreFraud.

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MAN: Fyre becomes a meme
in and of itself.

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‐ Some people are calling it
rich people's problems.

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JIA: People like to see rich
millennials get scammed.

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‐ It would be perplexing and
funny if it wasn't criminal.

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And it is criminal.
But it still is perplexing.

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And still a little bit funny,
but still horrible.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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‐ The Fyre Music Festival
creator now arrested

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and charged with wire fraud
in a separate case.

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And Erielle, you got a comment
from the lawyer

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for William McFarland?
‐ The attorney

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just moments ago saying‐‐
and this is a quote‐‐

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"When this is all over,
you will see

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"that he is hardly the villain

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the government
portrays him as."

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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JAKE: The investigation against
Billy McFarland

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is being led by the
Department of Justice,

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and specifically the Southern
District of New York,

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which you might know from
the show "Billions."

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‐ Drop your credentials
at the guards' desk

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and get the fuck out of here!

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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JESSE: The Southern District
of New York

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is the premiere office of
the Department of Justice.

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They consider themselves able
to prosecute anything,

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anywhere, anytime.

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JAKE: Billy McFarland's
attorneys

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presented letters of support
from friends and family.

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All kinds of people felt
compelled to come out.

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"He is the most inspiring
and motivating person

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I have ever met aside
from my mother."

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MAN: "Creative, passionate,
and exceedingly optimistic."

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COMPUTERIZED VOICE: "He is the
smartest person I know."

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BOTH: "Billy was and still
is a visionary."

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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ANASTASIA: I believe that
we all make mistakes.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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And I believe in love.
I love him.

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I‐‐I do my best to support him.

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I think he did really want
that festival to happen,

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and he did work very hard
for it to happen.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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You can read, like,
all the news,

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but it's, like, all, like‐‐
it's all super bad

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and super negative.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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He wanted to tell his story.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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‐ What's up?
MAN: Welcome.

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‐ Nice and dark and ominous.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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ANASTASIA: And he wanted
to go deeper

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than the festival failure.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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‐ I think it's really easy to
play Monday morning quarterback

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for myself right now,
looking back saying,

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"I should have done this,
I should have done that."

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And I certainly made a lot
of mistakes,

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and‐‐and there's no question
about that, but...

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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Before we had the worst luck,
I think we had the best luck.

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And, like, it sounds crazy,
but so many things

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had to go right to make it
this big of a failure.

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And everybody fully believed

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that we were going to put on
an event

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that was going to change
the landscape and deliver

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an experience people would talk
about for years.

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There was no hidden secret.
There was no hidden agenda.

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We're all like,
"Whatever it takes,

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"we are all in,
and let's go

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and make this happen."

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<i>[pensive music]</i>

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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JIA: There's this idea that
this is the model of success

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in the millennial era.

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You can become the biggest,
buzziest company in the world,

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where you have this
moonshot vision,

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and you figure it out later.

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Because, like,
why couldn't you do it?

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[dial‐up modem ringing]

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MAN: There are about 80 million
of them born

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between 1980 and 1995.

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They're called millennials.

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BOY: Wow, look at those
cool graphics.

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JIA: The millennial
understanding of the world

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has been shaped
by extreme precarity.

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00:10:04,669 --> 00:10:06,548
[screaming and gunfire]

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And now people want
to construct their own reality.

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‐ Do you know what
we're fighting about?

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There are people who...
[overlapping shouting]

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JIA: With the dream of being
successful enough

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that you are beyond
accountability.

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And Billy McFarland
is the person that

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is, like, baked in that oven
and comes out fully formed

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and does Fyre Fest.

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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BILLY: I was raised
in New Jersey,

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and my two parents
worked together

246
00:10:33,602 --> 00:10:35,187
as real estate developers
and we grew up

247
00:10:35,187 --> 00:10:37,233
as a close family.

248
00:10:37,233 --> 00:10:39,404
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: "I am Billy
McFarland's mother,

249
00:10:39,404 --> 00:10:41,241
"and there is much that I would
like you to know

250
00:10:41,241 --> 00:10:42,953
"about my son.

251
00:10:42,953 --> 00:10:46,711
"As a child, Billy was always
ahead of the curve.

252
00:10:46,711 --> 00:10:49,717
"He walked and talked
well before the norm,

253
00:10:49,717 --> 00:10:52,890
"was first to finish
his math times tables,

254
00:10:52,890 --> 00:10:55,562
"could swim in the ocean
as a toddler,

255
00:10:55,562 --> 00:10:58,902
was scuba diving at age ten."

256
00:10:58,902 --> 00:11:01,783
BILLY: My first combination
of technology and marketing

257
00:11:01,783 --> 00:11:03,495
happened in second grade.

258
00:11:03,495 --> 00:11:06,751
I was put next to, uh,
a girl who I had a crush on.

259
00:11:06,751 --> 00:11:08,797
And her crayon broke.

260
00:11:08,797 --> 00:11:11,636
I said, "If you give me a
dollar, I'll fix your crayon."

261
00:11:11,636 --> 00:11:15,644
The school bought very basic
Internet‐connected typewriters,

262
00:11:15,644 --> 00:11:17,105
and I realized that this
is the best way

263
00:11:17,105 --> 00:11:18,858
to market my crayon business,

264
00:11:18,858 --> 00:11:20,904
so I figured out the school's
administrator password

265
00:11:20,904 --> 00:11:22,365
and I started messing with
them.

266
00:11:22,365 --> 00:11:24,202
I changed the password and,
like,

267
00:11:24,202 --> 00:11:25,914
locked all the teachers out.
So every time the AlphaSmart

268
00:11:25,914 --> 00:11:28,377
was turned on, it would say,
"For your broken crayons,

269
00:11:28,377 --> 00:11:31,216
basically come and find me."

270
00:11:31,216 --> 00:11:33,220
POLLY: I definitely think Billy
was always inspired

271
00:11:33,220 --> 00:11:36,351
by being a businessman,
even if he's a teeny‐tiny

272
00:11:36,351 --> 00:11:38,732
crayon‐based businessman.

273
00:11:38,732 --> 00:11:41,779
<i>[funky electronic music]</i>

274
00:11:41,779 --> 00:11:45,286
CALVIN: Billy McFarland came
of age with the Internet.

275
00:11:45,286 --> 00:11:46,873
BILLY: The Internet
doesn't have parents.

276
00:11:46,873 --> 00:11:49,044
It doesn't have teachers.
It doesn't have rules.

277
00:11:49,044 --> 00:11:52,801
No one really told you
what was right or wrong.

278
00:11:52,801 --> 00:11:55,724
MALE VOICE: Welcome.
You've got mail.

279
00:11:55,724 --> 00:11:58,020
JESSE: As this young man
is growing up,

280
00:11:58,020 --> 00:11:59,565
there's a huge boom.

281
00:11:59,565 --> 00:12:02,070
MAN: The information
technology revolution:

282
00:12:02,070 --> 00:12:05,326
it's affecting the way we do
business and live our lives.

283
00:12:05,326 --> 00:12:07,413
And that's why
it's so profitable.

284
00:12:07,413 --> 00:12:08,750
‐ The investors
are going crazy.

285
00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:10,127
‐ To pass the time,

286
00:12:10,127 --> 00:12:12,716
help yourself
to some more stock.

287
00:12:12,716 --> 00:12:15,012
BILLY: My first real company
when I was in fifth grade

288
00:12:15,012 --> 00:12:16,682
was a web‐posting company,

289
00:12:16,682 --> 00:12:19,020
and I had three full‐time
people working for me, uh,

290
00:12:19,020 --> 00:12:20,732
in India.

291
00:12:20,732 --> 00:12:22,736
I'm talking to people, like,
entirely across the world

292
00:12:22,736 --> 00:12:26,494
when my friends are focused on,
like, kickball at recess.

293
00:12:26,494 --> 00:12:28,998
I had, like, the worst fake
deep voice on the planet.

294
00:12:28,998 --> 00:12:31,044
I would pick up the phone and
just never say how old I was‐‐

295
00:12:31,044 --> 00:12:33,424
be like, "Hello?"
‐ Hello?

296
00:12:33,424 --> 00:12:34,927
COMPUTERIZED VOICE:
"Billy has been gifted

297
00:12:34,927 --> 00:12:37,181
"with both a blessing
and a curse:

298
00:12:37,181 --> 00:12:39,895
He can only think big."

299
00:12:39,895 --> 00:12:42,693
POLLY: Billy thought that he
was going to be Mark Zuckerberg

300
00:12:42,693 --> 00:12:45,197
and that he was on the road
to be Mark Zuckerberg

301
00:12:45,197 --> 00:12:48,788
and that nothing
would stop him.

302
00:12:48,788 --> 00:12:51,042
BILLY: I went to college
at Bucknell.

303
00:12:51,042 --> 00:12:53,715
Bucknell had this, like,
pitch competition,

304
00:12:53,715 --> 00:12:56,178
and I created the content
for Spling.

305
00:12:56,178 --> 00:12:58,140
MAN: You just found
a hilarious video,

306
00:12:58,140 --> 00:13:01,731
delicious recipe, or even
an interesting article online.

307
00:13:01,731 --> 00:13:03,568
Now you want to share it
with your friends.

308
00:13:03,568 --> 00:13:05,279
What do you do?

309
00:13:05,279 --> 00:13:07,283
‐ Spling was basically

310
00:13:07,283 --> 00:13:11,918
a duplicate of Google+
kind of vibe.

311
00:13:11,918 --> 00:13:15,216
‐ I'm Billy McFarland,
the CEO of Spling.

312
00:13:15,216 --> 00:13:17,846
I don't know if you've ever
seen the video from demo day,

313
00:13:17,846 --> 00:13:20,852
but the pitch for Spling
didn't go so well.

314
00:13:20,852 --> 00:13:22,230
Let's see a quick demo.

315
00:13:22,230 --> 00:13:25,445
<i>[awkward music]</i>

316
00:13:25,445 --> 00:13:27,406
Sorry, one second.

317
00:13:27,406 --> 00:13:30,997
<i>♪ ♪</i>

318
00:13:30,997 --> 00:13:33,126
Remember, Spling it.
Thank you very much.

319
00:13:33,126 --> 00:13:35,757
After that, we were urged
to explore

320
00:13:35,757 --> 00:13:39,180
new versions of our idea.

321
00:13:39,180 --> 00:13:41,769
We moved to New York,
and we were just so concerned

322
00:13:41,769 --> 00:13:43,188
with, like,
"What's the next step?

323
00:13:43,188 --> 00:13:44,733
What's the next step?"

324
00:13:44,733 --> 00:13:46,487
JAKE: When he moved
to New York,

325
00:13:46,487 --> 00:13:48,449
I think it was a moment
where millennials

326
00:13:48,449 --> 00:13:50,495
as a generation
are struggling to understand

327
00:13:50,495 --> 00:13:51,956
the world around them.

328
00:13:51,956 --> 00:13:54,420
‐ It was the worst day
on Wall Street.

329
00:13:54,420 --> 00:13:56,214
JIA: All of the pillars
of upward mobility

330
00:13:56,214 --> 00:13:57,926
have been crumbling
for decades.

331
00:13:57,926 --> 00:13:59,930
REPORTER: More millennials
are living with parents

332
00:13:59,930 --> 00:14:01,684
than with spouses or partners.

333
00:14:01,684 --> 00:14:03,646
JIA: You can't buy a house
and settle down

334
00:14:03,646 --> 00:14:05,315
because you can't afford one.

335
00:14:05,315 --> 00:14:06,819
There is the rise
of this, like,

336
00:14:06,819 --> 00:14:08,656
insane college debt bubble.

337
00:14:08,656 --> 00:14:10,994
CALVIN: There are fewer and
fewer jobs where people can

338
00:14:10,994 --> 00:14:13,875
not just better themselves but
just sustain the status quo.

339
00:14:13,875 --> 00:14:15,335
JAKE: This is what was
happening,

340
00:14:15,335 --> 00:14:16,922
and it was very clear

341
00:14:16,922 --> 00:14:20,304
that Billy understood
what his friends want.

342
00:14:20,304 --> 00:14:21,891
BILLY: I was literally
at dinner with friends

343
00:14:21,891 --> 00:14:24,480
and we all split the bill,
and we all had our

344
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,320
introductory debit cards,
and this idea struck me.

345
00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:31,702
And I'm like, "Wow, like, what
if I could make these cooler?"

346
00:14:31,702 --> 00:14:34,583
So I went and ordered a sheet
of metal from China

347
00:14:34,583 --> 00:14:36,670
and, like, magnetic tape
and this, like,

348
00:14:36,670 --> 00:14:40,804
giant sheet that was super thin
and I found a way to copy

349
00:14:40,804 --> 00:14:42,641
my debit card onto
the sheet of metal.

350
00:14:42,641 --> 00:14:44,018
And I did it and it worked,
and I, like,

351
00:14:44,018 --> 00:14:45,688
went down to the deli.

352
00:14:45,688 --> 00:14:47,358
So I went and, like,
bought something with this,

353
00:14:47,358 --> 00:14:49,237
like, stupid card,
and I'm like, "Shit, it works.

354
00:14:49,237 --> 00:14:51,826
I can go to the store and‐‐and
buy stuff with this."

355
00:14:51,826 --> 00:14:54,163
And that was the genesis
of the Magnises card.

356
00:14:54,163 --> 00:14:56,794
<i>[exciting music]</i>

357
00:14:56,794 --> 00:15:00,552
‐ Jessica, you're chasing
a story about the millennials'

358
00:15:00,552 --> 00:15:02,973
version of the black card.
What do you got?

359
00:15:02,973 --> 00:15:05,520
JESSICA: Billy McFarland wanted
a life with the perks

360
00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:07,899
of the black
American Express card,

361
00:15:07,899 --> 00:15:12,199
so he created it for himself.
This is Magnises.

362
00:15:12,199 --> 00:15:13,995
MAN: How did you come up
with that name?

363
00:15:13,995 --> 00:15:15,957
‐ Uh, the name is made up.

364
00:15:15,957 --> 00:15:17,502
I think I spelled it wrong,
though, 'cause, like,

365
00:15:17,502 --> 00:15:19,506
it probably should have been
M‐A‐G‐N‐E‐S,

366
00:15:19,506 --> 00:15:21,217
but I spelled it M‐A‐G‐N‐I‐S,

367
00:15:21,217 --> 00:15:23,472
so a lot of people said
"Mag‐ness‐is," but whatever.

368
00:15:23,472 --> 00:15:25,643
‐ What is Magnises?
It's a card.

369
00:15:25,643 --> 00:15:27,021
But it's more than that.
‐ It's a card.

370
00:15:27,021 --> 00:15:28,398
It's a card.
It's more than that.

371
00:15:28,398 --> 00:15:30,319
‐ I don't know
if it means magnet.

372
00:15:30,319 --> 00:15:32,239
‐ Some meteorological element.

373
00:15:32,239 --> 00:15:33,993
‐ Someone had a way
better joke about it.

374
00:15:33,993 --> 00:15:35,997
They go, "Well, it just means
magnum penis, right?"

375
00:15:35,997 --> 00:15:37,333
And I was like, "Yeah,
that kinda works.

376
00:15:37,333 --> 00:15:39,630
That makes sense."

377
00:15:39,630 --> 00:15:42,552
‐ This card will piggyback
off of your current credit card

378
00:15:42,552 --> 00:15:45,433
with extra perks that you
can't get anywhere else.

379
00:15:45,433 --> 00:15:48,814
EMILY: The main selling point
to me was this townhouse.

380
00:15:48,814 --> 00:15:50,568
‐ This is the main floor.

381
00:15:50,568 --> 00:15:53,449
It's really great‐‐a communal
workspace during the day.

382
00:15:53,449 --> 00:15:55,160
Then at night we move all
the tables and chairs

383
00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:56,538
out of the way, have a lot
of events and speakers,

384
00:15:56,538 --> 00:15:58,375
parties, dinners.

385
00:15:58,375 --> 00:16:01,297
EMILY: You had this place to go
to meet people like you

386
00:16:01,297 --> 00:16:03,176
and I think if you're, like,
new to the city,

387
00:16:03,176 --> 00:16:04,763
that sounded cool.
That sounded like,

388
00:16:04,763 --> 00:16:06,725
"Oh, that's my way
to make introductions."

389
00:16:06,725 --> 00:16:08,980
In reality, the people who hung
out there were not the people

390
00:16:08,980 --> 00:16:10,942
that they advertised.

391
00:16:10,942 --> 00:16:12,529
<i>[quirky music]</i>

392
00:16:12,529 --> 00:16:14,658
It was, like, guys who lived
in Murray Hill

393
00:16:14,658 --> 00:16:17,162
that, if they could join an
out‐of‐college fraternity,

394
00:16:17,162 --> 00:16:19,459
they would.

395
00:16:19,459 --> 00:16:23,258
BILLY: Grant was a Magnises
member who called me one day,

396
00:16:23,258 --> 00:16:25,888
yelling about 20 things
we could improve on.

397
00:16:25,888 --> 00:16:27,934
And we said, "Why don't you
come and fix it for us?"

398
00:16:27,934 --> 00:16:30,147
And that was the start
of the relationship.

399
00:16:30,147 --> 00:16:32,527
EMILY: So when Billy and Grant
got connected,

400
00:16:32,527 --> 00:16:34,781
it was like "The Office"
except with, like,

401
00:16:34,781 --> 00:16:36,702
no redeeming qualities.

402
00:16:36,702 --> 00:16:38,330
‐ What is a business?

403
00:16:38,330 --> 00:16:41,210
EMILY: Billy was Michael Scott.
Grant was Dwight,

404
00:16:41,210 --> 00:16:43,298
so, like, tattling right away‐‐
he'd be like, "Michael!"

405
00:16:43,298 --> 00:16:45,218
‐ Michael!
‐ You know, like,

406
00:16:45,218 --> 00:16:47,306
that was kind of like‐‐
he'd be like, "Billy!"

407
00:16:47,306 --> 00:16:50,145
Grant made the Magnises
marketing deck.

408
00:16:50,145 --> 00:16:52,776
Like, one word would be "luxe."
<i>[chill trendy music]</i>

409
00:16:52,776 --> 00:16:54,362
Uh, "nuance."

410
00:16:54,362 --> 00:16:56,282
"NYC."

411
00:16:56,282 --> 00:16:57,827
We actually, like, started
running out of time

412
00:16:57,827 --> 00:17:00,207
because it's 152 pages,
and at that point.

413
00:17:00,207 --> 00:17:02,336
Grant just is flipping through
the thing so fast.

414
00:17:02,336 --> 00:17:04,800
"Luxe, NYC, blah, blah, blah,
marketing."

415
00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:06,010
And he was like a robot
kind of like

416
00:17:06,010 --> 00:17:08,098
going through it really fast.

417
00:17:08,098 --> 00:17:11,647
But, like, we were expected
to listen to this as if

418
00:17:11,647 --> 00:17:15,905
this was Tim Cook giving the
Apple Town Hall of the year.

419
00:17:15,905 --> 00:17:17,450
JAKE: When I think
about Magnises,

420
00:17:17,450 --> 00:17:20,080
I think about
Entertainment 720.

421
00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:21,917
There is no actual business.

422
00:17:21,917 --> 00:17:23,838
It's just guys
being in business.

423
00:17:23,838 --> 00:17:27,386
BOTH: ♪ We're flush with cash ♪

424
00:17:27,386 --> 00:17:29,306
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

425
00:17:29,306 --> 00:17:32,605
BEN: It's funny, but Billy knew
how to reach out

426
00:17:32,605 --> 00:17:34,735
to Silicon Valley,
how to reach out

427
00:17:34,735 --> 00:17:36,697
to private equity to get money

428
00:17:36,697 --> 00:17:38,868
to fund his endeavors
at a high level.

429
00:17:39,953 --> 00:17:41,707
CALVIN: As he's building
Magnises,

430
00:17:41,707 --> 00:17:45,590
Billy meets Aubrey McClendon.

431
00:17:45,590 --> 00:17:48,929
REPORTER: Aubrey McClendon is
the CEO of Chesapeake Energy,

432
00:17:48,929 --> 00:17:50,433
one of the country's
most powerful

433
00:17:50,433 --> 00:17:52,186
independent gas producers.

434
00:17:52,186 --> 00:17:54,064
‐ We have discovered
the equivalent

435
00:17:54,064 --> 00:17:56,820
of two Saudi Arabias of oil.

436
00:17:56,820 --> 00:18:00,620
CALVIN: Aubrey McClendon
is a colorful figure.

437
00:18:00,620 --> 00:18:03,459
BEN: Aubrey McClendon owned
the Oklahoma City Thunder.

438
00:18:03,459 --> 00:18:06,214
REPORTER: He is the outspoken,
influential heir

439
00:18:06,214 --> 00:18:08,176
of one of America's
wealthiest families.

440
00:18:08,176 --> 00:18:09,721
‐ In my mind he was, like,
the best entrepreneur

441
00:18:09,721 --> 00:18:11,600
I ever could have imagined.

442
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:13,687
He could walk into a room with
50 of the most power people

443
00:18:13,687 --> 00:18:16,485
in the world,
and he owned that room.

444
00:18:16,485 --> 00:18:18,697
We had a meeting with Aubrey

445
00:18:18,697 --> 00:18:20,785
about getting involved
in Magnises.

446
00:18:20,785 --> 00:18:22,455
We were at the Four Seasons
in San Francisco.

447
00:18:22,455 --> 00:18:24,083
We started, like,
shooting the shit for a minute,

448
00:18:24,083 --> 00:18:26,045
and I pull out the card
and‐‐and dropped the card

449
00:18:26,045 --> 00:18:27,632
on the table.

450
00:18:27,632 --> 00:18:29,553
Of course he's the center
of attention of the room,

451
00:18:29,553 --> 00:18:31,515
and all the top VCs are there.
All the guys are there.

