Fyre Festival Docuseries Coming in 2019 From The Cinemart, Billboard & Mic
The story behind the infamous meltdown at the Fyre Festival will be unveiled in a multi-part docuseries slated to debut on Hulu in 2019. The series -- produced and distributed by The Cinemart, Hulu, Billboard and Mic -- will run down the events that lead up to the meltdown at the ultra-luxe festival developed by disgraced 25 year-old entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule.
The tropical festival that promised attendees a peak high-end experience enlisted some of social media's biggest influencers -- including Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid -- to promote the event. But in the days leading up to its launch, every major musical performing act withdrew as it became clear the show had been falsely advertised. Lawsuits totaling over $100 million in damages were filed against McFarland and Ja Rule, and last summer McFarland was indicted for wire fraud.
The series will provide a 360-degree, behind-the-scenes view of what happened before, during and after the failed festival, including in-depth interviews from inside sources, as well as hours of exclusive never-before-seen footage, leaked documents, emails and recordings. Drawing on reporting from some of the strongest voices and writers in the industry, including Billboard's elite roster of artists, reporters and commentators, as well as Mic's articles and in-depth investigative reporting, the series will draw on interviews from local Bahamians, stranded festivalgoers, vendors and investors.
According to an announcement of the series, it will serve as a "cautionary tale for the millennial generation about the corruptive power of ambition, social media and instant gratification in the digital age." The Cinemart will head production on the series with directors Jenner First and Julia Willoughby Nason and executive producer Michael Gasparro; John Amato and Dana Miller will executive produce for Billboard; Angela Freedman and Sharmi Ghandi will executive produce for Mic.
McFarland was ordered to repay the $26 million he admitted to stealing from investors according to a judgment issued against him on March 9 in Manhattan federal court. The repayment order came after McFarland plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud; he is facing eight to 10 years in prison and is slated for sentencing on June 21.
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/movies/8342049/fyre-festival-docuseries-2019-hulu-billboard-mic-the-cinemart
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