452
00:18:31,515 --> 00:18:33,268
Everybody wants to talk
to Aubrey.

453
00:18:33,268 --> 00:18:34,938
And he's there just clanging
this card on the table,

454
00:18:34,938 --> 00:18:35,940
just, like, throwing it down
and, like,

455
00:18:35,940 --> 00:18:36,942
taking pictures of it.

456
00:18:36,942 --> 00:18:38,612
<i>♪ ♪</i>

457
00:18:38,612 --> 00:18:40,533
A half hour later, and when
I was on the plane,

458
00:18:40,533 --> 00:18:45,543
he sent me over a term sheet
to invest $500,000 in Magnises.

459
00:18:45,543 --> 00:18:48,424
<i>[hip‐hop music]</i>
And the rest is history.

460
00:18:48,424 --> 00:18:51,430
[air horn blowing]

461
00:18:51,430 --> 00:18:54,018
JAKE: After Aubrey McClendon
invests in Magnises,

462
00:18:54,018 --> 00:18:57,232
Billy drops money on
influencers and musicians.

463
00:18:57,232 --> 00:18:59,487
‐ He showed up with a bag
of cash to pay Rick Ross,

464
00:18:59,487 --> 00:19:00,865
and it really happened.

465
00:19:00,865 --> 00:19:02,493
[explosion booms]

466
00:19:02,493 --> 00:19:03,495
JAKE: As it turns out...

467
00:19:03,495 --> 00:19:05,415
[air horn blows]

468
00:19:05,415 --> 00:19:08,129
It doesn't take much to trick
a New York City media reporter

469
00:19:08,129 --> 00:19:10,426
into writing a story about
how great your company is.

470
00:19:10,426 --> 00:19:12,220
[air horns blowing]

471
00:19:12,220 --> 00:19:14,643
BEN: There were positive
articles that were influenced

472
00:19:14,643 --> 00:19:17,064
heavily by publicists
and marketing teams.

473
00:19:17,064 --> 00:19:19,276
JAKE: These press stories
end up turning Billy

474
00:19:19,276 --> 00:19:20,905
into this image

475
00:19:20,905 --> 00:19:24,328
of the next entrepreneurial god
of New York City.

476
00:19:24,328 --> 00:19:27,292
‐ They were just rerunning
a press release, you know?

477
00:19:27,292 --> 00:19:31,175
It's like, "Ooh, exclusive club
for hot, elite millennials."

478
00:19:31,175 --> 00:19:33,054
<i>[quirky music]</i>

479
00:19:33,054 --> 00:19:36,185
JAKE: Right around this time,
Billy meets Ja Rule,

480
00:19:36,185 --> 00:19:39,776
who himself has had some
problems with the law, um‐‐

481
00:19:39,776 --> 00:19:41,655
‐ So, you spent two
years in prison.

482
00:19:41,655 --> 00:19:45,161
‐ Yeah, I went in on my state
charge for the gun charge,

483
00:19:45,161 --> 00:19:48,167
and they ran it concurrent
with my... [quietly] Tax stuff.

484
00:19:48,167 --> 00:19:49,629
[laughs]

485
00:19:49,629 --> 00:19:52,552
♪ What's my
motherfucking name ♪

486
00:19:52,552 --> 00:19:55,474
‐ As an investor, when
I heard Ja Rule was involved,

487
00:19:55,474 --> 00:19:58,605
I immediately think of the
inimitable Dave Chappelle.

488
00:19:58,605 --> 00:20:00,400
‐ We got Ja Rule on the phone.

489
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,657
Let's see what Ja's thoughts
are on this tragic‐‐

490
00:20:03,657 --> 00:20:05,326
who gives a fuck
what Ja Rule thinks

491
00:20:05,326 --> 00:20:07,623
at a time like this, nigga?
This is ridiculous.

492
00:20:07,623 --> 00:20:08,625
‐ I don't know if you've
seen this clip.

493
00:20:08,625 --> 00:20:10,045
It's hysterical.

494
00:20:10,045 --> 00:20:11,423
‐ Think when bad shit
happens to me,

495
00:20:11,423 --> 00:20:12,884
I'll be in the crib like,
"Oh, my God.

496
00:20:12,884 --> 00:20:14,261
"This is just terrible.

497
00:20:14,261 --> 00:20:17,477
"Could somebody please
find Ja Rule?

498
00:20:17,477 --> 00:20:19,063
"Get a hold of this
motherfucker so I can

499
00:20:19,063 --> 00:20:24,364
make sense of all this.
Where is Ja?"

500
00:20:24,364 --> 00:20:26,828
JAKE: Ja Rule,
like many other rappers,

501
00:20:26,828 --> 00:20:28,707
is looking for
the next big thing.

502
00:20:28,707 --> 00:20:31,378
‐ Ja, what is this new look?

503
00:20:31,378 --> 00:20:32,965
‐ I don't know, man.

504
00:20:32,965 --> 00:20:34,886
She‐‐she want me to leave
the street life alone.

505
00:20:34,886 --> 00:20:36,388
Guess that's what I'm gonna do.

506
00:20:36,388 --> 00:20:38,226
<i>[quirky music]</i>

507
00:20:38,226 --> 00:20:40,188
EMILY: They gave him a role‐‐
like, a title technically,

508
00:20:40,188 --> 00:20:43,236
but, like, just so when he was
on camera he would be

509
00:20:43,236 --> 00:20:44,614
associated with Magnises.

510
00:20:44,614 --> 00:20:47,495
He had nothing
to do with Magnises.

511
00:20:47,495 --> 00:20:49,707
‐ So many celebrities become
brand ambassadors

512
00:20:49,707 --> 00:20:51,878
for something or other.
Why'd you choose this?

513
00:20:51,878 --> 00:20:56,555
‐ Uh, you know, it's‐‐
it's a very unique situation.

514
00:20:56,555 --> 00:21:01,230
Whenever you can
marry the affluent

515
00:21:01,230 --> 00:21:05,865
with the less fortunate,
you get the birth child...

516
00:21:05,865 --> 00:21:07,702
‐ [laughs]
How did‐‐wait, wait.

517
00:21:07,702 --> 00:21:09,539
‐ Which is called hip‐hop.

518
00:21:09,539 --> 00:21:11,751
‐ Okay, well,
this isn't called hip‐hop.

519
00:21:11,751 --> 00:21:13,212
This is‐‐this is called
a credit card.

520
00:21:13,212 --> 00:21:14,883
‐ Yeah, this is
a credit card...

521
00:21:14,883 --> 00:21:17,513
‐ This wasn't a viable
or a sustainable business,

522
00:21:17,513 --> 00:21:22,189
as best I or anyone with
common sense would assume.

523
00:21:22,189 --> 00:21:24,026
<i>[dramatic percussion]</i>

524
00:21:24,026 --> 00:21:27,073
And then Billy gets sued by
the owner of this townhouse

525
00:21:27,073 --> 00:21:29,203
that Magnises
was anchored out of

526
00:21:29,203 --> 00:21:31,958
because he'd completely
trashed the place.

527
00:21:31,958 --> 00:21:33,921
EMILY: The townhouse was
the big selling point,

528
00:21:33,921 --> 00:21:36,885
and that wasn't part
of it anymore.

529
00:21:36,885 --> 00:21:39,264
At that time,
Magnises needed quick cash.

530
00:21:39,264 --> 00:21:41,143
Memberships weren't selling.

531
00:21:41,143 --> 00:21:44,817
They kept trying to come up
with ideas of what would sell,

532
00:21:44,817 --> 00:21:46,988
what would make this cooler.

533
00:21:46,988 --> 00:21:49,284
Billy started coming up with
ideas that we thought

534
00:21:49,284 --> 00:21:52,374
seemed at least shady.

535
00:21:52,374 --> 00:21:55,213
Billy could get a lot of money
quickly when he would try

536
00:21:55,213 --> 00:21:57,217
to sell tickets,
'cause he would sell things

537
00:21:57,217 --> 00:22:00,223
he knew people wanted even if
he didn't actually have them.

538
00:22:00,223 --> 00:22:04,774
He tried to sell access
to a private JLo party,

539
00:22:04,774 --> 00:22:08,364
and then he was saying he had
exclusive tickets

540
00:22:08,364 --> 00:22:10,619
for Jay‐Z and Beyoncé.

541
00:22:10,619 --> 00:22:12,957
But, like, the worst ticket
scam in my opinion

542
00:22:12,957 --> 00:22:14,376
was for "Hamilton."

543
00:22:14,376 --> 00:22:16,297
You could yell at him saying,
like,

544
00:22:16,297 --> 00:22:18,175
"There's no possible way you
have 200 tickets for 'Hamilton'

545
00:22:18,175 --> 00:22:20,305
one night. There's‐‐
It's absolutely impossible.

546
00:22:20,305 --> 00:22:22,560
And he would say,
"It's possible."

547
00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:24,772
It would come to the night
of, when people are like,

548
00:22:24,772 --> 00:22:27,027
"Where are my tickets?
It's the night of the show."

549
00:22:27,027 --> 00:22:28,697
And he would, like,
last minute buy them

550
00:22:28,697 --> 00:22:31,118
on, like, StubHub
for insane prices

551
00:22:31,118 --> 00:22:34,374
and would give them out, like,
literally in person.

552
00:22:34,374 --> 00:22:36,921
I could see clearly, like,

553
00:22:36,921 --> 00:22:39,384
Billy is gonna run
this promotion,

554
00:22:39,384 --> 00:22:40,929
get a ton of money
from "Hamilton,"

555
00:22:40,929 --> 00:22:42,600
and then he'll pay off
the Beyoncé tickets

556
00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:44,227
he sold earlier. And all the
sudden he'd be like,

557
00:22:44,227 --> 00:22:45,814
"By the way, we're selling
Super Bowl tickets."

558
00:22:45,814 --> 00:22:48,152
Because he had to pay
for the Hamilton tickets.

559
00:22:48,152 --> 00:22:52,327
BEN: I think ultimately,
Magnises is what cemented

560
00:22:52,327 --> 00:22:54,457
Billy's idea that he could
really make money

561
00:22:54,457 --> 00:22:57,379
from defrauding millennials.

562
00:22:57,379 --> 00:22:59,049
JAKE: And then Aubrey
McClendon‐‐

563
00:22:59,049 --> 00:23:01,387
Billy's most
important investor‐‐

564
00:23:01,387 --> 00:23:04,811
becomes a sign of everything
that goes wrong.

565
00:23:04,811 --> 00:23:07,190
REPORTER: Aubrey McClendon,
one of the best‐known

566
00:23:07,190 --> 00:23:09,487
architects
of the US shale boom,

567
00:23:09,487 --> 00:23:11,783
indicted by
a federal grand jury Tuesday

568
00:23:11,783 --> 00:23:13,745
on conspiracy charges

569
00:23:13,745 --> 00:23:15,916
linked to rigging the price of
oil and gas leases in Oklahoma.

570
00:23:15,916 --> 00:23:18,295
‐ Aubrey McClendon
is a fraudster.

571
00:23:18,295 --> 00:23:21,719
REPORTER: Chesapeake has had
to borrow more than $6 billion

572
00:23:21,719 --> 00:23:23,347
to stay afloat.

573
00:23:23,347 --> 00:23:25,226
REPORTER: Chesapeake could be
the next Enron.

574
00:23:25,226 --> 00:23:27,313
JESSE: He's leading a company
that is built

575
00:23:27,313 --> 00:23:29,025
on a tissue of lies.

576
00:23:29,025 --> 00:23:32,282
And eventually he's indicted
for securities fraud.

577
00:23:32,282 --> 00:23:35,329
‐ Police in Oklahoma
are investigating the death

578
00:23:35,329 --> 00:23:37,125
of a legendary energy titan.

579
00:23:37,125 --> 00:23:40,966
Aubrey McClendon died yesterday
in a fiery car crash

580
00:23:40,966 --> 00:23:43,179
one day after being indicted.

581
00:23:43,179 --> 00:23:46,185
<i>[sinister music]</i>

582
00:23:46,185 --> 00:23:49,274
<i>♪ ♪</i>

583
00:23:49,274 --> 00:23:50,903
‐ Yeah, um...

584
00:23:50,903 --> 00:23:53,365
<i>♪ ♪</i>

585
00:23:53,365 --> 00:23:55,328
I think I convinced myself
for, like, a week

586
00:23:55,328 --> 00:23:56,748
he wasn't actually dead.

587
00:23:56,748 --> 00:23:58,543
I think that was, like,
obviously wrong,

588
00:23:58,543 --> 00:24:00,672
but I hit
a mental block there.

589
00:24:00,672 --> 00:24:05,891
<i>♪ ♪</i>

590
00:24:05,891 --> 00:24:07,603
JAKE: This, in a nutshell,

591
00:24:07,603 --> 00:24:09,690
marks the end of an era
for Magnises

592
00:24:09,690 --> 00:24:12,153
and the beginning of trouble
for his company.

593
00:24:12,153 --> 00:24:13,823
<i>♪ ♪</i>

594
00:24:13,823 --> 00:24:18,792
But right around this time,
Billy meets Carola Jain,

595
00:24:18,792 --> 00:24:22,215
a very well‐off investor
and the wife of Bob Jain,

596
00:24:22,215 --> 00:24:25,514
who runs one of the biggest
hedge funds in New York City.

597
00:24:25,514 --> 00:24:28,853
Carola becomes one of Billy's
most important

598
00:24:28,853 --> 00:24:32,110
and core seed investors.

599
00:24:32,110 --> 00:24:33,488
‐ I found out some of our
coworkers were working

600
00:24:33,488 --> 00:24:35,492
on a side business for Billy.

601
00:24:35,492 --> 00:24:37,997
And we kind of were like, "Hey,
like, that doesn't feel right."

602
00:24:37,997 --> 00:24:43,592
<i>♪ ♪</i>

603
00:24:43,592 --> 00:24:46,723
"Is he starting, like,
another fraudulent business?"

604
00:24:46,723 --> 00:24:51,356
<i>♪ ♪</i>

605
00:24:51,356 --> 00:24:55,072
DELROY: When I first met Billy,
I was on Norman's Cay.

606
00:24:55,072 --> 00:24:58,538
I was a bartender there
at MacDuff's Restaurant.

607
00:24:58,538 --> 00:25:01,001
I'm like, "What the fuck these
guys coming here to do?"

608
00:25:01,001 --> 00:25:03,590
'Cause there's nothing
on this island.

609
00:25:03,590 --> 00:25:07,556
I think, "Well, let me just be
quiet and do my job."

610
00:25:07,556 --> 00:25:09,977
[blender whirring]

611
00:25:09,977 --> 00:25:13,985
I'm the bartender.
Let me get them drunk

612
00:25:13,985 --> 00:25:18,202
'cause a drunk mind speaks
a sober tongue.

613
00:25:18,202 --> 00:25:19,914
And it happened.

614
00:25:19,914 --> 00:25:21,751
<i>♪ ♪</i>

615
00:25:21,751 --> 00:25:24,339
Billy said,
"Bring out the laptop.

616
00:25:24,339 --> 00:25:26,218
Show Delroy what you got."

617
00:25:26,218 --> 00:25:27,971
BILLY: Our pitch was simple.

618
00:25:27,971 --> 00:25:29,725
We want to bring music
on this island

619
00:25:29,725 --> 00:25:31,604
and allow hundreds of people

620
00:25:31,604 --> 00:25:33,942
to come and experience
the magic at one time.

621
00:25:33,942 --> 00:25:35,946
And we were hoping to build
this creative center

622
00:25:35,946 --> 00:25:38,242
in the Bahamas where maybe
our music artists would come

623
00:25:38,242 --> 00:25:40,371
and record and models
could come and shoot.

624
00:25:40,371 --> 00:25:43,043
And we were hoping to have
a year‐round creative center

625
00:25:43,043 --> 00:25:45,297
that was culminated
in this annual festival.

626
00:25:45,297 --> 00:25:48,638
<i>♪ ♪</i>

627
00:25:48,638 --> 00:25:51,477
‐ Said "What do you think?
Can we pull this off?"

628
00:25:51,477 --> 00:25:52,813
I looked at him.

629
00:25:52,813 --> 00:25:57,448
I was like, "Billy, uh,
uh‐uh."

630
00:25:57,448 --> 00:26:00,327
[engine idling]

631
00:26:02,206 --> 00:26:04,670
They're just like, "I'll
be back in, like, two weeks."

632
00:26:04,670 --> 00:26:06,841
So I'm like, "Yeah, right.
Whatever."

633
00:26:06,841 --> 00:26:08,678
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

634
00:26:08,678 --> 00:26:10,849
AVA: People like Billy
McFarland were not unique

635
00:26:10,849 --> 00:26:12,770
to the Bahamas, you know?
This is not the first time

636
00:26:12,770 --> 00:26:14,774
that we've had someone purport
to be something

637
00:26:14,774 --> 00:26:16,527
and they're not.

638
00:26:16,527 --> 00:26:19,199
Because of our proximity
and our high visibility,

639
00:26:19,199 --> 00:26:23,708
the Bahamas have always been
a first‐stop shop for scammers.

640
00:26:23,708 --> 00:26:27,966
We're a country of industrious,
hardworking people,

641
00:26:27,966 --> 00:26:32,016
but unemployment
is incredibly high.

642
00:26:32,016 --> 00:26:34,229
We're still
a developing country.

643
00:26:34,229 --> 00:26:36,984
WOMAN: Call 1‐800‐Sandals.

644
00:26:36,984 --> 00:26:40,032
AVA: The culture
of exclusive resorts,

645
00:26:40,032 --> 00:26:43,080
this ultra‐luxe lifestyle
in an environment

646
00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:48,006
where there's so much poverty‐‐
there is a level of collusion

647
00:26:48,006 --> 00:26:50,344
and pay‐for‐play
and kickbacks involved.

648
00:26:50,344 --> 00:26:53,601
[water splashes]

649
00:26:53,601 --> 00:26:54,937
It's so ripe for fraud.

650
00:26:54,937 --> 00:26:56,649
<i>♪ ♪</i>

651
00:26:56,649 --> 00:26:58,360
DELROY: I'm riding past
the runway

652
00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:00,155
and I see this plane coming in.

653
00:27:00,155 --> 00:27:04,748
Billy said, "Hey, Delroy,
I told you I'd be back."

654
00:27:04,748 --> 00:27:07,796
This other dude walked
off the plane.

655
00:27:07,796 --> 00:27:10,342
It's Ja Rule.

656
00:27:10,342 --> 00:27:13,265
And apparently, Ja is the face
for the festival.

657
00:27:13,265 --> 00:27:17,064
And he came to make sure the
shit kick off the right way.

658
00:27:17,064 --> 00:27:21,281
‐ I am cofounder of Fyre.

659
00:27:21,281 --> 00:27:23,118
Me and my‐‐me and my brother,
Billy.

660
00:27:23,118 --> 00:27:25,540
<i>♪ ♪</i>

661
00:27:25,540 --> 00:27:27,794
And this is what we call
a moonshot.

662
00:27:27,794 --> 00:27:30,049
[laughs]

663
00:27:30,049 --> 00:27:33,640
‐ I checked the calendar.
Checked the date.

664
00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:35,392
All I did was just
scratch my head.

665
00:27:35,392 --> 00:27:39,317
I was like, "Boy, I don't know
if this shit can happen."

666
00:27:39,317 --> 00:27:41,989
‐ Get ready, baby.
Fyre Festival coming in April.

667
00:27:41,989 --> 00:27:44,285
The best shit in the world.

668
00:27:44,285 --> 00:27:48,670
<i>♪ ♪</i>

669
00:27:48,670 --> 00:27:50,507
DAVE: I'm in
the music business.

670
00:27:50,507 --> 00:27:52,469
Everyone talks.

671
00:27:52,469 --> 00:27:56,309
And we started hearing these
rumors that Ja Rule

672
00:27:56,309 --> 00:27:59,983
was working on this high‐end
event in the Bahamas

673
00:27:59,983 --> 00:28:01,946
called Fyre Festival

674
00:28:01,946 --> 00:28:03,991
and it was gonna
be really expensive‐‐

675
00:28:03,991 --> 00:28:09,252
villas, private yacht rides,
exclusive dinners with artists.

676
00:28:09,252 --> 00:28:14,095
This utopian concept that's
about culture and art

677
00:28:14,095 --> 00:28:16,182
and music‐‐

678
00:28:16,182 --> 00:28:19,313
that kind of festival culture
that, "We could create

679
00:28:19,313 --> 00:28:22,988
our own society here
temporarily."

680
00:28:22,988 --> 00:28:26,954
It started with Woodstock
and Monterey Pop.

681
00:28:26,954 --> 00:28:29,375
‐ This is our generation, man.
We're all together, man.

682
00:28:29,375 --> 00:28:30,962
It's groovy.

683
00:28:30,962 --> 00:28:34,218
DAVE: Fast forward to the '80s
and Live Aid.

684
00:28:34,218 --> 00:28:35,262
‐ We love you!

685
00:28:35,262 --> 00:28:36,682
DAVE: And then in the '90s,

686
00:28:36,682 --> 00:28:39,897
Perry Farrell
launched Lollapalooza.

687
00:28:39,897 --> 00:28:42,611
And there was Burning Man.

688
00:28:42,611 --> 00:28:47,871
But in 1999, Goldenvoice
launched Coachella.

689
00:28:47,871 --> 00:28:51,377
There was no VIP area.
There was no glamping.

690
00:28:51,377 --> 00:28:56,054
It was a site in the desert and
hot dogs and porta potties.

691
00:28:56,054 --> 00:28:58,976
That's really the start
of the modern festival movement

692
00:28:58,976 --> 00:29:01,649
in North America.

693
00:29:01,649 --> 00:29:04,278
But now Coachella
is $100 million,

694
00:29:04,278 --> 00:29:07,117
almost high‐end luxury event.

695
00:29:07,117 --> 00:29:09,915
It seems like, you know,
only the very wealthy

696
00:29:09,915 --> 00:29:13,171
can afford to really have
a comfortable experience.

697
00:29:13,171 --> 00:29:16,470
JIA: Coachella is about putting
on your deeply inappropriate

698
00:29:16,470 --> 00:29:18,348
feather headdress and,
like, posing in front

699
00:29:18,348 --> 00:29:20,060
of the Ferris wheel.

700
00:29:20,060 --> 00:29:22,607
It's like, "I've got money.
I've got tons of friends.

701
00:29:22,607 --> 00:29:25,655
I'm, like, young and attractive
and carefree."

702
00:29:25,655 --> 00:29:28,452
And the music festival's
a great place to display that.

703
00:29:28,452 --> 00:29:31,249
And there a lot of people
in the millennial generation

704
00:29:31,249 --> 00:29:32,794
that are interested
in experiences

705
00:29:32,794 --> 00:29:34,213
that are effectively, like,

706
00:29:34,213 --> 00:29:37,136
pretext for really
good Instagrams.

707
00:29:37,136 --> 00:29:39,558
‐ [yelps]

708
00:29:39,558 --> 00:29:41,520
‐ And I hate to speak on behalf
of millennials,

709
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:42,898
'cause there's nothing worse
than a millennial

710
00:29:42,898 --> 00:29:44,066
speaking on behalf
of millennials.

711
00:29:44,066 --> 00:29:46,154
‐ I'm sorry, who are you again?

712
00:29:46,154 --> 00:29:48,283
ANNOUNCER: "The Millennials."

713
00:29:48,283 --> 00:29:50,580
‐ Some of the stereotypes
about millennials are true.

714
00:29:50,580 --> 00:29:52,709
‐ Taking a break
from social media.

715
00:29:52,709 --> 00:29:55,047
JAKE: We are obsessed
with our phones.

716
00:29:55,047 --> 00:29:56,926
ALL: No!

717
00:29:56,926 --> 00:29:59,138
‐ We are a little
bit narcissistic.

718
00:29:59,138 --> 00:30:03,898
‐ I think that I may be
the voice of my generation.

719
00:30:03,898 --> 00:30:05,777
JAKE: A little bit arrogant
as a generation,

720
00:30:05,777 --> 00:30:07,739
I guess you could say.

721
00:30:07,739 --> 00:30:09,910
CALVIN: But certainly,
our generation

722
00:30:09,910 --> 00:30:12,414
loves to be a part of the hype.

723
00:30:12,414 --> 00:30:15,755
We identify ourselves with
what we're attached to

724
00:30:15,755 --> 00:30:18,051
or who's involved or who
follows us or who likes us

725
00:30:18,051 --> 00:30:20,473
or who comments.
"Do I have a blue checkmark?"

726
00:30:20,473 --> 00:30:22,644
"Am I trending
at the right event?

727
00:30:22,644 --> 00:30:24,898
You're either tagged in posts
or you're sharing memes

728
00:30:24,898 --> 00:30:27,529
or you're sending videos that
everyone can relate to

729
00:30:27,529 --> 00:30:31,453
and laugh, like Star Wars kids
or dramatic gopher

730
00:30:31,453 --> 00:30:33,874
or Antoine Dodson.

731
00:30:33,874 --> 00:30:37,214
You see what everyone else
is doing.

732
00:30:37,214 --> 00:30:41,097
The fact that you're
not there creates this fear

733
00:30:41,097 --> 00:30:43,393
that you're less
of an individual.

734
00:30:43,393 --> 00:30:44,646
BILLY: I think the world's
always been where

735
00:30:44,646 --> 00:30:45,898
there's always
somebody smarter,

736
00:30:45,898 --> 00:30:47,527
more successful,
better‐looking,

737
00:30:47,527 --> 00:30:49,948
taller, whatever than you,
but people didn't see it

738
00:30:49,948 --> 00:30:52,119
as much as they're
exposed to it now.

739
00:30:52,119 --> 00:30:54,458
They weren't in your face
all day long.

740
00:30:54,458 --> 00:30:57,087
And that's what drives a lot
of these things.

741
00:30:57,087 --> 00:31:00,678
‐ It's tapping into FOMO‐‐
fear of missing out,

742
00:31:00,678 --> 00:31:02,432
which is kind of a core thing

743
00:31:02,432 --> 00:31:03,934
for millennials.

744
00:31:03,934 --> 00:31:05,395
‐ If I missed out
on chili and cheese,

745
00:31:05,395 --> 00:31:06,774
I'd have a bad case of FOMO.
‐ FOMO?

746
00:31:06,774 --> 00:31:08,109
‐ Fear of missing out.

747
00:31:08,109 --> 00:31:09,696
‐ So you're, like,
a millennial?

748
00:31:09,696 --> 00:31:11,407
JIA: FOMO is something
that was invented

749
00:31:11,407 --> 00:31:13,704
by the social media paradigm.

750
00:31:13,704 --> 00:31:17,127
It's this underlying anxiety
where if you don't continue

751
00:31:17,127 --> 00:31:18,964
to escalate your visibility,

752
00:31:18,964 --> 00:31:20,551
your identity will start

753
00:31:20,551 --> 00:31:22,722
to crumble in pieces.

754
00:31:22,722 --> 00:31:25,770
VICKIE: Millennials are
spending around two‐hours‐plus

755
00:31:25,770 --> 00:31:27,565
a day on social media.

756
00:31:27,565 --> 00:31:29,903
‐ Every day, I start by hitting
up Facebook, Twitter,

757
00:31:29,903 --> 00:31:31,239
Tumblr, and Instagram.

758
00:31:31,239 --> 00:31:32,992
‐ If you're not relevant
in social media,

759
00:31:32,992 --> 00:31:36,625
if you're not talked about,
you don't exist.

760
00:31:36,625 --> 00:31:38,879
Instagram,
social media marketing,

761
00:31:38,879 --> 00:31:41,844
influencer marketing
is the most impactful form

762
00:31:41,844 --> 00:31:45,518
of marketing for
an entire generation.

763
00:31:45,518 --> 00:31:49,191
So, an influencer is anyone
with a social following.

764
00:31:49,191 --> 00:31:52,824
There are plenty of people who
are models and celebrities

765
00:31:52,824 --> 00:31:55,496
that have influence,
like Kendall Jenner,

766
00:31:55,496 --> 00:31:58,334
Hailey Baldwin,
Bella Hadid.

767
00:31:58,334 --> 00:31:59,754
We call them macros,

768
00:31:59,754 --> 00:32:02,384
but those are celebrity
influencers.

769
00:32:02,384 --> 00:32:05,474
JIA: What an influencer is
is someone who has effectively

770
00:32:05,474 --> 00:32:07,854
monetized their identity.

771
00:32:07,854 --> 00:32:10,066
That is their work:

772
00:32:10,066 --> 00:32:13,449
the performance
of an attractive life.

773
00:32:13,449 --> 00:32:16,204
That is their job.

774
00:32:16,204 --> 00:32:19,084
‐ I'm Austin Mills.
I do a lot of TV hosting.

775
00:32:19,084 --> 00:32:22,090
I do some social media
influencing.

776
00:32:22,090 --> 00:32:24,386
‐ My name's Alyssa Lynch.

777
00:32:24,386 --> 00:32:29,439
I have almost half a million
followers on Instagram.

778
00:32:29,439 --> 00:32:31,610
<i>♪ ♪</i>

779
00:32:31,610 --> 00:32:32,946
SETH: So, my name is Seth.

780
00:32:32,946 --> 00:32:35,033
<i>[music winds down]</i>

781
00:32:35,033 --> 00:32:37,956
‐ I don't know who that is.

782
00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:40,419
SETH: I created this
influencer character,

783
00:32:40,419 --> 00:32:42,840
William Needham Finley IV,

784
00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,262
the most influential
influencer.

785
00:32:45,262 --> 00:32:50,105
I'm just kinda poking fun at
the whole influencer culture.

786
00:32:50,105 --> 00:32:52,276
It's all a joke.

787
00:32:52,276 --> 00:32:54,405
<i>[quirky music]</i>

788
00:32:54,405 --> 00:32:57,453
JAKE: Everybody is now an
influencer in a certain sense.

789
00:32:57,453 --> 00:32:59,123
Everybody is a brand.

790
00:33:02,296 --> 00:33:05,469
‐ Um, when I say "my brand,"
um, I just mean

791
00:33:05,469 --> 00:33:08,016
kind of, like, the lifestyle
that I want to live.

792
00:33:08,016 --> 00:33:10,228
So, positivity, um...

793
00:33:10,228 --> 00:33:12,608
<i>♪ ♪</i>

794
00:33:12,608 --> 00:33:18,119
‐ Health, wellness,
and honestly just, like,

795
00:33:18,119 --> 00:33:19,914
positivity.

796
00:33:19,914 --> 00:33:24,256
VICKIE: I look at influencers
as really brave people.

797
00:33:24,256 --> 00:33:27,889
They're sharing
a lot of information

798
00:33:27,889 --> 00:33:30,603
and they're sort of taking one
for the team

799
00:33:30,603 --> 00:33:33,358
for all of us
to relate to them.

800
00:33:33,358 --> 00:33:38,744
And FuckJerry was one
of the original influencers.

801
00:33:38,744 --> 00:33:41,917
REPORTER: Believe it or not,
27‐year‐old Elliot Tebele

802
00:33:41,917 --> 00:33:43,837
makes memes for a living.

803
00:33:43,837 --> 00:33:45,633
JIA: FuckJerry's part
of the same ecosystem

804
00:33:45,633 --> 00:33:48,597
that produced influencer
marketing in the first place.

805
00:33:48,597 --> 00:33:50,392
JAMES: If you wanna learn how
to dominate social media

806
00:33:50,392 --> 00:33:53,649
and how you make money
off of it, watch.

807
00:33:53,649 --> 00:33:55,861
MAN: We come up with campaigns
for big brands.

808
00:33:55,861 --> 00:33:57,824
We produce the pictures
and the videos.

809
00:33:57,824 --> 00:34:00,496
We post it to their Instagram,
Facebook, or YouTube

810
00:34:00,496 --> 00:34:03,084
because you've got all of these
brands that are trying

811
00:34:03,084 --> 00:34:05,088
to get in on
the viral meme game.

812
00:34:05,088 --> 00:34:07,175
These big brands don't know
how to think like we do.

813
00:34:07,175 --> 00:34:09,138
‐ You now have 30 million
followers across

814
00:34:09,138 --> 00:34:11,100
the entire Jerry network.

815
00:34:11,100 --> 00:34:14,816
‐ The campaign objective is to
truly shift mainstream opinion.

816
00:34:14,816 --> 00:34:16,402
‐ What's up, fam?
‐ He's the CEO.

817
00:34:16,402 --> 00:34:18,782
He's a lot smarter
than he looks.

818
00:34:18,782 --> 00:34:22,164
VICKIE: It doesn't surprise me
that Fyre would turn

819
00:34:22,164 --> 00:34:25,170
to a social media marketing
entity like FuckJerry

820
00:34:25,170 --> 00:34:28,384
because that's what
they do best.

821
00:34:31,933 --> 00:34:36,066
OREN: I was on the FuckJerry
design team.

822
00:34:36,066 --> 00:34:39,782
The first client that they
gave me was Fyre Festival.

823
00:34:39,782 --> 00:34:42,287
This was supposed to be
the new Coachella,

824
00:34:42,287 --> 00:34:45,126
the new Burning Man,
the new whatever.

825
00:34:45,126 --> 00:34:48,049
And I was designing it.

826
00:34:48,049 --> 00:34:50,763
<i>[light music]</i>

827
00:34:50,763 --> 00:34:53,602
I came to a meeting with Fyre.

828
00:34:53,602 --> 00:34:56,315
In the meeting it was like, uh,
you know, two agencies

829
00:34:56,315 --> 00:34:57,944
never met each other but
bidding kind of

830
00:34:57,944 --> 00:34:59,989
for the same business.
So it was very, like...

831
00:34:59,989 --> 00:35:01,535
[clicks tongue]
"Who are you guys?"

832
00:35:01,535 --> 00:35:03,914
Like, "We don't want anything
to do with you."

833
00:35:03,914 --> 00:35:06,795
The Fyre team said they wanted
to do a music festival

834
00:35:06,795 --> 00:35:09,467
in the Bahamas,
but they wanted to do it

835
00:35:09,467 --> 00:35:11,596
in only six months.

836
00:35:11,596 --> 00:35:13,725
I'm like, "Whoa."

837
00:35:13,725 --> 00:35:15,771
<i>[light music dies, restarts]</i>

838
00:35:15,771 --> 00:35:18,025
The second we stepped outside
onto the street

839
00:35:18,025 --> 00:35:20,948
with the other agency,
it was kind of a quick exchange

840
00:35:20,948 --> 00:35:23,829
of, like‐‐
[exhales sharply]

841
00:35:23,829 --> 00:35:26,250
"This is crazy."

842
00:35:26,250 --> 00:35:29,674
Like, and both of us were like,
"This can't happen."

843
00:35:29,674 --> 00:35:31,761
Like, "This will never work."

844
00:35:31,761 --> 00:35:34,266
Saying it out loud on the
street just‐‐and being like,

845
00:35:34,266 --> 00:35:37,314
"Well, let's, uh‐‐
let's just do it.

846
00:35:37,314 --> 00:35:39,026
It'll probably be fine."

847
00:35:39,026 --> 00:35:42,115
Like, "We're, you know‐‐
We're both pros at what we do.

848
00:35:42,115 --> 00:35:44,328
What could go wrong?"

849
00:35:44,328 --> 00:35:46,875
<i>♪ ♪</i>

850
00:35:46,875 --> 00:35:50,006
JAKE: Billy understood the
sense that you need to be part

851
00:35:50,006 --> 00:35:51,927
of this world of status‐‐
that you need to be

852
00:35:51,927 --> 00:35:54,599
where influencers
and Instagram stars are.

853
00:35:54,599 --> 00:35:56,478
BEN: And so what did he do?

854
00:35:56,478 --> 00:35:58,482
He stole money from people,
basically,

855
00:35:58,482 --> 00:36:00,986
and did a commercial.

856
00:36:00,986 --> 00:36:04,368
MICHAEL: I get a call
for a job in the Bahamas.

857
00:36:04,368 --> 00:36:06,915
What they told us was this
client was pretty much here

858
00:36:06,915 --> 00:36:08,209
to party.

859
00:36:08,209 --> 00:36:09,963
‐ Yo, everybody come here.
Yo.

860
00:36:09,963 --> 00:36:11,633
‐ Cameras, get us coming
up on him.

861
00:36:11,633 --> 00:36:12,635
‐ Get right here.
‐ Hey, the cameras‐‐

862
00:36:12,635 --> 00:36:14,304
‐ Yo.

863
00:36:14,304 --> 00:36:16,058
‐ And so we needed to keep it
professional and get

864
00:36:16,058 --> 00:36:17,770
the commercial out of the shoot
even if things around us

865
00:36:17,770 --> 00:36:19,231
were chaotic.

866
00:36:19,231 --> 00:36:20,651
MAN: When are we leaving?
Right now?

867
00:36:20,651 --> 00:36:24,366
MAN: Yeah, we're
leaving right now.

868
00:36:24,366 --> 00:36:26,328
‐ It was one
of the more ridiculous,

869
00:36:26,328 --> 00:36:28,625
ambitious creative treatments
that I'd seen.

870
00:36:28,625 --> 00:36:31,130
Included on it was, you know,
getting the models

871
00:36:31,130 --> 00:36:33,092
swimming with sharks
in open water.

872
00:36:33,092 --> 00:36:35,806
That M. I. A. music video
on the runway with the cars

873
00:36:35,806 --> 00:36:37,727
where they're all, like,
riding sideways‐‐

874
00:36:37,727 --> 00:36:39,939
we wanted to do something
like that with golf carts

875
00:36:39,939 --> 00:36:41,443
on an airplane runway.

876
00:36:41,443 --> 00:36:43,655
<i>♪ ♪</i>

877
00:36:43,655 --> 00:36:47,580
Pretty quickly became clear
that it was unfeasible.

878
00:36:47,580 --> 00:36:49,207
Everyone kept talking,
"When are we gonna go

879
00:36:49,207 --> 00:36:51,295
to the pig island?
I'm excited for pig island."

880
00:36:51,295 --> 00:36:54,217
Okay, I guess it's an island
with a bunch of pigs.

881
00:36:54,217 --> 00:36:56,514
And as soon as we get there,
they're all swimming up

882
00:36:56,514 --> 00:36:57,767
and someone's
feeding them beer

883
00:36:57,767 --> 00:36:59,812
and thinks it's funny.

884
00:36:59,812 --> 00:37:01,356
And they're‐‐you know,
they're like pigeons

885
00:37:01,356 --> 00:37:03,862
except they're pigs
with mouths and teeth.

886
00:37:03,862 --> 00:37:05,783
‐ [screams]

887
00:37:05,783 --> 00:37:07,661
‐ [screaming, laughing]

888
00:37:07,661 --> 00:37:08,955
‐ Oh, my God.

889
00:37:08,955 --> 00:37:10,374
‐ Get down here.
Get down here

890
00:37:10,374 --> 00:37:12,295
Back up, back up.

891
00:37:12,295 --> 00:37:14,592
MICHAEL: Chanel Iman actually
fell 'cause she's getting bit

892
00:37:14,592 --> 00:37:16,554
by a pig.

893
00:37:16,554 --> 00:37:19,142
The pigs at one point bit Billy
in the balls

894
00:37:19,142 --> 00:37:22,273
and he's running off,
and people are just laughing.

895
00:37:22,273 --> 00:37:24,194
And my point guy was Grant.

896
00:37:24,194 --> 00:37:30,916
Um, he was just overly excited
about pretty much everything.

897
00:37:30,916 --> 00:37:34,715
DAVE: Somebody had leaked to us
this thousand‐word email

898
00:37:34,715 --> 00:37:37,429
that Grant sent out to his
staff about how the video

899
00:37:37,429 --> 00:37:39,057
should be scored.

900
00:37:39,057 --> 00:37:41,729
<i>[Ludwig van Beethoven's</i>
<i>"Symphony No. 5"]</i>

901
00:37:41,729 --> 00:37:43,859
<i>♪ ♪</i>

902
00:37:43,859 --> 00:37:47,700
[man screaming]

903
00:37:47,700 --> 00:37:51,666
Someone created a composition
based on it,

904
00:37:51,666 --> 00:37:53,795
and this is the actual piece.

905
00:37:53,795 --> 00:37:57,135
I'm going to read
the actual letter.

906
00:37:57,135 --> 00:37:59,515
[voice overlapping]
"I want to use odd meters

907
00:37:59,515 --> 00:38:01,018
and compounded time
signatures."

908
00:38:01,018 --> 00:38:02,438
"Global music elements."

909
00:38:02,438 --> 00:38:03,607
"Extremely constant key
signatures."

910
00:38:03,607 --> 00:38:04,942
He mentioned using a xylophone;

911
00:38:04,942 --> 00:38:06,738
a surdo,
which is a Brazilian drum;

912
00:38:06,738 --> 00:38:10,286
"tiko drums," especially
during the "more exploratory

913
00:38:10,286 --> 00:38:11,956
elements" of the composition.

914
00:38:11,956 --> 00:38:13,543
<i>[upbeat music]</i>

915
00:38:13,543 --> 00:38:17,342
It just reeks of disconnection
from reality.

916
00:38:17,342 --> 00:38:18,762
<i>♪ ♪</i>

917
00:38:18,762 --> 00:38:21,517
OREN: Once video production
was done,

918
00:38:21,517 --> 00:38:23,897
FuckJerry has to market
this thing.

919
00:38:23,897 --> 00:38:27,613
My whole idea was like,
stop the Internet.

920
00:38:27,613 --> 00:38:29,533
And so to do that,
you have to kind of

921
00:38:29,533 --> 00:38:33,875
figure out a way, in this time
of advertising, how to

922
00:38:33,875 --> 00:38:37,549
stop somebody who's scrolling
at speeds that are like‐‐

923
00:38:37,549 --> 00:38:39,428
you have less than
a second, most times.

924
00:38:39,428 --> 00:38:40,973
Every influencer
that you follow,

925
00:38:40,973 --> 00:38:44,312
every art account,
every food page,

926
00:38:44,312 --> 00:38:46,901
whatever they're posting
is not neon orange.

927
00:38:46,901 --> 00:38:48,446
That's a stopper.

928
00:38:48,446 --> 00:38:51,368
That's gonna stop as fast
as you're scrolling.

929
00:38:51,368 --> 00:38:53,205
And now I've got
your attention.

930
00:38:53,205 --> 00:38:56,713
‐ We think about visual
disruption all the time.

931
00:38:56,713 --> 00:38:59,134
You have a ton of sameness
in your feed,

932
00:38:59,134 --> 00:39:02,975
and something like an orange
square creates pause.

933
00:39:02,975 --> 00:39:06,315
BILLY: We had 400 musicians,
athletes, models,

934
00:39:06,315 --> 00:39:10,031
actors at the same time post
this orange tile to Instagram.

935
00:39:10,031 --> 00:39:12,828
OREN: And everyone that you
love and follow is now

936
00:39:12,828 --> 00:39:14,874
feeding into it,
and you're going crazy.

937
00:39:14,874 --> 00:39:16,627
You need the answers.

938
00:39:16,627 --> 00:39:18,088
BILLY: Our target customers
when they were browsing

939
00:39:18,088 --> 00:39:19,090
their Instagram feed,
they were like,

940
00:39:19,090 --> 00:39:20,552
"What is this?

941
00:39:20,552 --> 00:39:22,431
Why is there orange
all over my feed?"

942
00:39:22,431 --> 00:39:24,894
CALVIN: These guys figured out
a way to optimize

943
00:39:24,894 --> 00:39:27,023
social media‐‐
almost weaponize it.

944
00:39:27,023 --> 00:39:28,860
OREN: When you click
the orange tile,

945
00:39:28,860 --> 00:39:30,989
it linked to the video.

946
00:39:30,989 --> 00:39:32,785
And it worked perfectly.

947
00:39:32,785 --> 00:39:34,914
JAKE: Almost immediately,
the promo video

948
00:39:34,914 --> 00:39:36,542
goes completely viral.

949
00:39:36,542 --> 00:39:39,673
MAN: The actual experience
exceeds all expectations

950
00:39:39,673 --> 00:39:42,136
and is something that's
hard to put into words.

951
00:39:42,136 --> 00:39:47,021
All these things that may seem
big and impossible are not.

952
00:39:47,021 --> 00:39:49,610
It gives people that
type of energy.

953
00:39:49,610 --> 00:39:52,031
That type of power.

954
00:39:52,031 --> 00:39:55,539
JIA: The promo video was
perfectly generic fantasia

955
00:39:55,539 --> 00:39:58,962
of what an Instagram
come to life would be.

956
00:39:58,962 --> 00:40:04,557
It was nothing but backdrop,
like, montage‐friendly bliss.

957
00:40:04,557 --> 00:40:08,188
EMILY: The boat is going across
the blue waters of the Exuma

958
00:40:08,188 --> 00:40:10,109
and all of these, like,
really hot models are, like,

959
00:40:10,109 --> 00:40:12,531
dancing around and then there's
just random white guys there

960
00:40:12,531 --> 00:40:14,159
for, like, who knows
what reason.

961
00:40:14,159 --> 00:40:16,413
CALVIN: Beautiful women
on a deserted island?

962
00:40:16,413 --> 00:40:18,835
Yeah, 100%, I'm going.
Take my money.

963
00:40:18,835 --> 00:40:20,797
Here, I‐‐I will throw
my credit card at it.

964
00:40:20,797 --> 00:40:23,302
DAVE: You see these super
models on jet skis

965
00:40:23,302 --> 00:40:25,849
and you're thinking like, "Wow,
I really want to be there."

966
00:40:25,849 --> 00:40:28,353
CALVIN: It was going to be
on a deserted island

967
00:40:28,353 --> 00:40:30,024
owned by Pablo Escobar.

968
00:40:30,024 --> 00:40:32,654
Man, that's about as sexy
as it gets.

969
00:40:32,654 --> 00:40:35,159
OREN: Pablo Escobar's actually,
like, a criminal

970
00:40:35,159 --> 00:40:37,413
who's murdered people brutally.

971
00:40:37,413 --> 00:40:40,127
And I was getting messages‐‐
again on Instagram‐‐

972
00:40:40,127 --> 00:40:42,841
private messages from people
telling me their parents

973
00:40:42,841 --> 00:40:45,430
were murdered by Pablo Escobar,
and I'm the‐‐

974
00:40:45,430 --> 00:40:47,893
I'm the social media guy.
What am I supposed to...

975
00:40:47,893 --> 00:40:50,482
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

976
00:40:50,482 --> 00:40:53,821
CALVIN: Then Billy convinces
Kendall Jenner,

977
00:40:53,821 --> 00:40:56,827
one of the largest influencers
in the world,

978
00:40:56,827 --> 00:40:59,833
to post about
the Fyre Festival.

979
00:40:59,833 --> 00:41:02,881
VICKIE: Kendall Jenner
is defining a generation.

980
00:41:02,881 --> 00:41:06,764
She can take a brand
from zero awareness

981
00:41:06,764 --> 00:41:09,269
to a brand that has
a phenomenal amount

982
00:41:09,269 --> 00:41:12,108
of brand equity
with one social media post.

983
00:41:12,108 --> 00:41:15,114
CALVIN: By some accounts,
she gets paid $250,000

984
00:41:15,114 --> 00:41:16,241
per post.

985
00:41:16,241 --> 00:41:18,328
‐ I think 250's a steal.

986
00:41:18,328 --> 00:41:20,500
‐ To, like, post
how many Instagrams?

987
00:41:20,500 --> 00:41:22,504
One?

988
00:41:22,504 --> 00:41:24,340
CALVIN: The point of Kendall's
post was to announce

989
00:41:24,340 --> 00:41:28,474
that G. O. O. D. Music
was involved with the festival.

990
00:41:28,474 --> 00:41:31,814
OREN: But there was this huge
meltdown on the Fyre side.

991
00:41:31,814 --> 00:41:34,486
"We're ready to go."
Everyone's freaking out.

992
00:41:34,486 --> 00:41:35,822
"No, hold on.
Hold on."

993
00:41:35,822 --> 00:41:38,828
"Launch it."
"No, don't"‐‐like...

994
00:41:38,828 --> 00:41:41,124
we eventually got it up.

995
00:41:41,124 --> 00:41:43,838
CALVIN: And so when she does
post about the Fyre Festival,

996
00:41:43,838 --> 00:41:46,384
she gets millions
of impressions.

997
00:41:46,384 --> 00:41:49,307
So the presupposition,
at least on social media,

998
00:41:49,307 --> 00:41:52,021
was that Kanye was gonna be
performing at this festival.

999
00:41:52,021 --> 00:41:55,194
DAVE: Who would wanna miss
seeing Kanye in the Bahamas

1000
00:41:55,194 --> 00:41:57,323
with Kendall Jenner?
I mean, talk about

1001
00:41:57,323 --> 00:41:58,534
the FOMO movement.

1002
00:41:58,534 --> 00:42:00,245
Like, it elevated it
to a ten.

1003
00:42:00,245 --> 00:42:03,126
‐ I had influencers
begging to go

1004
00:42:03,126 --> 00:42:06,132
because all the other
influencers are going.

1005
00:42:06,132 --> 00:42:07,886
CALVIN: You're in Lower
Manhattan,

1006
00:42:07,886 --> 00:42:09,598
where you're freezing.

1007
00:42:09,598 --> 00:42:12,019
You got an election
that just upended

1008
00:42:12,019 --> 00:42:13,606
the political environment.

1009
00:42:13,606 --> 00:42:15,777
The thing that you're
absolutely focused on

1010
00:42:15,777 --> 00:42:17,906
is escaping from that.

1011
00:42:17,906 --> 00:42:20,537
And so people are dying
to be a part of something

1012
00:42:20,537 --> 00:42:22,624
that was going to be the‐‐
the Woodstock

1013
00:42:22,624 --> 00:42:25,045
of the millennial generation.

1014
00:42:25,045 --> 00:42:27,133
‐ People would message me
things like,

1015
00:42:27,133 --> 00:42:31,266
"I quit my job because my boss
wouldn't give me time off."

1016
00:42:31,266 --> 00:42:34,397
"I sold, like,
everything I own."

1017
00:42:34,397 --> 00:42:37,319
And just listing all these
crazy actions that they took

1018
00:42:37,319 --> 00:42:42,664
just to go to this fantasy
island festival.

1019
00:42:42,664 --> 00:42:45,002
But there was nothing built.

1020
00:42:46,922 --> 00:42:48,718
JAKE: And mind you,
this is January,

1021
00:42:48,718 --> 00:42:51,640
so there's only four months
to actually pull this off.

1022
00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:53,811
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1023
00:42:53,811 --> 00:42:56,399
CALVIN: You could not produce
a festival on a deserted island

1024
00:42:56,399 --> 00:43:00,700
in a foreign country with such
a truncated time frame.

1025
00:43:00,700 --> 00:43:02,411
It's not going to happen.

1026
00:43:02,411 --> 00:43:05,919
‐ Billy started panicking.
Billy's like, "No. Shit."

1027
00:43:05,919 --> 00:43:09,760
He said, "Listen, people are
actually buying into it,

1028
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:12,306
so‐‐so we have to have a
festival."

1029
00:43:12,306 --> 00:43:16,064
New Year's Eve, we had a dinner
party in Staniel Cay.

1030
00:43:16,064 --> 00:43:19,028
‐ Here's to living
like movie stars,

1031
00:43:19,028 --> 00:43:23,411
partying like rock stars.
Billy?

1032
00:43:23,411 --> 00:43:25,332
BILLY: And fucking
like porn stars.

1033
00:43:25,332 --> 00:43:29,591
[laughter]

1034
00:43:29,591 --> 00:43:32,597
[excited chatter]

1035
00:43:33,139 --> 00:43:35,227
DELROY: After everybody
got done, I stood up.

1036
00:43:35,227 --> 00:43:37,106
I said, "Okay, can I have
some‐‐

1037
00:43:37,106 --> 00:43:40,279
like, a moment of silence?"
It's like, "Yeah. What's up?"

1038
00:43:40,279 --> 00:43:44,287
I said, "Okay, everybody,
wine, dine, eat, drink.

1039
00:43:44,287 --> 00:43:47,084
"Who didn't fuck got suck?
Who didn't suck

1040
00:43:47,084 --> 00:43:49,798
"had a good fuck?
Good.

1041
00:43:49,798 --> 00:43:51,844
"Now as of tomorrow,

1042
00:43:51,844 --> 00:43:54,516
"you guys need to start
making your phone calls,

1043
00:43:54,516 --> 00:43:56,227
"dealing with the festival

1044
00:43:56,227 --> 00:43:59,275
to get this shit to start
coming in now."

1045
00:43:59,275 --> 00:44:00,945
Everybody looked at me,
and they laughed.

1046
00:44:00,945 --> 00:44:03,241
They said,
"Delroy, sit down, man."

1047
00:44:03,241 --> 00:44:05,078
They said, "Why are you
so worried?

1048
00:44:05,078 --> 00:44:08,043
We got this. We're straight.
We're good with this, man."

1049
00:44:08,043 --> 00:44:09,963
I'm like, "Okay."

1050
00:44:09,963 --> 00:44:12,259
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1051
00:44:12,259 --> 00:44:13,930
JAKE: As it turns out,

1052
00:44:13,930 --> 00:44:16,184
Billy doesn't actually have
a site for the festival.

1053
00:44:16,184 --> 00:44:18,898
So Billy goes island shopping.

1054
00:44:18,898 --> 00:44:22,154
<i>[dreamy ukulele music]</i>

1055
00:44:22,154 --> 00:44:24,158
CALVIN: You know, Johnny Depp
has an island.

1056
00:44:24,158 --> 00:44:27,999
Richard Branson has an island.

1057
00:44:27,999 --> 00:44:33,093
An island is a very
aspirational thing to own.

1058
00:44:33,093 --> 00:44:34,680
But in the Bahamas,

1059
00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:37,602
buying an island is sort
of an involved process.

1060
00:44:37,602 --> 00:44:39,523
Under a truncated time frame,

1061
00:44:39,523 --> 00:44:41,150
if you had all the money
in the world,

1062
00:44:41,150 --> 00:44:43,447
it takes several months,
if not years.

1063
00:44:43,447 --> 00:44:45,702
AVA: If any investors had
really done

1064
00:44:45,702 --> 00:44:47,706
any real sort of research,
they would've realized

1065
00:44:47,706 --> 00:44:50,210
that there's not really
much infrastructure here,

1066
00:44:50,210 --> 00:44:52,465
so they would have to create
all of the infrastructure.

1067
00:44:52,465 --> 00:44:57,141
We're looking at a year of
planning and construction.

1068
00:44:57,141 --> 00:44:59,061
CALVIN: You don't buy
an island in February

1069
00:44:59,061 --> 00:45:01,942
to then host a party in April.

1070
00:45:01,942 --> 00:45:03,946
That is an impossible thing
to do.

1071
00:45:03,946 --> 00:45:05,950
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1072
00:45:05,950 --> 00:45:07,369
JAKE: According
to our accounts,

1073
00:45:07,369 --> 00:45:09,791
Billy hops on his jet
with a cook

1074
00:45:09,791 --> 00:45:13,381
who claims the perfect island
is actually Great Exuma.

1075
00:45:13,381 --> 00:45:16,095
<i>[swanky music]</i>

1076
00:45:16,095 --> 00:45:19,644
AVA: Exuma is one of the
more bustling islands.

1077
00:45:19,644 --> 00:45:21,690
For Bahamians,
our hospitality‐‐

1078
00:45:21,690 --> 00:45:25,698
our ability to be great hosts‐‐
is a part of our pride.

1079
00:45:25,698 --> 00:45:27,284
CALVIN: It actually
has an airport;

1080
00:45:27,284 --> 00:45:29,539
there's an established hotel;

1081
00:45:29,539 --> 00:45:32,044
there is some infrastructure;
but the problem is,

1082
00:45:32,044 --> 00:45:34,381
this site is a complete
gravel pit.

1083
00:45:34,381 --> 00:45:36,970
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1084
00:45:36,970 --> 00:45:39,810
AVA: It's nothing like that
trailer that they shot.

1085
00:45:39,810 --> 00:45:44,318
It's just very barren
and just very concrete rubble.

1086
00:45:44,318 --> 00:45:47,867
CALVIN: When they posted
the photo of the island,

1087
00:45:47,867 --> 00:45:50,623
it's like,
"Here's Fyre Island!"

1088
00:45:50,623 --> 00:45:52,961
And I found that
this is a parking lot

1089
00:45:52,961 --> 00:45:54,798
on an undeveloped portion

1090
00:45:54,798 --> 00:45:58,096
outside of Sandals
Emerald Bay resort.

1091
00:45:58,096 --> 00:46:00,142
If you Google
"Sandals Emerald Bay,"

1092
00:46:00,142 --> 00:46:03,022
you will also find
"Fyre Island."

1093
00:46:03,022 --> 00:46:05,486
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1094
00:46:05,486 --> 00:46:09,452
I mean that‐‐that‐‐genius.

1095
00:46:09,452 --> 00:46:11,330
I'm seeing these things,
and it's like,

1096
00:46:11,330 --> 00:46:13,001
"This is getting ridiculous."
Like, "These guys are lying.

1097
00:46:13,001 --> 00:46:15,088
This is‐‐no way
this is going on."

1098
00:46:15,088 --> 00:46:17,342
‐ Anyone who'd ever been
involved with event production

1099
00:46:17,342 --> 00:46:19,138
would have understood that
this wasn't possible.

1100
00:46:19,138 --> 00:46:20,433
Like, a wedding planner would
have known, like,

1101
00:46:20,433 --> 00:46:22,896
"Absolutely no way."

1102
00:46:22,896 --> 00:46:25,108
DANIEL: My first job
for Fyre Festival

1103
00:46:25,108 --> 00:46:27,614
was just an assessment
for them.

1104
00:46:27,614 --> 00:46:31,287
The scale of this project
was enormous,

1105
00:46:31,287 --> 00:46:34,293
but typically, you'd have
this kind of planning effort

1106
00:46:34,293 --> 00:46:39,178
around a festival of this scale
18 months in advance,

1107
00:46:39,178 --> 00:46:42,267
not four months in advance.

1108
00:46:42,267 --> 00:46:44,021
FELIX: When I was brought
onboard,

1109
00:46:44,021 --> 00:46:46,902
we were a month and a half out.

1110
00:46:46,902 --> 00:46:48,363
I don't know how they thought

1111
00:46:48,363 --> 00:46:49,991
that we were gonna
be able to do this.

1112
00:46:49,991 --> 00:46:51,244
I‐‐I just don't know.

1113
00:46:51,244 --> 00:46:52,747
And if it was gonna happen,

1114
00:46:52,747 --> 00:46:55,043
we were gonna have
to work 24‐hour days.

1115
00:46:55,043 --> 00:46:57,172
HENRY: We tried to
pick up our pace.

1116
00:46:57,172 --> 00:46:58,801
We started to work
day and night.

1117
00:46:58,801 --> 00:47:00,930
Some days, I came off the site

1118
00:47:00,930 --> 00:47:03,686
at 3:00 at night
and I went back at 7:00.

1119
00:47:03,686 --> 00:47:05,606
NICK: I was brought on
to be a general store manager

1120
00:47:05,606 --> 00:47:07,276
and a sourcing coordinator.

1121
00:47:07,276 --> 00:47:09,656
We were all working
18‐hour days, 19‐hour days.

1122
00:47:09,656 --> 00:47:13,121
I was sleeping an average
of three hours a night.

1123
00:47:13,121 --> 00:47:16,545
JAKE: Another huge problem is
that the two weekends

1124
00:47:16,545 --> 00:47:18,549
that Billy has chosen
for the festival

1125
00:47:18,549 --> 00:47:22,264
happen to coincide with the
Exuma Family Regatta...

1126
00:47:22,264 --> 00:47:24,226
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

1127
00:47:24,226 --> 00:47:25,813
Which is a sailing regatta.

1128
00:47:25,813 --> 00:47:28,234
It's the biggest event
that happens annually.

1129
00:47:28,234 --> 00:47:31,616
DONALD: We have the national
regatta going on.

1130
00:47:31,616 --> 00:47:33,369
That's bigger
than Christmas here.

1131
00:47:33,369 --> 00:47:38,505
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1132
00:47:38,505 --> 00:47:40,133
‐ The organizer was told,

1133
00:47:40,133 --> 00:47:43,222
"This is not the right time
to do this."

1134
00:47:43,222 --> 00:47:45,101
JAKE: The problem is,
with this regatta,

1135
00:47:45,101 --> 00:47:46,521
there's not gonna be any cars.

1136
00:47:46,521 --> 00:47:47,732
There's not gonna
be any hotels.

1137
00:47:47,732 --> 00:47:49,276
It'll be difficult to host

1138
00:47:49,276 --> 00:47:50,988
thousands of people
for the festival.

1139
00:47:50,988 --> 00:47:52,700
<i>[tense music]</i>

1140
00:47:52,700 --> 00:47:54,370
He's warned
that he should cancel it‐‐

1141
00:47:54,370 --> 00:47:57,250
that it just can't
come together.

1142
00:47:57,250 --> 00:48:01,342
DELROY: And Ja Rule came down,
and he saw it for himself.

1143
00:48:01,342 --> 00:48:03,931
He pulled me aside.
He's like, "Yo, Delroy.

1144
00:48:03,931 --> 00:48:05,976
"Just be straight up, dawg.

1145
00:48:05,976 --> 00:48:08,774
Is this festival gonna happen?
What'd you think?"

1146
00:48:08,774 --> 00:48:10,528
All I did was just
scratch my head.

1147
00:48:10,528 --> 00:48:14,243
I was just like, "Ja, it's
really not gonna happen."

1148
00:48:14,243 --> 00:48:17,792
‐ Here's to living life...
[laughter]

1149
00:48:17,792 --> 00:48:20,380
Like motherfucking movie stars.

1150
00:48:20,380 --> 00:48:24,931
MAN: So Ja Rule didn't know
anything that was going on?

1151
00:48:24,931 --> 00:48:26,643
‐ I was in charge
of the festival,

1152
00:48:26,643 --> 00:48:30,651
and I made the decision
to keep it going‐‐to‐‐to‐‐

1153
00:48:30,651 --> 00:48:33,030
to‐‐I was in charge,
and so it's on me.

1154
00:48:33,030 --> 00:48:34,784
But...yeah.

1155
00:48:34,784 --> 00:48:37,874
MAN: But he was there with you
on the island frequently.

1156
00:48:37,874 --> 00:48:39,544
‐ Uh, he‐‐yup, he was
on the island.

1157
00:48:39,544 --> 00:48:41,255
MAN: Did he tell you,
"Billy, we can't do this.

1158
00:48:41,255 --> 00:48:44,136
We need to cancel"?

1159
00:48:44,136 --> 00:48:45,514
‐ I'm not gonna talk about

1160
00:48:45,514 --> 00:48:47,100
our different
private conversations,

1161
00:48:47,100 --> 00:48:48,812
but, you know,
we've had many conversations,

1162
00:48:48,812 --> 00:48:50,273
as well as I did with
the rest of the team,

1163
00:48:50,273 --> 00:48:54,072
and those were
the decisions we made.

1164
00:48:54,072 --> 00:48:56,786
CALVIN: And so they didn't
cancel the festival,

1165
00:48:56,786 --> 00:49:00,628
but what happened is
the story kept getting bigger.

1166
00:49:00,628 --> 00:49:03,759
And then people I knew,
you know,

1167
00:49:03,759 --> 00:49:07,224
you know, started buying
GA passes.

1168
00:49:07,224 --> 00:49:09,061
But what I think Billy
figured out very quickly

1169
00:49:09,061 --> 00:49:11,650
was that he was not gonna be
able to throw this festival

1170
00:49:11,650 --> 00:49:13,570
with the number of people
that were buying GA passes

1171
00:49:13,570 --> 00:49:15,198
for the cost that he thought
it was gonna be.

1172
00:49:16,535 --> 00:49:19,373
And so ultimately, they just
said, "Well, it's sold out,

1173
00:49:19,373 --> 00:49:21,085
"so the only thing
that you can buy now

1174
00:49:21,085 --> 00:49:23,381
are the premium passes."

1175
00:49:23,381 --> 00:49:28,015
‐ So Grant designed these,
like, villas.

1176
00:49:28,015 --> 00:49:32,357
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1177
00:49:32,357 --> 00:49:34,445
I think he just used AutoCAD.

1178
00:49:34,445 --> 00:49:37,451
[pinging and beeping]

1179
00:49:39,246 --> 00:49:41,876
CALVIN: And the whole thing
sort of became an ad hoc

1180
00:49:41,876 --> 00:49:43,922
"We're gonna sell one
of one for this.

1181
00:49:43,922 --> 00:49:46,343
We have two villas
available for this."

1182
00:49:46,343 --> 00:49:48,890
You know, "The Dolphin Villa
is available

1183
00:49:48,890 --> 00:49:50,686
for $25,000."

1184
00:49:50,686 --> 00:49:56,823
DAVE: I remember there
was a $250,000 package.

1185
00:49:56,823 --> 00:49:58,619
‐ But those villas
did not exist‐‐

1186
00:49:58,619 --> 00:50:00,163
the ones that
had been marketed

1187
00:50:00,163 --> 00:50:02,501
just straight up weren't‐‐
not even there.

1188
00:50:02,501 --> 00:50:04,756
JIA: Billy might have very well
believed, you know, like,

1189
00:50:04,756 --> 00:50:07,052
"There's gotta be some company
that'll set up a villa

1190
00:50:07,052 --> 00:50:09,348
for me for super cheap."
I mean, it's like,

1191
00:50:09,348 --> 00:50:11,978
"Why can't we Amazon Prime this
or something?"

1192
00:50:11,978 --> 00:50:15,151
<i>[awkward music]</i>

1193
00:50:15,151 --> 00:50:17,364
JAKE: These guys were just
selling villas

1194
00:50:17,364 --> 00:50:19,535
because they needed another
$25,000

1195
00:50:19,535 --> 00:50:22,415
to pay the production
and stage guys.

1196
00:50:22,415 --> 00:50:26,173
JAKE: In fact, very quickly
after the festival,

1197
00:50:26,173 --> 00:50:29,722
I acquired a trove
of thousands of emails

1198
00:50:29,722 --> 00:50:33,020
detailing the inner workings
of the Fyre Festival.

1199
00:50:33,020 --> 00:50:35,442
What they show is that
right around this time,

1200
00:50:35,442 --> 00:50:38,615
Billy is so short of cash
and he's trying desperately

1201
00:50:38,615 --> 00:50:40,619
to figure out how
to pay everybody off

1202
00:50:40,619 --> 00:50:44,126
that he begins engaging in
criminal acts and wire fraud.

1203
00:50:44,126 --> 00:50:45,629
He's securing services

1204
00:50:45,629 --> 00:50:48,134
by promising vendors
wire transfers.

1205
00:50:48,134 --> 00:50:51,641
He's sending screenshots
of a confirmation page

1206
00:50:51,641 --> 00:50:53,562
but the tracking number
is cut off

1207
00:50:53,562 --> 00:50:56,108
and he's not really
wiring the money.

1208
00:50:56,108 --> 00:50:58,320
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1209
00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:00,283
‐ It just seemed like
every day,

1210
00:51:00,283 --> 00:51:03,832
we'd wake up with an issue,
solve it by the next morning,

1211
00:51:03,832 --> 00:51:05,461
and then a new one
would pop up,

1212
00:51:05,461 --> 00:51:08,340
and it was just playing
this Whac‐a‐Mole game

1213
00:51:08,340 --> 00:51:10,011
where we kept solving
the problems,

1214
00:51:10,011 --> 00:51:11,848
kept solving the problems,
kept solving the problems

1215
00:51:11,848 --> 00:51:14,771
and I guess gained a little bit
of confidence from that,

1216
00:51:14,771 --> 00:51:16,524
thinking everything
in the world was solvable.

1217
00:51:16,524 --> 00:51:21,158
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1218
00:51:21,158 --> 00:51:22,953
CALVIN: And then
I started hitting up

1219
00:51:22,953 --> 00:51:25,249
my friends in the music
industry who were announced

1220
00:51:25,249 --> 00:51:29,550
as headliners at the festival,
saying, "Are you being paid?"

1221
00:51:29,550 --> 00:51:31,345
DAVE: They had Blink‐182.

1222
00:51:31,345 --> 00:51:33,265
Major Lazer was playing.

1223
00:51:33,265 --> 00:51:35,353
Diplo.
Lil Yachty.

1224
00:51:35,353 --> 00:51:37,398
And you had G. O. O. D. Music.

1225
00:51:37,398 --> 00:51:39,529
All these really big artists

1226
00:51:39,529 --> 00:51:43,285
are gonna demand
payment upfront.

1227
00:51:43,285 --> 00:51:45,122
‐ And the information I'm
getting from them is,

1228
00:51:45,122 --> 00:51:47,920
"No, they're not paying on
the terms that we disclosed."

1229
00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:50,592
‐ I spoke to a number of agents
who said

1230
00:51:50,592 --> 00:51:54,057
Fyre Festival went into breach
almost from day one,

1231
00:51:54,057 --> 00:51:56,896
were not making payments,
following wire instructions,

1232
00:51:56,896 --> 00:51:59,401
it was late,
there were excuses.

1233
00:51:59,401 --> 00:52:03,325
CALVIN: So I'm watching this
thing unfold from afar,

1234
00:52:03,325 --> 00:52:05,747
but what I didn't know was that

1235
00:52:05,747 --> 00:52:09,422
the festival was basically
just a big promotion

1236
00:52:09,422 --> 00:52:15,308
for Billy and Ja's bigger idea,
which was the Fyre app.

1237
00:52:15,308 --> 00:52:18,022
CALVIN: The Fyre app is a
booking app

1238
00:52:18,022 --> 00:52:21,696
so you can rent out celebrities
to appear at your events,

1239
00:52:21,696 --> 00:52:23,617
and I think this was sort of

1240
00:52:23,617 --> 00:52:25,954
the Tinder for booking talent.

1241
00:52:25,954 --> 00:52:28,835
You'd swipe right and make
an offer on Coldplay,

1242
00:52:28,835 --> 00:52:31,048
and Coldplay would either
accept and swipe right

1243
00:52:31,048 --> 00:52:33,385
or swipe left on you,
and then

1244
00:52:33,385 --> 00:52:36,058
you guys would be linked
and then, you know,

1245
00:52:36,058 --> 00:52:38,939
you'd have them playing
at Timmy's bar mitzvah.

1246
00:52:40,859 --> 00:52:43,531
A very dear friend sent me
a term sheet

1247
00:52:43,531 --> 00:52:46,119
from Comcast Ventures
to Fyre Media.

1248
00:52:47,623 --> 00:52:50,921
It was for a significant
amount of money‐‐

1249
00:52:50,921 --> 00:52:53,342
a really meaningful valuation.

1250
00:52:53,342 --> 00:52:56,891
But he was just indicating that

1251
00:52:56,891 --> 00:53:00,440
the app was far more profitable
than it actually was.

1252
00:53:00,440 --> 00:53:02,235
And that's really
when it turned from something

1253
00:53:02,235 --> 00:53:04,699
of rich millennials
getting picked off

1254
00:53:04,699 --> 00:53:10,042
to something that became, like,
a significant financial crime.

1255
00:53:10,042 --> 00:53:12,548
And so at this point,

1256
00:53:12,548 --> 00:53:15,804
I have a thesis that
this is a fraud.

1257
00:53:15,804 --> 00:53:19,060
So I called Comcast Ventures,
and I said, "Look,

1258
00:53:19,060 --> 00:53:21,273
"you gotta trust me.
It's not legitimate.

1259
00:53:21,273 --> 00:53:23,193
"Just do me this favor.

1260
00:53:23,193 --> 00:53:26,617
"Promise me that you won't
write a check to this company

1261
00:53:26,617 --> 00:53:29,414
until after
the festival occurs."

1262
00:53:29,414 --> 00:53:34,257
And to their credit, you know,
they ultimately didn't invest.

1263
00:53:34,257 --> 00:53:36,804
But still, more tickets are
getting sold.

1264
00:53:36,804 --> 00:53:39,267
And the more money people were
spending on this thing,

1265
00:53:39,267 --> 00:53:41,564
you know, the more I felt like,

1266
00:53:41,564 --> 00:53:43,985
"Hey, someone has got
to stand up and say,

1267
00:53:43,985 --> 00:53:46,783
'This isn't real.'"
And so I created

1268
00:53:46,783 --> 00:53:52,461
the anonymous Twitter account
FyreFraud,

1269
00:53:52,461 --> 00:53:55,592
and I just started posting
what I knew to be factual.

1270
00:53:55,592 --> 00:54:00,101
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1271
00:54:00,101 --> 00:54:02,481
OREN: We would sit in meetings
with the Fyre team,

1272
00:54:02,481 --> 00:54:05,487
and we advised them to stay
away from Twitter

1273
00:54:05,487 --> 00:54:06,697
because there was,
like, an account

1274
00:54:06,697 --> 00:54:08,283
that basically called them out.

1275
00:54:08,283 --> 00:54:10,789
The guy would start talking
to other people

1276
00:54:10,789 --> 00:54:13,461
and connecting dots together
in the comments.

1277
00:54:19,640 --> 00:54:22,145
And I think everyone in the
room kind of had, like,

1278
00:54:22,145 --> 00:54:24,775
a little thing on their mind,
like, "Yeah, you're right."

1279
00:54:24,775 --> 00:54:26,863
Like, "How is this gonna work?"

1280
00:54:26,863 --> 00:54:29,367
How are 20,000 people getting
to this island

1281
00:54:29,367 --> 00:54:31,539
when you're pitching it as

1282
00:54:31,539 --> 00:54:34,085
Cessna planes are what's
bringing you there?

1283
00:54:34,085 --> 00:54:37,258
People are like, "Eh,
someone will figure it out."

1284
00:54:37,258 --> 00:54:39,012
Like, "It's fine."

1285
00:54:39,012 --> 00:54:40,557
This cliff is really high.

1286
00:54:40,557 --> 00:54:41,893
If people are drunk,

1287
00:54:41,893 --> 00:54:43,605
they could just fall
into this water.

1288
00:54:43,605 --> 00:54:46,234
They didn't even think, like,
"Maybe we need a fence."

1289
00:54:46,234 --> 00:54:48,030
I would say,
"Where's the beach?"

1290
00:54:48,030 --> 00:54:50,744
And they'd be like, "Oh, the
beach is five miles away."

1291
00:54:50,744 --> 00:54:55,837
We'd be like, "Oh...uh...

1292
00:54:55,837 --> 00:54:59,511
"this could actually be, like,
a failure, I think.

1293
00:54:59,511 --> 00:55:01,056
Could it?"
And everyone would be like,

1294
00:55:01,056 --> 00:55:02,559
"Could it? Could it?"

1295
00:55:02,559 --> 00:55:05,440
VICKIE: If you're
a business partner in this

1296
00:55:05,440 --> 00:55:07,861
and you have the information

1297
00:55:07,861 --> 00:55:09,865
that this is gonna be
a shitstorm,

1298
00:55:09,865 --> 00:55:11,409
you should tell somebody.

1299
00:55:11,409 --> 00:55:16,252
OREN: So there were a few
vendors who dropped out.

1300
00:55:16,252 --> 00:55:18,048
For everybody,
this is a red flag.

1301
00:55:18,048 --> 00:55:20,302
This is one of those things
that you kind of question,

1302
00:55:20,302 --> 00:55:23,559
"If they're doing something,
why aren't we?"

1303
00:55:23,559 --> 00:55:27,024
But it would always come back
to, like, "Nah," and...

1304
00:55:28,695 --> 00:55:31,617
VICKIE: If it were my agency
and I didn't think

1305
00:55:31,617 --> 00:55:33,454
that this was something
I could put my name behind,

1306
00:55:33,454 --> 00:55:35,709
I would've dropped out.

1307
00:55:35,709 --> 00:55:37,921
OREN: There's so much
momentum,

1308
00:55:37,921 --> 00:55:39,717
so much money, so much force
behind everything

1309
00:55:39,717 --> 00:55:44,017
that it's like,
"This train's not stopping."

1310
00:55:46,146 --> 00:55:47,607
CALVIN: You can say
in hindsight

1311
00:55:47,607 --> 00:55:49,152
that this is very
easily a fraud,

1312
00:55:49,152 --> 00:55:51,364
but there's a point
at which I questioned,

1313
00:55:51,364 --> 00:55:53,995
like, "Am I wrong? Am I crazy?"

1314
00:55:53,995 --> 00:55:56,041
I needed some of the validation

1315
00:55:56,041 --> 00:55:59,172
that an actual journalist
could provide,

1316
00:55:59,172 --> 00:56:02,219
so I called
"The Wall Street Journal,"

1317
00:56:02,219 --> 00:56:04,767
and I say,
"Here's everything I know.

1318
00:56:04,767 --> 00:56:06,771
You need to put
a stop to this thing,"

1319
00:56:06,771 --> 00:56:11,572
because these guys were not
running an honest operation.

1320
00:56:11,572 --> 00:56:14,410
And they printed it in
"The Wall Street Journal."

1321
00:56:14,410 --> 00:56:17,459
Okay, I've done my civic duty.
We have killed this thing.

1322
00:56:17,459 --> 00:56:20,799
That's good enough for me.
And I was wrong.

1323
00:56:20,799 --> 00:56:22,636
They were unfazed.

1324
00:56:22,636 --> 00:56:24,473
In fact, they were
only emboldened.

1325
00:56:24,473 --> 00:56:26,852
They hit back with
a counterpunch

1326
00:56:26,852 --> 00:56:30,317
of what can only be described
as a social media blitz.

1327
00:56:30,317 --> 00:56:32,531
Somebody would post
a question on the thing.

1328
00:56:32,531 --> 00:56:34,660
The question would
immediately get deleted.

1329
00:56:34,660 --> 00:56:37,916
‐ Anytime there would be
anything that was "distasteful"

1330
00:56:37,916 --> 00:56:40,337
or calling Fyre out
on anything.

1331
00:56:40,337 --> 00:56:41,757
It was always a matter of,

1332
00:56:41,757 --> 00:56:44,262
"Go to that source
and eliminate it."

1333
00:56:44,262 --> 00:56:46,559
‐ If you're asked,
as a media company,

1334
00:56:46,559 --> 00:56:49,731
to start deleting things,
you‐‐that's a red flag.

1335
00:56:49,731 --> 00:56:51,694
OREN: Instantly flagged words
about "lineup,

1336
00:56:51,694 --> 00:56:55,994
"lineups, performers,
details, info,

1337
00:56:55,994 --> 00:56:59,459
flights, fraud, stupid, scam"‐‐

1338
00:56:59,459 --> 00:57:01,922
"festival," even.
"Festival" was blocked.

1339
00:57:01,922 --> 00:57:03,551
It got that bad.
‐ They would say, "Hey,

1340
00:57:03,551 --> 00:57:05,345
"like, I haven't gotten
my flights confirmed.

1341
00:57:05,345 --> 00:57:07,057
What's going on?"
And it would be,

1342
00:57:07,057 --> 00:57:09,438
that person would then
get blocked from the account.

1343
00:57:09,438 --> 00:57:12,485
OREN: And then I had to make
this list again in all caps

1344
00:57:12,485 --> 00:57:15,575
because Grant didn't believe
that it wasn't case‐sensitive.

1345
00:57:15,575 --> 00:57:17,871
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1346
00:57:17,871 --> 00:57:20,793
CALVIN: They were so good
at silencing the dissenters

1347
00:57:20,793 --> 00:57:23,507
that I'm screaming this
from a rooftop,

1348
00:57:23,507 --> 00:57:25,428
and there's no one listening.

1349
00:57:25,428 --> 00:57:31,523
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1350
00:57:31,523 --> 00:57:34,571
DELROY: Billy was running
out of money,

1351
00:57:34,571 --> 00:57:37,368
'cause I heard him on the phone
talking to one of the investors

1352
00:57:37,368 --> 00:57:39,915
and, like, this dude
was begging.

1353
00:57:39,915 --> 00:57:44,883
"Um, I need, like, um, a mill?"

1354
00:57:44,883 --> 00:57:47,346
POLLY: Someone was investing
in the Fyre app

1355
00:57:47,346 --> 00:57:49,851
and the Fyre Festival.

1356
00:57:49,851 --> 00:57:53,943
Billy created a spreadsheet
and wrote in "musical act,

1357
00:57:53,943 --> 00:57:57,784
thousands paid.
Musical act, thousands paid."

1358
00:57:57,784 --> 00:57:59,538
MAN: So Lil Wayne was
on the platform?

1359
00:57:59,538 --> 00:58:01,416
‐ Every artist in your‐‐
in the‐‐

1360
00:58:01,416 --> 00:58:03,754
in materials that we created
as a team was on the platform.

1361
00:58:03,754 --> 00:58:05,591
MAN: Jamie Foxx was
on the platform?

1362
00:58:05,591 --> 00:58:07,470
‐ Uh, as again‐‐once again,
every artist that we created

1363
00:58:07,470 --> 00:58:09,599
in the materials
was on the platform.

1364
00:58:09,599 --> 00:58:11,227
POLLY: But the reality is

1365
00:58:11,227 --> 00:58:12,981
that there were never thousands
of acts booked

1366
00:58:12,981 --> 00:58:15,360
and there were never millions
of dollars paid.

1367
00:58:15,360 --> 00:58:20,037
It was about $57,000 total.

1368
00:58:20,037 --> 00:58:23,753
Even worse, he alleged that
he owned Facebook shares

1369
00:58:23,753 --> 00:58:26,884
to the tune of over $2 million.

1370
00:58:26,884 --> 00:58:31,225
In reality, he had over
1,000 bucks in there.

1371
00:58:31,225 --> 00:58:34,441
And after Billy submitted these
doctored loan documents,

1372
00:58:34,441 --> 00:58:37,906
this investor put $800,000

1373
00:58:37,906 --> 00:58:39,367
on the line for Billy.

1374
00:58:39,367 --> 00:58:41,329
‐ [laughing]

1375
00:58:41,329 --> 00:58:43,501
‐ He hung up.
He said, "Delroy,

1376
00:58:43,501 --> 00:58:45,838
"put it here, man.

1377
00:58:45,838 --> 00:58:48,511
Let's go Jet‐Skiing."

1378
00:58:48,511 --> 00:58:51,349
<i>[racing bass line]</i>

1379
00:58:51,349 --> 00:58:53,019
<i>["Misirlou"</i>
<i>by Dick Dale & the Del Tones]</i>

1380
00:58:53,019 --> 00:58:56,150
<i>‐ ♪ Ha, ha, ha ♪</i>

1381
00:58:56,150 --> 00:58:58,614
JAKE: Despite all
of the warning signs,

1382
00:58:58,614 --> 00:59:02,079
as even the most basic things
just can't come together,

1383
00:59:02,079 --> 00:59:04,375
Billy becomes obsessed
with an idea

1384
00:59:04,375 --> 00:59:07,757
of bringing a pirate ship
to the Bahamas.

1385
00:59:07,757 --> 00:59:09,553
‐ [scoffs] Like, what are you
gonna‐‐

1386
00:59:09,553 --> 00:59:11,055
what do you need
a pirate ship for?

1387
00:59:11,055 --> 00:59:13,184
You're als‐‐you're‐‐
you're drowning in debt.

1388
00:59:13,184 --> 00:59:14,855
You're literally drowning
in debt.

1389
00:59:14,855 --> 00:59:16,107
You can't even see.

1390
00:59:16,107 --> 00:59:17,861
BEN: He could sit
in the cannonball

1391
00:59:17,861 --> 00:59:20,992
and you could shoot him
and he would do three 360s,

1392
00:59:20,992 --> 00:59:22,495
throw out a bunch of money,

1393
00:59:22,495 --> 00:59:24,039
pour the drinks
in everybody's mouth,

1394
00:59:24,039 --> 00:59:25,835
and say, "Billy's here!"

1395
00:59:25,835 --> 00:59:29,383
JAKE: The team is really,
really against this idea,

1396
00:59:29,383 --> 00:59:31,387
but Billy is so obsessed
with it

1397
00:59:31,387 --> 00:59:32,599
that they go through
the process

1398
00:59:32,599 --> 00:59:34,561
of trying to find it anyway.

1399
00:59:34,561 --> 00:59:37,191
There was an urgent email
about the bathrooms‐‐

1400
00:59:37,191 --> 00:59:40,071
that instead of having
these luxurious bathrooms,

1401
00:59:40,071 --> 00:59:43,662
they're gonna have to
try to ship in porta potties.

1402
00:59:43,662 --> 00:59:45,750
And there's this great email
that I love.

1403
00:59:45,750 --> 00:59:47,754
The quote is,
"Well, nobody's eating,

1404
00:59:47,754 --> 00:59:49,758
so nobody's pooping."

1405
00:59:49,758 --> 00:59:54,559
DELROY: And then they order
2‐million dollars' worth

1406
00:59:54,559 --> 00:59:57,356
of booze.

1407
00:59:57,356 --> 00:59:59,318
Who the fuck orders
2‐million dollars' worth

1408
00:59:59,318 --> 01:00:01,615
of booze, dawg?

1409
01:00:01,615 --> 01:00:03,994
You know the duty on liquor
in the Bahamas?

1410
01:00:03,994 --> 01:00:06,542
45% of $2 million.

1411
01:00:06,542 --> 01:00:09,673
I was like...

1412
01:00:16,687 --> 01:00:18,356
‐ Okay, and just a couple
of remaining items.

1413
01:00:18,356 --> 01:00:20,402
‐ So then Billy took out
this loan

1414
01:00:20,402 --> 01:00:22,322
from someone named
Ezra Birnbaum.

1415
01:00:22,322 --> 01:00:25,245
‐ Please indicate here if
I look like a schmuck to you.

1416
01:00:25,245 --> 01:00:26,915
‐ I'm gonna say no.

1417
01:00:26,915 --> 01:00:30,171
POLLY: Ezra Birnbaum
gives a loan for $3 million.

1418
01:00:30,171 --> 01:00:34,514
The loan had a maximum
interest rate of 120%.

1419
01:00:34,514 --> 01:00:38,146
The interest on the loan
amounted to $600,000

1420
01:00:38,146 --> 01:00:40,025
in three months.

1421
01:00:40,025 --> 01:00:44,784
He needed to make a payment of
$1/2 million within 16 days.

1422
01:00:44,784 --> 01:00:47,205
‐ I‐‐I was a big boy.
I knew what I was getting into.

1423
01:00:47,205 --> 01:00:49,961
And, you know,
if I signed something

1424
01:00:49,961 --> 01:00:53,092
that doesn't make‐‐it doesn't
sound smart financially,

1425
01:00:53,092 --> 01:00:56,975
that's on me, and it's‐‐
no one made me do that.

1426
01:00:56,975 --> 01:01:01,443
DAVE: But about a week before
the festival was to take place,

1427
01:01:01,443 --> 01:01:05,241
attendees started receiving
this email.

1428
01:01:05,241 --> 01:01:08,331
The email said,
"This is a cashless event,

1429
01:01:08,331 --> 01:01:10,795
"and you'll be paying
for the festival

1430
01:01:10,795 --> 01:01:12,715
using a wristband."

1431
01:01:12,715 --> 01:01:14,552
You load the wristband
with money,

1432
01:01:14,552 --> 01:01:16,807
and then whenever
you wanna buy anything,

1433
01:01:16,807 --> 01:01:21,023
you scan the wristband and
it's debited from the account.

1434
01:01:21,023 --> 01:01:22,485
SETH: The directions
in the email

1435
01:01:22,485 --> 01:01:23,487
said you were required

1436
01:01:23,487 --> 01:01:24,948
to put something on it.

1437
01:01:24,948 --> 01:01:27,704
"We recommend
at least $300 per day."

1438
01:01:27,704 --> 01:01:30,668
People asked me,
"Are those red flags?"

1439
01:01:30,668 --> 01:01:32,463
And I thought, "I don't know.

1440
01:01:32,463 --> 01:01:34,426
I've never planned
a music event before."

1441
01:01:34,426 --> 01:01:36,805
DAVE: Whenever he's
doing a scam,

1442
01:01:36,805 --> 01:01:40,061
it kind of always gets in this,
like, realm of believability

1443
01:01:40,061 --> 01:01:43,444
because festivals do use
cashless wristbands.

1444
01:01:43,444 --> 01:01:46,450
MAN: Did the decision
to make the wristbands

1445
01:01:46,450 --> 01:01:48,829
and have people upload cash
have anything to do

1446
01:01:48,829 --> 01:01:51,417
with your loan
to Ezra Birnbaum?

1447
01:01:51,417 --> 01:01:54,674
‐ Uh...

1448
01:01:56,720 --> 01:01:58,181
DAVE: Our reporting found

1449
01:01:58,181 --> 01:02:02,690
that plan itself raised
about $2 million.

1450
01:02:09,954 --> 01:02:12,417
FELIX: Every day,
it was something new.

1451
01:02:12,417 --> 01:02:14,672
Everyone was very stressed out.

1452
01:02:14,672 --> 01:02:17,135
There were a lot of people
that weren't paid.

1453
01:02:17,135 --> 01:02:19,432
DIALLO: And I remember
one day in particular,

1454
01:02:19,432 --> 01:02:21,603
we were out there working,
and all of the sudden,

1455
01:02:21,603 --> 01:02:23,440
I see a cop show up
and they're shutting down

1456
01:02:23,440 --> 01:02:25,276
the job site.

1457
01:02:25,276 --> 01:02:27,782
Why? Because these guys aren't
paying national insurance.

1458
01:02:27,782 --> 01:02:30,370
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

1459
01:02:30,370 --> 01:02:33,292
FELIX: A week before
the festival,

1460
01:02:33,292 --> 01:02:36,883
everyone seems to know that
this is not going to happen.

1461
01:02:36,883 --> 01:02:38,554
‐ Seven days in advance,

1462
01:02:38,554 --> 01:02:40,139
we knew that we didn't
have enough accommodations

1463
01:02:40,139 --> 01:02:43,104
for guests, and now
the slippery slope begins.

1464
01:02:43,104 --> 01:02:45,776
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1465
01:02:45,776 --> 01:02:47,697
AVA: The contractor was
begging for more time,

1466
01:02:47,697 --> 01:02:49,324
and they were like, "No.
There's no more time."

1467
01:02:49,324 --> 01:02:51,036
DANIEL: And you don't have
radio communication.

1468
01:02:51,036 --> 01:02:52,999
Why? Because the guy didn't
pay the customs bill.

1469
01:02:52,999 --> 01:02:55,003
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1470
01:02:55,003 --> 01:02:57,132
OREN: The FuckJerry team
was still posting stuff.

1471
01:02:57,132 --> 01:02:58,510
I could say, "I'm scared."

1472
01:02:58,510 --> 01:02:59,971
I could say,
"This is dangerous."

1473
01:02:59,971 --> 01:03:01,600
It won't change anything

1474
01:03:01,600 --> 01:03:04,564
'cause the festival
has to happen.

1475
01:03:04,564 --> 01:03:06,275
FELIX: It was chaos.
At the end, I was like,

1476
01:03:06,275 --> 01:03:07,653
"This shit ain't happening.

1477
01:03:07,653 --> 01:03:09,574
I'm getting a flight
out of here."

1478
01:03:09,574 --> 01:03:10,993
NICK: People started
to have breakdowns.

1479
01:03:10,993 --> 01:03:12,747
People started to have
panic attacks.

1480
01:03:12,747 --> 01:03:14,626
‐ No idea what they were doing.
‐ It was a shitshow.

1481
01:03:14,626 --> 01:03:18,842
‐ Just chaos and anarchy.

1482
01:03:18,842 --> 01:03:24,520
FELIX: The night before,
we worked through the night.

1483
01:03:24,520 --> 01:03:26,608
We were driving back
to the house.

1484
01:03:26,608 --> 01:03:28,946
It's, like, 3:00 a.m.
at this point

1485
01:03:28,946 --> 01:03:30,908
and it starts to rain,
and we're like, "Okay.

1486
01:03:30,908 --> 01:03:32,995
It might just be light rain."
And then...

1487
01:03:32,995 --> 01:03:34,540
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1488
01:03:34,540 --> 01:03:38,799
NICK: And it started
monsooning.

1489
01:03:38,799 --> 01:03:41,429
We all started crying
of laughter.

1490
01:03:41,429 --> 01:03:42,932
It was, like, hours before
the first people

1491
01:03:42,932 --> 01:03:44,769
were supposed to get here.

1492
01:03:44,769 --> 01:03:46,773
‐ And then thunder
and then the lights go out

1493
01:03:46,773 --> 01:03:48,777
and the roads look like
they're flooded.

1494
01:03:48,777 --> 01:03:53,119
I thought to myself,
"This is an act of God."

1495
01:03:53,119 --> 01:03:58,045
And, you know,
it was kind of like...

1496
01:03:58,045 --> 01:04:00,133
‐ That's it.
That's‐‐that's it.

1497
01:04:00,133 --> 01:04:02,638
It's two hours from now.
We're fucked.

1498
01:04:02,638 --> 01:04:05,728
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1499
01:04:05,728 --> 01:04:08,734
[alarm blares]

1500
01:04:11,489 --> 01:04:14,495
<i>[eerie music]</i>

1501
01:04:14,495 --> 01:04:16,123
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1502
01:04:16,123 --> 01:04:18,587
DAVE: Before Fyre Festival,

1503
01:04:18,587 --> 01:04:22,553
there was definitely some
disastrous festivals.

1504
01:04:22,553 --> 01:04:24,264
[crowd shouting]

1505
01:04:24,264 --> 01:04:27,730
The Hells Angels stabbing
someone at Altamont Speedway

1506
01:04:27,730 --> 01:04:30,109
with the Rolling Stones.

1507
01:04:30,109 --> 01:04:32,907
MAN: Everybody, just cool out!

1508
01:04:35,746 --> 01:04:37,917
DAVE: And then Woodstock 1999,

1509
01:04:37,917 --> 01:04:43,052
it was almost like
this apocalyptic event.

1510
01:04:43,052 --> 01:04:45,891
Whenever a festival fails,
it's something about it

1511
01:04:45,891 --> 01:04:48,730
that really fascinates people.

1512
01:04:48,730 --> 01:04:51,235
So fast‐forward to today.

1513
01:04:51,235 --> 01:04:53,740
We are at high alert.

1514
01:04:53,740 --> 01:04:55,619
[alarm blaring]

1515
01:04:55,619 --> 01:04:56,996
We didn't know
what was gonna happen.

1516
01:04:56,996 --> 01:05:00,002
We just knew we had to tune in.

1517
01:05:00,002 --> 01:05:03,760
So I basically set up
a little mini war room.

1518
01:05:03,760 --> 01:05:06,766
‐ We are at DEFCON 1.
MAN: DEFCON 1.

1519
01:05:06,766 --> 01:05:08,812
‐ Well, okay, so the war room
was at my house.

1520
01:05:08,812 --> 01:05:11,442
It was just me, but I had
the computer up.

1521
01:05:11,442 --> 01:05:13,864
I was watching different
Twitter feeds.

1522
01:05:13,864 --> 01:05:16,034
Anybody who was gonna
go to Fyre Fest,

1523
01:05:16,034 --> 01:05:17,913
I was following them.

1524
01:05:17,913 --> 01:05:21,796
‐ It is Thursday, officially
the day of my flight to Fyre.

1525
01:05:21,796 --> 01:05:25,344
‐ We're about to go
to Fyre Festival.

1526
01:05:25,344 --> 01:05:27,098
CC: So this Fyre Festival,
right,

1527
01:05:27,098 --> 01:05:29,394
it's like history
in the making.

1528
01:05:29,394 --> 01:05:31,774
It's gonna be interesting
one way or another.

1529
01:05:31,774 --> 01:05:35,991
‐ Going to the Bahamas.
Wow.

1530
01:05:35,991 --> 01:05:39,457
SETH: We got an email Thursday
on morning that said

1531
01:05:39,457 --> 01:05:41,335
they were still putting
things together

1532
01:05:41,335 --> 01:05:43,005
so you might see some trucks,

1533
01:05:43,005 --> 01:05:45,427
you might see some people
moving some stuff around,

1534
01:05:45,427 --> 01:05:47,514
and just kind of bear
with them.

1535
01:05:47,514 --> 01:05:50,938
We even joked and, like,
bought toilet paper

1536
01:05:50,938 --> 01:05:52,315
before we went and thought,
you know,

1537
01:05:52,315 --> 01:05:54,820
"This might end up being
currency."

1538
01:05:54,820 --> 01:05:57,660
And then while we were
waiting in the airport,

1539
01:05:57,660 --> 01:06:00,331
we saw that Blink 182 had
tweeted out

1540
01:06:00,331 --> 01:06:03,087
that they were not gonna play.

1541
01:06:03,087 --> 01:06:07,345
"Well, one band has backed out,
but that's just one band."

1542
01:06:07,345 --> 01:06:10,894
Everything was gonna be fine,
right?

1543
01:06:10,894 --> 01:06:14,025
AUSTIN: [sighs] I'm saying
my prayers right now.

1544
01:06:14,025 --> 01:06:17,323
Could be amazing.
Could be a disaster.

1545
01:06:17,323 --> 01:06:20,622
STEWARD: And your seats
in their upright positions.

1546
01:06:20,622 --> 01:06:22,166
Thank you very much.

1547
01:06:22,166 --> 01:06:25,882
‐ All right, we are here
in the "private jet."

1548
01:06:25,882 --> 01:06:27,553
GIRL: [laughs]

1549
01:06:27,553 --> 01:06:30,600
‐ It's actually worse than,
like, really, like,

1550
01:06:30,600 --> 01:06:33,732
being, like, low,
low economy class.

1551
01:06:33,732 --> 01:06:35,736
<i>[awkward music]</i>

1552
01:06:35,736 --> 01:06:37,823
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1553
01:06:37,823 --> 01:06:39,785
AUSTIN: There were some people
already on the island,

1554
01:06:39,785 --> 01:06:42,875
including a couple
of our friends.

1555
01:06:42,875 --> 01:06:45,422
But our friends were redirected
to another place on the island,

1556
01:06:45,422 --> 01:06:48,052
which was one of
the nicer parts.

1557
01:06:48,052 --> 01:06:50,766
DANIEL: They decided that
they would ship

1558
01:06:50,766 --> 01:06:52,728
all their first three planes

1559
01:06:52,728 --> 01:06:55,776
to somebody else's resort.

1560
01:06:55,776 --> 01:06:59,366
‐ Okay, so we got
the three cowboys in a row.

1561
01:06:59,366 --> 01:07:01,244
OREN: I went down
to the Bahamas

1562
01:07:01,244 --> 01:07:03,207
with the FuckJerry guys.

1563
01:07:03,207 --> 01:07:07,090
We're at that side party that
they threw everyone to.

1564
01:07:07,090 --> 01:07:09,219
This is weird.

1565
01:07:09,219 --> 01:07:12,726
This already seemed
like a nosedive.

1566
01:07:12,726 --> 01:07:15,356
You could tell everyone's like,
"All right.

1567
01:07:15,356 --> 01:07:17,820
Could we go do the thing,
like, now?"

1568
01:07:17,820 --> 01:07:21,702
Planes are landing
and people are showing up.

1569
01:07:21,702 --> 01:07:23,372
‐ We're here!

1570
01:07:23,372 --> 01:07:25,919
[excited chatter]

1571
01:07:25,919 --> 01:07:29,552
AUSTIN: We were all packed into
the yellow school bus.

1572
01:07:29,552 --> 01:07:33,643
SETH: So a maybe 10‐
or 15‐minute drive,

1573
01:07:33,643 --> 01:07:37,316
and right as soon as you get
to the entrance...

1574
01:07:37,316 --> 01:07:40,406
WOMAN: [sobs] Oh, God.
MAN: Oh, my God.

1575
01:07:40,406 --> 01:07:42,619
WOMAN: Oh...

1576
01:07:42,619 --> 01:07:44,707
Oh, God.

1577
01:07:44,707 --> 01:07:46,376
AUSTIN: A girl next
to me on the bus

1578
01:07:46,376 --> 01:07:47,713
started bawling and crying.

1579
01:07:47,713 --> 01:07:49,925
WOMAN: [crying] Turn around.

1580
01:07:49,925 --> 01:07:51,386
MAN: There's no bed
in that tent.

1581
01:07:51,386 --> 01:07:53,600
There's no beds in the tents.

1582
01:07:53,600 --> 01:07:55,854
WOMAN: Amber was like,
"This isn't funny!"

1583
01:07:55,854 --> 01:07:57,524
[chatter]

1584
01:07:57,524 --> 01:08:01,657
SETH: It was just gravel,
mattresses stacked up

1585
01:08:01,657 --> 01:08:03,368
along the road.

1586
01:08:03,368 --> 01:08:07,586
MAN: That's an air mattress.
I see an air mattress.

1587
01:08:07,586 --> 01:08:09,673
AUSTIN: I mean,
this is just crazy.

1588
01:08:09,673 --> 01:08:11,511
There's, like, 50 tents
that are ready,

1589
01:08:11,511 --> 01:08:14,057
and all the rest aren't.

1590
01:08:14,057 --> 01:08:15,519
SETH: There was plenty
of liquor.

1591
01:08:15,519 --> 01:08:17,230
There were just pallets
of liquor bottles

1592
01:08:17,230 --> 01:08:20,236
sitting next to kiosks that
said "bar."

1593
01:08:20,236 --> 01:08:23,116
‐ What's happening?
There's no water over there.

1594
01:08:23,116 --> 01:08:26,039
Oh, Jesus.

1595
01:08:26,039 --> 01:08:28,252
Maybe we all get
to burn it down at the end?

1596
01:08:28,252 --> 01:08:31,258
[laughs] We just burned all
of our money.

1597
01:08:31,258 --> 01:08:34,807
SETH: This is not what we
signed up for.

1598
01:08:34,807 --> 01:08:40,359
OREN: The first thing I saw
was, "These are FEMA tents.

1599
01:08:40,359 --> 01:08:45,244
What have I done?"
My child is like Satan.

1600
01:08:45,244 --> 01:08:50,045
This is such a disaster,
but I heard that

1601
01:08:50,045 --> 01:08:52,593
some influencers
actually got villas.

1602
01:08:52,593 --> 01:08:53,886
Like, mansions.

1603
01:08:53,886 --> 01:08:56,182
‐ Look at this kitchen!

1604
01:08:56,182 --> 01:08:59,272
We actually did have a villa.

1605
01:08:59,272 --> 01:09:01,318
We felt real bad.

1606
01:09:01,318 --> 01:09:04,157
<i>[dance music]</i>

1607
01:09:04,157 --> 01:09:06,954
[laughs]

1608
01:09:06,954 --> 01:09:09,960
<i>[tense hip‐hop beats]</i>

1609
01:09:09,960 --> 01:09:11,422
AUSTIN: I hate you for telling
me to come here.

1610
01:09:11,422 --> 01:09:12,924
‐ [laughing] It wasn't me.
It was you.

1611
01:09:12,924 --> 01:09:14,218
AUSTIN: I hate you. I hate you.

1612
01:09:14,218 --> 01:09:17,684
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1613
01:09:17,684 --> 01:09:20,064
People were freaking out.

1614
01:09:20,064 --> 01:09:21,817
No one had their room.

1615
01:09:21,817 --> 01:09:24,698
No one knew where
their bags were.

1616
01:09:24,698 --> 01:09:26,452
SETH: There were just
lines forming

1617
01:09:26,452 --> 01:09:31,002
in front of the blue house,
so we got in line.

1618
01:09:31,002 --> 01:09:32,923
NICK: So I went out there
with my laptop.

1619
01:09:32,923 --> 01:09:35,887
There was a line of, like,
600 people in front of me.

1620
01:09:35,887 --> 01:09:38,476
And I just, one by one, just
started plugging away.

1621
01:09:38,476 --> 01:09:40,020
You know, tent by tent,
tent by tent.

1622
01:09:40,020 --> 01:09:41,774
And we started‐‐we had
a system going.

1623
01:09:41,774 --> 01:09:45,197
We got through maybe
400 people,

1624
01:09:45,197 --> 01:09:47,326
but then Billy stood up
on that table

1625
01:09:47,326 --> 01:09:49,873
and he decided to undo
everything that I had done.

1626
01:09:52,294 --> 01:09:55,760
SETH: And he kind of just said,
"Go find a tent."

1627
01:09:55,760 --> 01:09:58,766
[overlapping chatter]

1628
01:10:00,102 --> 01:10:03,358
FELIX: And everyone's
just running.

1629
01:10:03,358 --> 01:10:06,907
NICK: It was just this mad dash
to claim your tent.

1630
01:10:06,907 --> 01:10:08,745
MAN: Shit.

1631
01:10:08,745 --> 01:10:10,832
AUSTIN: It was definitely
a state of panic.

1632
01:10:10,832 --> 01:10:12,502
MAN: They're just telling
everyone it's a free‐for‐all,

1633
01:10:12,502 --> 01:10:14,005
to just find an empty tent
and grab it,

1634
01:10:14,005 --> 01:10:15,967
so this whole place
is pretty fucked.

1635
01:10:15,967 --> 01:10:19,683
‐ Things could go terribly,
terribly wrong at this point.

1636
01:10:19,683 --> 01:10:21,352
‐ It's about to be pitch
black out here.

1637
01:10:21,352 --> 01:10:23,441
‐ People are panicking.
‐ People are panicking.

1638
01:10:23,441 --> 01:10:26,989
Like, tripping out.
‐ Okay.

1639
01:10:26,989 --> 01:10:29,620
‐ We have 250 houses rented
for millions of dollars

1640
01:10:29,620 --> 01:10:32,626
with paper receipts
and pictures of every house.

1641
01:10:32,626 --> 01:10:35,047
MAN: Why didn't your guests get
to those houses

1642
01:10:35,047 --> 01:10:37,259
that you rented?

1643
01:10:37,259 --> 01:10:40,182
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1644
01:10:40,182 --> 01:10:43,021
‐ We had a box
of physical keys,

1645
01:10:43,021 --> 01:10:45,527
cars to take people there,

1646
01:10:45,527 --> 01:10:47,404
and maps
for every single house,

1647
01:10:47,404 --> 01:10:51,622
and the box of keys‐‐
unfortunately, it went missing.

1648
01:10:51,622 --> 01:10:54,127
MAN: You lost a box of keys
to two‐million dollars' worth

1649
01:10:54,127 --> 01:10:56,507
of houses?
‐ Mm‐hmm.

1650
01:10:56,507 --> 01:10:59,387
MAN: So why didn't you tell
that to the guests?

1651
01:11:03,311 --> 01:11:05,315
<i>[awkward music]</i>

1652
01:11:05,315 --> 01:11:09,407
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1653
01:11:09,407 --> 01:11:11,912
DAVE: After Blink 182
dropped out,

1654
01:11:11,912 --> 01:11:14,333
a lot of the bands just never
got on the plane

1655
01:11:14,333 --> 01:11:18,885
because they could sense it was
a smoldering heap.

1656
01:11:18,885 --> 01:11:20,387
AUSTIN: This is, like,
five or six hours later,

1657
01:11:20,387 --> 01:11:21,724
we still don't have
our luggage.

1658
01:11:21,724 --> 01:11:23,978
‐ What the fuck are
we gonna do?

1659
01:11:23,978 --> 01:11:26,775
SETH: And that's when we ended
up at that shipping container

1660
01:11:26,775 --> 01:11:29,781
where they were throwing
luggage out,

1661
01:11:29,781 --> 01:11:33,623
like the white‐glove concierge
service that they promised.

1662
01:11:33,623 --> 01:11:36,002
AUSTIN: There was absolutely
zero organization.

1663
01:11:36,002 --> 01:11:38,758
NICK: People had to
literally fight through

1664
01:11:38,758 --> 01:11:40,553
and try to find their bags.

1665
01:11:40,553 --> 01:11:43,684
That is the worst thing
you could have possibly done.

1666
01:11:43,684 --> 01:11:47,484
AUSTIN: People are
carrying mattresses.

1667
01:11:47,484 --> 01:11:51,074
SETH: So I tweet out,
"Look at this.

1668
01:11:51,074 --> 01:11:52,869
"Do you see these lockers?

1669
01:11:52,869 --> 01:11:56,919
"Do you see
the luxury food court?

1670
01:11:56,919 --> 01:11:59,967
Do you see this luxury
cheese sandwich?"

1671
01:11:59,967 --> 01:12:02,054
CALVIN: At the same time,

1672
01:12:02,054 --> 01:12:05,018
Billy's lawyers were issuing
cease and desist orders

1673
01:12:05,018 --> 01:12:09,193
to anyone that's actively
posting negative comments.

1674
01:12:09,193 --> 01:12:11,615
BEN: They were threatening,
"We're gonna sue you."

1675
01:12:11,615 --> 01:12:14,328
It wasn't just rich kids
trapped on an island to me.

1676
01:12:14,328 --> 01:12:16,875
At that point, it was also
a health concern

1677
01:12:16,875 --> 01:12:19,297
that there were people
literally trapped on an island.

1678
01:12:19,297 --> 01:12:22,303
AUSTIN: This shit is
a fucking disaster.

1679
01:12:22,303 --> 01:12:25,935
My immediate reaction was,
"We need to get out of here."

1680
01:12:25,935 --> 01:12:27,772
Like, #RescueMission,

1681
01:12:27,772 --> 01:12:29,901
um...

1682
01:12:29,901 --> 01:12:32,657
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1683
01:12:32,657 --> 01:12:35,455
AVA: There was just, like,
a run on the airports.

1684
01:12:35,455 --> 01:12:36,915
It was incredibly nightmarish

1685
01:12:36,915 --> 01:12:38,209
because they had to deal
with persons

1686
01:12:38,209 --> 01:12:40,380
who were high out of your mind.

1687
01:12:40,380 --> 01:12:44,848
Very rowdy...
‐ 145! Whoo!

1688
01:12:44,848 --> 01:12:49,398
ALL: ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

1689
01:12:49,398 --> 01:12:51,027
SETH: They had been drinking
all day.

1690
01:12:51,027 --> 01:12:53,114
There was a guy
putting baby oil

1691
01:12:53,114 --> 01:12:55,410
on his completely
sunburned body

1692
01:12:55,410 --> 01:12:57,373
just hammered at, like,
11:30 at night,

1693
01:12:57,373 --> 01:12:59,461
and we're just sitting
there like,

1694
01:12:59,461 --> 01:13:03,761
"When do we get off
this island?"

1695
01:13:03,761 --> 01:13:05,556
‐ Mind you, at this point,
everyone's starting

1696
01:13:05,556 --> 01:13:08,186
to get antsy, grumpy,
hungry, thirsty.

1697
01:13:08,186 --> 01:13:10,315
SETH: One guy passed out,

1698
01:13:10,315 --> 01:13:12,027
and they had to take him
to the hospital.

1699
01:13:12,027 --> 01:13:13,823
AUSTIN: People were starting
to yell and scream.

1700
01:13:13,823 --> 01:13:15,910
They brought, like,
police from the island

1701
01:13:15,910 --> 01:13:17,956
into the room
to calm people down.

1702
01:13:17,956 --> 01:13:19,626
MAN: When do we get
our money back?

1703
01:13:19,626 --> 01:13:22,256
AUSTIN: Finally, we hear
a plane is actually coming.

1704
01:13:22,256 --> 01:13:25,805
‐ We made it!
‐ We made it!

1705
01:13:25,805 --> 01:13:27,934
SETH: We get on the plane

1706
01:13:27,934 --> 01:13:29,938
and the pilot does
the headcount,

1707
01:13:29,938 --> 01:13:31,775
and it doesn't match up
with the manifest.

1708
01:13:31,775 --> 01:13:34,196
‐ We need to pay attention.
He's gonna be calling names.

1709
01:13:34,196 --> 01:13:36,493
AUSTIN: The U. S. wouldn't
let us come back

1710
01:13:36,493 --> 01:13:40,793
because we had 111 names
and 112 people on the flight.

1711
01:13:40,793 --> 01:13:42,672
SETH: So he's making
everybody wake up

1712
01:13:42,672 --> 01:13:45,511
and get off the plane.

1713
01:13:45,511 --> 01:13:47,974
‐ We are officially off
the plane.

1714
01:13:47,974 --> 01:13:49,769
<i>[bossa nova music]</i>

1715
01:13:49,769 --> 01:13:53,109
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1716
01:13:53,109 --> 01:13:57,702
So far, heading to be
the worst 24 hours of my life.

1717
01:13:57,702 --> 01:13:59,163
SETH: We get back on the plane.

1718
01:13:59,163 --> 01:14:03,129
‐ 4:51 a. m.,
still sitting here.

1719
01:14:03,129 --> 01:14:05,050
SETH: And then the pilot
comes back.

1720
01:14:05,050 --> 01:14:07,346
‐ Ladies and gentlemen,
I got some bad news.

1721
01:14:07,346 --> 01:14:11,354
SETH: Due to FAA regulations,
that crew has to leave.

1722
01:14:11,354 --> 01:14:16,280
They've been on for too long.
MAN: Let us go home.

1723
01:14:16,280 --> 01:14:19,411
AUSTIN: We go back
into the waiting room.

1724
01:14:19,411 --> 01:14:21,542
SETH: And they lock the doors.

1725
01:14:21,542 --> 01:14:23,546
‐ We couldn't have anyone going
out of the air side,

1726
01:14:23,546 --> 01:14:26,426
light up a cigarette,
a fuel truck explodes.

1727
01:14:26,426 --> 01:14:28,263
Then we have a bigger issue.

1728
01:14:28,263 --> 01:14:29,933
STEWARD: Please take your seat
and fasten your seatbelts.

1729
01:14:29,933 --> 01:14:32,229
[cheers and applause]

1730
01:14:32,229 --> 01:14:34,191
[engine roars]

1731
01:14:34,191 --> 01:14:36,237
SETH: On the plane,
I got an email that said,

1732
01:14:36,237 --> 01:14:38,701
"We got off to a rough start
on day one.

1733
01:14:38,701 --> 01:14:41,540
But day two's gonna be, you
know, awesome."

1734
01:14:41,540 --> 01:14:43,460
‐ Crazy.

1735
01:14:43,460 --> 01:14:46,048
JAKE: And then things
just blew up.

1736
01:14:46,048 --> 01:14:48,386
‐ Nightmare in paradise.
There was no music.

1737
01:14:48,386 --> 01:14:50,307
REPORTER: They were put into
disaster relief tents.

1738
01:14:50,307 --> 01:14:52,352
REPORTER: Slice of cheese
on bread.

1739
01:14:52,352 --> 01:14:54,941
‐ For 48 hours, it was the
number one trending story

1740
01:14:54,941 --> 01:14:56,695
on the news.

1741
01:14:56,695 --> 01:14:58,574
JIA: The media loves to write
about millennials

1742
01:14:58,574 --> 01:15:01,913
that are really rich,
really white, spoiled,

1743
01:15:01,913 --> 01:15:03,792
so when you have all of them
stuck on an island

1744
01:15:03,792 --> 01:15:05,630
having a shit fit,

1745
01:15:05,630 --> 01:15:07,425
people were gleeful.

1746
01:15:07,425 --> 01:15:10,138
‐ Other events that Kendall
Jenner has been promoting:

1747
01:15:10,138 --> 01:15:13,102
the Mount Etna
Active Volcano Rave.

1748
01:15:13,102 --> 01:15:15,775
JIA: You know, this, like,
tsunami of schadenfreude.

1749
01:15:15,775 --> 01:15:17,612
REPORTER: Some people are
calling it

1750
01:15:17,612 --> 01:15:19,532
rich people's problems.

1751
01:15:19,532 --> 01:15:22,412
JIA: It's like, "Inject it
directly into my veins.

1752
01:15:22,412 --> 01:15:25,210
"I want nothing but this

1753
01:15:25,210 --> 01:15:26,880
until the supply runs dry."

1754
01:15:26,880 --> 01:15:28,634
CONAN: What do you think
of the Fyre Festival?

1755
01:15:28,634 --> 01:15:30,220
DAVE MATTHEWS: One of the
greatest things

1756
01:15:30,220 --> 01:15:31,515
that's ever happened.
I mean, it's terrible.

1757
01:15:31,515 --> 01:15:33,267
I mean, I know it's terrible.

1758
01:15:33,267 --> 01:15:35,230
WOMAN: We had no electricity.
There was no showers.

1759
01:15:35,230 --> 01:15:36,608
There was no bathrooms.
There's no, like,

1760
01:15:36,608 --> 01:15:38,361
running water.

1761
01:15:38,361 --> 01:15:40,825
‐ Man, white people love
camping unless it's a surprise.

1762
01:15:40,825 --> 01:15:43,706
[laughter]

1763
01:15:43,706 --> 01:15:45,626
‐ Our firm started getting
messages

1764
01:15:45,626 --> 01:15:47,379
from people who were there.

1765
01:15:47,379 --> 01:15:51,345
Images, screengrabs,
audio, video.

1766
01:15:51,345 --> 01:15:54,351
And it invoked these images
of "The Hunger Games"

1767
01:15:54,351 --> 01:15:56,063
or "Lord of the Flies."

1768
01:15:56,063 --> 01:15:57,942
‐ Release the monster!

1769
01:15:57,942 --> 01:16:01,031
‐ And it was like, you know,
"Holy shit. This is serious."

1770
01:16:01,031 --> 01:16:03,704
I called all the associates
into the office.

1771
01:16:03,704 --> 01:16:05,373
I said, "We're drafting
a complaint."

1772
01:16:05,373 --> 01:16:08,171
And we actually filed
on a Sunday night.

1773
01:16:08,171 --> 01:16:10,926
REPORTER: The failed
Fyre Festival has been hit

1774
01:16:10,926 --> 01:16:15,436
with a $100 million lawsuit.

1775
01:16:15,436 --> 01:16:17,774
BEN: We asserted
$100 million damages,

1776
01:16:17,774 --> 01:16:20,069
which is a large number.

1777
01:16:20,069 --> 01:16:23,494
It was my view that he should
basically pay back

1778
01:16:23,494 --> 01:16:26,081
everything that the company
could've been worth

1779
01:16:26,081 --> 01:16:29,254
to his victims.

1780
01:16:29,254 --> 01:16:31,383
CALVIN: While the Fyre Festival
was gone,

1781
01:16:31,383 --> 01:16:33,597
Billy still had the Fyre app,

1782
01:16:33,597 --> 01:16:35,726
which was a talent‐booking app,
and, you know,

1783
01:16:35,726 --> 01:16:38,732
a number of employees that were
still working on it.

1784
01:16:38,732 --> 01:16:40,611
And there was this letter
where the employees

1785
01:16:40,611 --> 01:16:44,702
of the Fyre app were seeking
to separate themselves

1786
01:16:44,702 --> 01:16:46,498
from the festival.

1787
01:16:46,498 --> 01:16:50,213
‐ The first demand they made
was that Billy fire Grant.

1788
01:16:50,213 --> 01:16:53,261
"Grant was abusive,"
they were saying.

1789
01:16:53,261 --> 01:16:56,685
You know, "Grant caused a lot
of these problems."

1790
01:16:56,685 --> 01:17:00,526
CALVIN: And then someone had
recorded this internal call

1791
01:17:00,526 --> 01:17:03,322
between Billy and
the Fyre app employees

1792
01:17:03,322 --> 01:17:06,245
and then posted it
on Soundcloud.

1793
01:17:12,842 --> 01:17:14,177
CALVIN: Billy was still
representing

1794
01:17:14,177 --> 01:17:16,348
that this Comcast investment,

1795
01:17:16,348 --> 01:17:18,437
which I had effectively killed,

1796
01:17:18,437 --> 01:17:20,148
was still going
to be coming in.

1797
01:17:20,148 --> 01:17:22,653
DAVE: They started
expressing shock

1798
01:17:22,653 --> 01:17:26,118
that the Comcast investment
never really happened.

1799
01:17:31,003 --> 01:17:33,341
MAN: You told several employees
that "there was a $20 million

1800
01:17:33,341 --> 01:17:36,890
investment.
We're gonna be fine."

1801
01:17:36,890 --> 01:17:40,021
‐ I can't comment on that.

1802
01:17:40,021 --> 01:17:42,192
CALVIN: Not only had he
successfully conned

1803
01:17:42,192 --> 01:17:46,325
ticket holders, but he had also
successfully conned employees.

1804
01:17:46,325 --> 01:17:50,083
And instead of trying to figure
out how to make it right,

1805
01:17:50,083 --> 01:17:53,423
Billy decides that he's
now a movie producer.

1806
01:17:53,423 --> 01:17:58,600
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1807
01:17:58,600 --> 01:18:01,355
MICHAEL: I get a call,
and it's Billy McFarland.

1808
01:18:01,355 --> 01:18:05,447
I picked up just with, like,
a "hey, how's it going?"

1809
01:18:05,447 --> 01:18:08,411
Billy wanted to do
this "recovery documentary."

1810
01:18:08,411 --> 01:18:12,628
That's what he was calling it.
It sounded like a PR exercise.

1811
01:18:12,628 --> 01:18:15,968
He says, "Where are you?
Could you be here tonight?"

1812
01:18:15,968 --> 01:18:19,349
And he Venmos me $1,000 on
the spot to buy a flight.

1813
01:18:19,349 --> 01:18:21,395
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1814
01:18:21,395 --> 01:18:24,986
So I get to his penthouse
and the elevator opens up.

1815
01:18:24,986 --> 01:18:26,906
[shower running]

1816
01:18:26,906 --> 01:18:29,746
And about 45 minutes goes by,
and he's still in the shower.

1817
01:18:29,746 --> 01:18:31,458
[laughs]

1818
01:18:31,458 --> 01:18:34,464
[shower running]

1819
01:18:34,464 --> 01:18:37,343
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1820
01:18:37,343 --> 01:18:39,932
That...was interesting.

1821
01:18:39,932 --> 01:18:42,813
He was living in
this posh, clean penthouse,

1822
01:18:42,813 --> 01:18:45,778
removed from it all
by many layers of glass,

1823
01:18:45,778 --> 01:18:48,240
and he wanted to get
to the Bahamas

1824
01:18:48,240 --> 01:18:51,581
to try and recoup money
for investors.

1825
01:18:51,581 --> 01:18:53,209
As we're on our way to land,

1826
01:18:53,209 --> 01:18:54,962
the entire government
switches over

1827
01:18:54,962 --> 01:18:57,843
and comes out with a statement
pretty much barring Billy

1828
01:18:57,843 --> 01:19:00,432
and the Fyre Festival
for the rest of eternity.

1829
01:19:00,432 --> 01:19:02,937
Yeah.

1830
01:19:02,937 --> 01:19:06,026
<i>[tense music]</i>

1831
01:19:06,026 --> 01:19:08,615
‐ Uh, Delroy was gonna help us
get all of our merchandise‐‐

1832
01:19:08,615 --> 01:19:11,411
all of our T‐shirts
and sweatshirts and hats

1833
01:19:11,411 --> 01:19:12,748
out of Great Exuma,

1834
01:19:12,748 --> 01:19:15,086
but the customs has them
all locked down.

1835
01:19:15,086 --> 01:19:17,048
‐ They didn't pay
their customs duties,

1836
01:19:17,048 --> 01:19:20,681
so the Fyre Festival's
merchandise was seized.

1837
01:19:20,681 --> 01:19:22,935
‐ Robbing customs
was on the bullet list

1838
01:19:22,935 --> 01:19:26,066
of things that they
were planning to do.

1839
01:19:26,066 --> 01:19:28,362
I was just curious to see
how they were even gonna

1840
01:19:28,362 --> 01:19:30,617
possibly trick themselves
into thinking

1841
01:19:30,617 --> 01:19:32,997
they could pull that off.

1842
01:19:32,997 --> 01:19:36,838
MAN: You say that Billy tried
to get you to rob customs.

1843
01:19:36,838 --> 01:19:38,633
‐ Yeah, he tried.

1844
01:19:38,633 --> 01:19:41,263
BILLY: Did he pay you anything
for stealing the merch?

1845
01:19:41,263 --> 01:19:44,102
‐ Me ain't never stole
any merch.

1846
01:19:44,102 --> 01:19:46,566
[laughs]

1847
01:19:46,566 --> 01:19:48,486
JIMMY: Fyre Music Festival.
Did you hear about this mu‐‐

1848
01:19:48,486 --> 01:19:51,325
in the Bahamas?
[laughing] It was a disaster.

1849
01:19:51,325 --> 01:19:53,245
It was a big disaster.
The bands didn't show up.

1850
01:19:53,245 --> 01:19:54,582
Nothing was ready.

1851
01:19:54,582 --> 01:19:55,834
Now the organizers
are being sued

1852
01:19:55,834 --> 01:19:58,882
for $100 million.
[crowd gasps]

1853
01:19:58,882 --> 01:20:00,427
When asked how they're
gonna raise the money,

1854
01:20:00,427 --> 01:20:02,388
they said, "How about
a musical festival?"

1855
01:20:02,388 --> 01:20:04,810
[laughter]

1856
01:20:04,810 --> 01:20:08,400
MICHAEL: I wish it was a joke,
but after the Bahamas,

1857
01:20:08,400 --> 01:20:12,493
we went to Los Angeles.
Ja Rule was there.

1858
01:20:12,493 --> 01:20:14,580
Billy was there.

1859
01:20:20,258 --> 01:20:23,723
MICHAEL: We're talking just
a month after the disaster,

1860
01:20:23,723 --> 01:20:27,898
Fyre Festival 2018
was the goal.

1861
01:20:27,898 --> 01:20:29,735
CALVIN: When the thing
went belly up,

1862
01:20:29,735 --> 01:20:34,537
Ja Rule took absolutely
no accountability.

1863
01:20:34,537 --> 01:20:36,833
That's amazing to me.

1864
01:20:36,833 --> 01:20:40,882
But even though Ja Rule wasn't
sweating any repercussions,

1865
01:20:40,882 --> 01:20:43,638
Billy was gonna have
to deal with the FBI.

1866
01:20:51,361 --> 01:20:54,702
REPORTER: William McFarland,
who created and founded

1867
01:20:54,702 --> 01:20:56,622
Fyre Festival
with rapper Ja Rule,

1868
01:20:56,622 --> 01:20:58,960
arrested and charged
with wire fraud

1869
01:20:58,960 --> 01:21:02,300
by the FBI, Friday.

1870
01:21:02,300 --> 01:21:05,056
‐ The legal situation does not
involve any aspects

1871
01:21:05,056 --> 01:21:07,226
of the execution
of the festival.

1872
01:21:07,226 --> 01:21:09,147
BILLY: So financial dealings
have nothing to do

1873
01:21:09,147 --> 01:21:10,776
with the execution
of the festival?

1874
01:21:10,776 --> 01:21:12,654
‐ Any payments made to vendors,
team members,

1875
01:21:12,654 --> 01:21:15,702
are not in question in terms of
any legal proceedings, no.

1876
01:21:15,702 --> 01:21:17,831
<i>[dark music]</i>

1877
01:21:17,831 --> 01:21:19,960
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1878
01:21:19,960 --> 01:21:22,006
JAKE: I'm looking right now
at all of the details

1879
01:21:22,006 --> 01:21:25,722
that they're laid out
in their case against him.

1880
01:21:25,722 --> 01:21:28,394
"McFarland's fraud was
a deliberate plan

1881
01:21:28,394 --> 01:21:32,193
to deceive, motivated
by unadulterated greed."

1882
01:21:32,193 --> 01:21:33,905
OVERLAPPING VOICES: "Whenever
he needed more money,

1883
01:21:33,905 --> 01:21:36,326
he lied to investors."
"Lack of remorse."

1884
01:21:36,326 --> 01:21:37,538
COMPUTERIZED VOICE:
"He did not feel

1885
01:21:37,538 --> 01:21:39,332
that what he was
doing was wrong."

1886
01:21:39,332 --> 01:21:42,088
JAKE: "Throughout this scheme,
McFarland causes losses

1887
01:21:42,088 --> 01:21:45,554
"to at least 80
victim‐investors

1888
01:21:45,554 --> 01:21:49,269
totaling more
than $24 million."

1889
01:21:49,269 --> 01:21:54,279
‐ We didn't break the law in
the execution of the festival.

1890
01:21:54,279 --> 01:21:56,909
MAN: What were you
indicted for?

1891
01:21:56,909 --> 01:21:58,830
‐ Uh, I'm not gonna comment
on any criminal‐‐

1892
01:21:58,830 --> 01:22:01,586
ongoing criminal proceedings.
MAN: But you were indicted.

1893
01:22:01,586 --> 01:22:03,380
‐ I'm not‐‐I cannot comment
on any ongoing

1894
01:22:03,380 --> 01:22:05,510
criminal proceedings.
MAN: But there are

1895
01:22:05,510 --> 01:22:08,056
ongoing criminal proceedings?
‐ [stammers]

1896
01:22:08,056 --> 01:22:10,770
I can't comment on this.

1897
01:22:10,770 --> 01:22:12,900
BEN: He can come on
he didn't do it,

1898
01:22:12,900 --> 01:22:15,196
but he's signing documents
that say he did it.

1899
01:22:15,196 --> 01:22:18,285
And ultimately,
you had a guilty plea.

1900
01:22:18,285 --> 01:22:21,959
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1901
01:22:21,959 --> 01:22:24,882
MAN: Has anyone ever called you
a compulsive liar?

1902
01:22:24,882 --> 01:22:27,804
‐ I've been called a lot of
things since the festival.

1903
01:22:27,804 --> 01:22:32,230
MAN: So you don't believe you
have a compulsion

1904
01:22:32,230 --> 01:22:35,110
to augment the truth?

1905
01:22:35,110 --> 01:22:37,406
‐ It's like you're calling me
all these crazy things, man.

1906
01:22:37,406 --> 01:22:39,285
Like, show me one thing
that I said that's not true.

1907
01:22:39,285 --> 01:22:41,248
MAN: So you're not a liar?
‐ Show me one thing I said

1908
01:22:41,248 --> 01:22:44,337
that's not true today.
I'm ready.

1909
01:22:44,337 --> 01:22:46,717
I'll sit here and wait.

1910
01:22:46,717 --> 01:22:50,684
MAN: Okay. Magnises.

1911
01:22:50,684 --> 01:22:52,980
‐ We had over 10,000
paying customers.

1912
01:22:52,980 --> 01:22:55,735
‐ We have 100,000 customers
around the globe.

1913
01:22:55,735 --> 01:22:57,698
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: According
to former Magnises employees,

1914
01:22:57,698 --> 01:23:01,371
Magnises never had more than
4,000 to 5,000 members.

1915
01:23:01,371 --> 01:23:03,918
‐ We spent $30 million
to execute this festival.

1916
01:23:03,918 --> 01:23:05,797
COMPUTERIZED VOICE:
But that was not true.

1917
01:23:05,797 --> 01:23:07,593
‐ We had 250 houses rented.
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: Not true.

1918
01:23:07,593 --> 01:23:10,264
‐ I spent $5.9 million
of my own money.

1919
01:23:10,264 --> 01:23:12,018
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: Not true.
He lied to investors.

1920
01:23:12,018 --> 01:23:13,896
Defrauded.
Repeated misrepresentations.

1921
01:23:13,896 --> 01:23:15,399
Deliberate plan to deceive.

1922
01:23:15,399 --> 01:23:16,777
Fictitious and forged
documents.

1923
01:23:16,777 --> 01:23:18,448
A sham.
Betrayed and deceived

1924
01:23:18,448 --> 01:23:20,785
his investors, customers,
and employees.

1925
01:23:20,785 --> 01:23:24,417
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1926
01:23:24,417 --> 01:23:26,046
‐ Okay, I'm gonna take
a ten‐minute break

1927
01:23:26,046 --> 01:23:28,509
and I'll come back
and we'll continue.

1928
01:23:28,509 --> 01:23:30,472
MAN: Uh, what's
the ten‐minute break for?

1929
01:23:30,472 --> 01:23:32,601
To come up with that, or...
‐ No, I'm taking

1930
01:23:32,601 --> 01:23:36,817
a personal break.
MAN: Okay.

1931
01:23:36,817 --> 01:23:39,155
MARIA: I would not trust
a single word

1932
01:23:39,155 --> 01:23:41,326
that Billy says
about his own motivations

1933
01:23:41,326 --> 01:23:42,954
or about himself

1934
01:23:42,954 --> 01:23:47,213
simply because Billy McFarland
is a con artist.

1935
01:23:47,213 --> 01:23:49,050
I know all about them.

1936
01:23:49,050 --> 01:23:51,806
You know, I've researched them.
I know they ruin lives.

1937
01:23:51,806 --> 01:23:54,352
They look into your soul,
they see what you're missing,

1938
01:23:54,352 --> 01:23:56,691
and they take advantage
of that.

1939
01:23:56,691 --> 01:23:59,195
The most surprising thing
about con artists

1940
01:23:59,195 --> 01:24:04,163
is just how normal
and likable they are.

1941
01:24:04,163 --> 01:24:08,589
For a con artist, deception
is a constant practice.

1942
01:24:08,589 --> 01:24:10,677
A con artist would pass
a lie detector test

1943
01:24:10,677 --> 01:24:14,852
with flying colors because
there's no tension there.

1944
01:24:14,852 --> 01:24:17,566
To them, this is the truth.

1945
01:24:17,566 --> 01:24:19,110
They aren't delusional.

1946
01:24:19,110 --> 01:24:21,114
They're doing it
very deliberately.

1947
01:24:21,114 --> 01:24:24,747
Billy has been running
small cons his entire life.

1948
01:24:24,747 --> 01:24:26,667
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1949
01:24:26,667 --> 01:24:29,423
We're gonna be hearing
from him again.

1950
01:24:29,423 --> 01:24:31,677
All con artists end up
going back to conning.

1951
01:24:31,677 --> 01:24:34,600
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1952
01:24:34,600 --> 01:24:36,896
ANASTASIA: When me
and Billy met,

1953
01:24:36,896 --> 01:24:40,779
it was destiny for us, I guess.

1954
01:24:40,779 --> 01:24:44,995
It's like, it's love.
I don't know how to explain it.

1955
01:24:44,995 --> 01:24:46,791
Babe, what are you doing here?

1956
01:24:46,791 --> 01:24:49,003
‐ We're going on a little ride.
Come on. Get in.

1957
01:24:49,003 --> 01:24:51,299
‐ I never had this kind of
connection,

1958
01:24:51,299 --> 01:24:55,600
but he drew my attention
just with his energy.

1959
01:24:55,600 --> 01:24:59,148
MARIA: Con artists like Billy
are really personable.

1960
01:24:59,148 --> 01:25:03,616
They're fun and have just
extraordinary charm.

1961
01:25:03,616 --> 01:25:07,874
‐ But then I Googled him.

1962
01:25:07,874 --> 01:25:11,297
That's when I realized that he
was connected to Fyre Festival.

1963
01:25:11,297 --> 01:25:14,095
My mind, maybe my head,
was saying one thing,

1964
01:25:14,095 --> 01:25:16,642
but then I had
these feelings in my heart.

1965
01:25:16,642 --> 01:25:19,272
MARIA: These are people
who get people to trust them,

1966
01:25:19,272 --> 01:25:22,319
and they have an explanation
for everything.

1967
01:25:22,319 --> 01:25:25,075
ANASTASIA: He kind of
explained me that, you know,

1968
01:25:25,075 --> 01:25:29,501
at some point, I guess he lost
the sense of reality.

1969
01:25:29,501 --> 01:25:30,879
REPORTER: The biggest event
in decades.

1970
01:25:30,879 --> 01:25:32,006
REPORTER: Tech mogul,
Billy McFarland.

1971
01:25:32,006 --> 01:25:33,049
REPORTER: The next Zuckerberg.

1972
01:25:33,049 --> 01:25:35,972
[overlapping voices]

1973
01:25:35,972 --> 01:25:39,145
‐ [exhales, laughs] Sorry.

1974
01:25:39,145 --> 01:25:41,650
I think I'm shaking a little,
and that's getting...

1975
01:25:41,650 --> 01:25:43,069
[laughs]

1976
01:25:43,069 --> 01:25:45,491
<i>[eerie music]</i>

1977
01:25:45,491 --> 01:25:47,244
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1978
01:25:47,244 --> 01:25:50,000
CALVIN: After the festival,
Billy was out on bail

1979
01:25:50,000 --> 01:25:53,925
and still living a
larger‐than‐life lifestyle.

1980
01:25:53,925 --> 01:25:55,720
I remember walking past Billy,

1981
01:25:55,720 --> 01:25:56,847
and one of my friends
was with him.

1982
01:25:56,847 --> 01:25:58,643
I said, "What are you doing?"

1983
01:25:58,643 --> 01:26:01,314
He's like, "I don't know.
Billy's got a table up at PH‐D.

1984
01:26:01,314 --> 01:26:02,984
And I'm thinking, like,
"Wait a minute."

1985
01:26:02,984 --> 01:26:04,905
You got this guy

1986
01:26:04,905 --> 01:26:08,036
that's still out buying bottles
in nightclubs in Manhattan,

1987
01:26:08,036 --> 01:26:11,669
and he had his girlfriend
pay cash

1988
01:26:11,669 --> 01:26:13,213
to rent a Hamptons house.

1989
01:26:13,213 --> 01:26:15,258
They're hanging out in
Amagansett together.

1990
01:26:15,258 --> 01:26:17,346
How is he affording to do this?

1991
01:26:17,346 --> 01:26:19,058
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1992
01:26:19,058 --> 01:26:22,022
SETH: Around the middle
of December of 2017,

1993
01:26:22,022 --> 01:26:26,072
I got an email from
NYC VIP Access.

1994
01:26:26,072 --> 01:26:28,284
It was a guy named
Frank Tribble

1995
01:26:28,284 --> 01:26:30,540
offering Masters tickets.

1996
01:26:30,540 --> 01:26:32,919
My friends who had attended
Fyre Festival

1997
01:26:32,919 --> 01:26:35,758
got the same email,
and I kept getting them.

1998
01:26:35,758 --> 01:26:39,390
I got the Victoria's Secret,
the Met Gala, Burning Man.

1999
01:26:39,390 --> 01:26:42,062
CALVIN: You can't buy tickets
to the Met Gala.

2000
01:26:42,062 --> 01:26:43,816
I'd try.

2001
01:26:43,816 --> 01:26:45,820
You can't buy tickets to
Victoria's Secret fashion show.

2002
01:26:45,820 --> 01:26:47,699
I've really tried that.

2003
01:26:47,699 --> 01:26:50,705
These are things
that don't exist.

2004
01:26:50,705 --> 01:26:52,542
POLLY: If you've never been
out on bail before,

2005
01:26:52,542 --> 01:26:54,253
that's the time in your life

2006
01:26:54,253 --> 01:26:57,510
where you wanna be committing
the least number crimes.

2007
01:26:57,510 --> 01:27:00,558
SETH: I assumed Billy had
sold this email list.

2008
01:27:00,558 --> 01:27:02,562
Like, I didn't actually think
Billy was behind the scenes,

2009
01:27:02,562 --> 01:27:04,941
doing any of this.

2010
01:27:04,941 --> 01:27:06,570
So he was?

2011
01:27:15,253 --> 01:27:17,299
‐ [laughing]

2012
01:27:17,299 --> 01:27:20,723
[both laughing]

2013
01:27:20,723 --> 01:27:23,896
You cannot make this up.

2014
01:27:23,896 --> 01:27:28,614
‐ As it turns out,
NYC VIP was Billy.

2015
01:27:28,614 --> 01:27:31,829
JAKE: He's out on bail for
fraud and then he comes up

2016
01:27:31,829 --> 01:27:34,166
with another company
to defraud people.

2017
01:27:34,166 --> 01:27:36,379
This is really a return
to Billy's roots

2018
01:27:36,379 --> 01:27:38,383
when he built Magnises‐‐
it's promise people

2019
01:27:38,383 --> 01:27:42,349
exclusive access to events,
and here he is doing it again.

2020
01:27:42,349 --> 01:27:45,021
BEN: He's like a gambler
or an alcoholic,

2021
01:27:45,021 --> 01:27:48,654
where somebody keeps going back
to that negative behavior.

2022
01:27:48,654 --> 01:27:50,825
He keeps going back
to scamming people

2023
01:27:50,825 --> 01:27:54,331
like it's injected in his DNA.

2024
01:27:54,331 --> 01:27:59,885
JIA: In the millennial era,
scamming is the air we breathe.

2025
01:27:59,885 --> 01:28:01,972
BEN: There is, essentially,
a Fyre Festival going on

2026
01:28:01,972 --> 01:28:04,811
every day in the West Wing.

2027
01:28:04,811 --> 01:28:08,611
‐ It's basically the
Fyre Festival of budgets.

2028
01:28:08,611 --> 01:28:11,032
JIA: One of the safest ways
of making money in America

2029
01:28:11,032 --> 01:28:13,454
is to get really good
at exploiting people

2030
01:28:13,454 --> 01:28:15,165
and to treat everyone
like a mark.

2031
01:28:15,165 --> 01:28:19,424
You've got Anna Delvey,
the so‐called Soho Grifter

2032
01:28:19,424 --> 01:28:20,885
and Elizabeth Holmes,

2033
01:28:20,885 --> 01:28:23,097
the CEO and founder
of Theranos.

2034
01:28:23,097 --> 01:28:24,851
And then you have
Billy McFarland,

2035
01:28:24,851 --> 01:28:28,358
and all three of them coasted
for a really long time.

2036
01:28:28,358 --> 01:28:31,615
‐ I think Billy truly believed
that he'd get away with it.

2037
01:28:31,615 --> 01:28:33,661
POLLY: But the rules
still exist,

2038
01:28:33,661 --> 01:28:36,082
and he ended up facing
three more charges

2039
01:28:36,082 --> 01:28:37,961
for wire fraud, bank fraud,

2040
01:28:37,961 --> 01:28:40,549
and giving false statements
to a law enforcement officer.

2041
01:28:40,549 --> 01:28:47,104
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2042
01:28:47,730 --> 01:28:50,861
MAN: What does going to prison
look like for you?

2043
01:28:50,861 --> 01:28:54,953
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2044
01:28:54,953 --> 01:28:56,163
‐ I don't know.

2045
01:28:56,163 --> 01:28:58,084
I haven't really
gotten there yet.

2046
01:28:58,084 --> 01:29:04,848
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2047
01:29:05,265 --> 01:29:08,439
BEN: Billy had his bail
revoked, and he was sent

2048
01:29:08,439 --> 01:29:11,360
to jail to basically start
his prison sentence.

2049
01:29:13,532 --> 01:29:15,870
COMPUTERIZED VOICE:
"The United States of America

2050
01:29:15,870 --> 01:29:18,333
versus William McFarland,
defendant."

2051
01:29:18,333 --> 01:29:20,378
COMPUTERIZED VOICE:
"It is my conclusion

2052
01:29:20,378 --> 01:29:22,467
"that the defendant
is a serial fraudster

2053
01:29:22,467 --> 01:29:25,013
"and that to‐date,
his fraud, like a circle,

2054
01:29:25,013 --> 01:29:26,516
"has no end.

2055
01:29:26,516 --> 01:29:28,437
"Your choices, and yours
alone,

2056
01:29:28,437 --> 01:29:30,106
"are the reasons
for your sentence,

2057
01:29:30,106 --> 01:29:32,152
"which is six years in custody.

2058
01:29:32,152 --> 01:29:34,406
"There is an agreed‐upon
forfeiture

2059
01:29:34,406 --> 01:29:41,420
of $26,191,306.28."

2060
01:29:41,420 --> 01:29:44,719
JAKE: Billy has defrauded
people. He's harmed people.

2061
01:29:44,719 --> 01:29:46,473
People have really suffered.

2062
01:29:46,473 --> 01:29:48,477
But is six years in prison

2063
01:29:48,477 --> 01:29:50,815
actually enough
for what he's done?

2064
01:29:57,954 --> 01:30:02,295
‐ Um...

2065
01:30:02,295 --> 01:30:04,007
everyone.

2066
01:30:04,007 --> 01:30:06,596
<i>[The Foundations'</i>
<i>"Build Me Up Buttercup"]</i>

2067
01:30:06,596 --> 01:30:08,349
CALVIN: We're living
in an era in which

2068
01:30:08,349 --> 01:30:12,190
you can convince millions
of people to do anything

2069
01:30:12,190 --> 01:30:14,988
just on marketing alone.

2070
01:30:14,988 --> 01:30:18,369
But in its wake,
it leaves real harm.

2071
01:30:25,008 --> 01:30:26,428
‐ ♪ Let me down ♪
DIALLO: They skated out

2072
01:30:26,428 --> 01:30:28,849
of town and left
everybody high and dry.

2073
01:30:28,849 --> 01:30:30,268
Can I curse on here?
MAN: Yeah, go ahead.

2074
01:30:30,268 --> 01:30:32,105
‐ He's a fuck‐shot.
He's a fuck‐shot.

2075
01:30:32,105 --> 01:30:33,567
It was a scam
from the beginning.

2076
01:30:33,567 --> 01:30:35,529
‐ ♪ I need you,
I need you ♪

2077
01:30:35,529 --> 01:30:37,658
BEN: Don't just focus on Billy.
There are people who helped

2078
01:30:37,658 --> 01:30:40,998
Billy commit fraud so that
they could make their money.

2079
01:30:40,998 --> 01:30:42,877
MAN: Yeah, that's
Billy and Grant,

2080
01:30:42,877 --> 01:30:44,839
our new EMTs.

2081
01:30:44,839 --> 01:30:47,970
EMILY: I heard that Grant
is now an EMT.

2082
01:30:47,970 --> 01:30:49,849
His favorite word was "urgent."

2083
01:30:49,849 --> 01:30:52,187
I had all‐caps "urgent"
in my subject lines

2084
01:30:52,187 --> 01:30:54,943
all the time, so now he
actually has urgent situations.

2085
01:31:03,634 --> 01:31:05,129
CALVIN: I have
very deep concerns

2086
01:31:05,129 --> 01:31:07,092
around the marketing
companies‐‐

2087
01:31:07,092 --> 01:31:09,973
anyone who kept promoting this
up until the very end.

2088
01:31:15,776 --> 01:31:17,613
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: "All
actions taken by Jerry Media

2089
01:31:17,613 --> 01:31:20,494
were done at the direction of
the Fyre Festival."

2090
01:31:20,494 --> 01:31:24,502
"Like the ticket holders,"
"we were also misled."

2091
01:31:24,502 --> 01:31:26,464
"Per our previous
correspondence,

2092
01:31:26,464 --> 01:31:30,138
Oren Aks
has misrepresented himself."

2093
01:31:30,138 --> 01:31:33,562
‐ Okay. [chuckles]
Well, fuck you guys.

2094
01:31:33,562 --> 01:31:34,602
[air horn blares]

2095
01:31:40,421 --> 01:31:41,703
OREN: I honestly can't believe

2096
01:31:41,703 --> 01:31:45,001
this documentary‐‐
there's two of them.

2097
01:31:53,100 --> 01:31:56,566
BEN: You kind of hope
they do the right thing.

2098
01:31:56,566 --> 01:31:58,027
You can hope all you want.

2099
01:31:58,027 --> 01:31:59,614
More frequently,
you have to sue.

2100
01:32:06,836 --> 01:32:08,840
‐ Motherfuckin' Ja Rule's
in the building!

2101
01:32:13,224 --> 01:32:15,061
JAKE: So Ja Rule decides to go

2102
01:32:15,061 --> 01:32:16,731
on this show called
"Drink Champs."

2103
01:32:16,731 --> 01:32:19,904
There's not a better place
to brag about your crimes

2104
01:32:19,904 --> 01:32:22,033
than a show where a bunch
of guys get drunk.

2105
01:32:22,033 --> 01:32:23,829
‐ People didn't really know
I had anything to do

2106
01:32:23,829 --> 01:32:25,958
with the festival until...
MAN: Until it went wrong.

2107
01:32:25,958 --> 01:32:27,545
That's the crazy part.
‐ Until it went wrong.

2108
01:32:27,545 --> 01:32:29,674
"Ja Rule's Festival!"
MAN: And then they‐‐yeah.

2109
01:32:29,674 --> 01:32:31,009
They're trying to blame
somebody.

2110
01:32:31,009 --> 01:32:32,387
[laughter]
‐ ♪ Ooh ♪

2111
01:32:32,387 --> 01:32:33,890
CALVIN: By the end of it,
he's like,

2112
01:32:33,890 --> 01:32:35,894
"Yeah, it was my vision
the whole time."

2113
01:32:35,894 --> 01:32:40,069
‐ It was my idea,
my vision, to do this.

2114
01:32:40,069 --> 01:32:43,075
‐ This whole thing is‐‐
is an incredible story

2115
01:32:43,075 --> 01:32:45,539
because now he's out trying
to do it all again

2116
01:32:45,539 --> 01:32:48,795
with Iconn, which is just
a re‐branded Fyre app.

2117
01:32:48,795 --> 01:32:50,549
JIA: It's just an app where you
can book rich people

2118
01:32:50,549 --> 01:32:54,097
to, you know, play your
birthday party or whatever.

2119
01:32:54,097 --> 01:32:57,730
‐ It's very different,
but it‐‐it's similar.

2120
01:33:03,295 --> 01:33:04,999
‐ ♪ I need you ♪

2121
01:33:08,794 --> 01:33:12,383
ANASTASIA: Jail sucks.
Don't go to jail.

2122
01:33:12,383 --> 01:33:14,806
He says in the letter,
like, uh...

2123
01:33:14,806 --> 01:33:17,143
[laughing] "I took
a shower in the sink."

2124
01:33:17,143 --> 01:33:20,233
It's also, like,
"Billy loves Anastasia."

2125
01:33:20,233 --> 01:33:22,738
Like, the drawings.
You see?

2126
01:33:26,286 --> 01:33:28,583
JAKE: Billy is now teaching
a class

2127
01:33:28,583 --> 01:33:32,215
on music entrepreneurship
to fellow inmates.

2128
01:33:32,215 --> 01:33:34,135
In a certain sense, I mean,
I guess you have to admire

2129
01:33:34,135 --> 01:33:35,806
the hustle.

2130
01:33:35,806 --> 01:33:39,312
‐ This is him calling.
Can I answer really quick?

2131
01:33:39,312 --> 01:33:43,572
OPERATOR: This call is from...
BILLY: William McFarland.

2132
01:33:43,572 --> 01:33:46,243
‐ Hey, babe.
‐ ♪ Ooh ♪

2133
01:33:46,243 --> 01:33:49,876
BEN: It's a great time
to be a con man in America.

2134
01:33:49,876 --> 01:33:52,631
‐ ♪ Why do you build me up ♪
‐ ♪ Build me up ♪

2135
01:33:52,631 --> 01:33:55,554
‐ ♪ Buttercup, ba... ♪
[music dies]