Fyre Festival’s mastermind might be behind bars, but his myriad cronies—Ja Rule, Jerry Media—are still roaming the streets. Currently, the courts are trying to figure out just what happened to the millions upon millions Billy McFarland raised from investors in the lead-up to the festival, as the genius apparently kept no accounting records during that time. Now, Jerry Media, who handled the social media promotion of the festival, is said to be on the verge of a subpoena, as are several of the consultants, service companies, and models hired to help promote the festival.
The Daily Mail reports that a judge has granted an ex parte order in favor of Fyre Festival trustee Gregory Messner, who, in his role overseeing Fyre Media’s bankruptcy, will now be able to force those involved to reveal how much they were paid for their services. That includes the agencies representing models like Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin and Emily Ratajkowski, who were all featured in a silly-ass video promoting the festival’s luxury experience. In McFarland’s own words—captured in Netflix’s Fyre documentary—the video was about “selling a pipe dream to your average loser.”
Messner is also apparently looking into a $250,000 payment made to Jenner, one that preceded a social media post announcing that artists from G.O.O.D. Music—the record label founded by Kanye West—would headline the festival. That now-deleted post made no mention that she was being paid to post it, which prompted a warning from the Federal Trade Commission and a larger discussion about disclosure rules for sponsored social media posts.
While both Netflix and Hulu’s recent documentaries about the festival were fascinating, it was Hulu’s Fyre Fraud that placed an emphasis on McFarland’s financial malfeasance, which was, shall we say, pretty goddamned reckless.
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DELICIOUS
To be fair, why would a conman keep a paper trail of where the money he stole went?
Exactly. While he was probably too incompetent to even keep a general ledger in the first place, NOT keeping any books was probably the unintentionally smartest move he made in this entire cluster.
It was undone by his insistence on filming everything involved in his scam, but no one ever said he was a smart conman.
***sad duckface***
*5 seconds later* We regret to inform you that the duckface has embezzled all your money
I had no idea going into both documentaries that the Netflix one as produced by Jerry Media. It was such an amazing twist at the end of the HULU one when they called them out. For this – the Hulu one is so much superior. Along with Jerry Media – they hold everyone else so much more accountable for this nonsense in that doc. It just tells such a better story on modern media advertising tactics.
I was so pissed watching the Netflix doc. Like EVERYONE in that doc was totally 100% complicit in what occured. They all knew exactly what was happening but went along with it because they were all too chickenshit, greedy, or stupid to say no to an obvious con man. I mean Andy King is on here saying he was gonna suck dick to “take on for the team”? What the hell is wrong with you dude? And all the Jerry Media dudes are totally complicit. The vast majority of people interviewed, especially those who were on the ground in Great Exuma just look like total boners. I get that they felt they tried to warn Billy, but at no point did they try to expose the con or warn the people he was stealing from.
I see it as the Netflix one asking “how much of a disaster was this?” While the Hulu one asks “how did this happen in the first place?”
Good analysis of the two of them. The Hulu one did really paint a picture of what led up to the festival, including all the background on the stupid fake(sorta, it was just copying your credit card over to a fancy card that also gave you perks) credit card for millenials.
Yeah I guess that was my issue with the Netflix one. It really glazed over who the hell this douchebag was and how he got to that point.
Netflix one asking “how much of a disaster was this?I guess to me this just kind of in the end is designed to make a bunch of excuses, rather then providing a ton of the greater commentary this whole debacle has to offer. It distracts with jokes with things like the “I almost sucked dick for Evian” debacle (super on brand for Fuck Jerry) – all in all was made cover some asses. Regardless, I think they are both pretty crucial study of the ridiculous nature of some corners of modern life.
Personally, I think the Netflix one is the better crafted film. While Jerry Media’s involvement does make it questionable in many ways, that also provided Chris Smith with an insane amount of behind-the-scenes footage that the Hulu doc lacks.As far as the questionable involvement of Jerry Media goes, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It should’ve been clearer in the film that they were co-producers, but I also think their defense of doing what they were asked by a client holds weight. And considering the one dude who quit Jerry Media and was interviewed in the Hulu doc is currently running a competing marketing agency, that also raises my eyebrow in regards to his sincerity.
But didn’t HULU also pay 250K to what’s-his-face just to interview him? Why give that asshole any more money?
They claim it wasn’t nearly that much but they do admit to paying him and won’t disclose the actual number. So both movies have deals with devils…
Meh… to me, that seems far worse to hand a fat stack of cash to the guy directly responsible for this BS. Also, interviewing him… what’s the point? Just to see him lie on camera? The dude has a serious mental problem. He’ll never speak the truth. It’s no different from interviewing Trump.
I mean, you’re not wrong, but it is somewhat entertaining to watch him scramble in real time and to see the interviewers straight up call him out when he’s lying, presenting facts. You can’t get that kind of catharsis from Trump, because he either only agrees to softball interviews with Fox News or shouts over detractors in conferences.But again, you’re not wrong that it’s fucked up. Personally I think it’s more fucked that the Jerry guys got away scot-free. At least no matter the cash he got paid, he has to wait to get out of jail first while the Jerry guys are out there making money hand over fist for reposting memes and promoting brands.
I’m still confused as to how Ja Rule got away scot-free! He’s literally on camera, on a Skype call, discussing exactly how they should lie and twist the truth. How is that not instant jail time?
In the Hulu doc they mention at one point that Ja never really had a position in the company, or at least that his position was mostly made up so he could be part of the company without having to really do anything (I forget exactly how it was phrased). I’m sure he still had to pay out a ton of money since you can see him listed as a co-defendant in the lawsuits that were filed, but his non-responsibility role (paired with some really good lawyers, I’m sure) probably let him skirt jail time.
I mean yeah, technically he didn’t have a position. Well at least he’s getting fucked in one way.
His role was similar to the influences. He never actually did anything of substance
but they also gave McFarland $250k.
Jerry Media is the same people as FuckJerry, right? Also known as the account that stole other people’s jokes/funny posts and reposted them with no credit to the original creators? Sounds like being sketchy as hell is just their thing.
Yes the very same. I’d love an expose documentary on them, tbh
That’s the one! The man who monetizes other people’s memes, and a paper cup your grandma used for picnics in the 80s and 90s
I love the idea that insta-models, twitch and youtube stars get a much needed scrutiny over what’s done and how they announce their income (whether sponsorships, “donations”, etc) to the gov’t. I know an 18yr old who’ll be able to own her house mortgage free by the age of 20 yet gets money from gov’t welfare as she “doesn’t work.”
The real Fyre Festival was the time spent making the promotional video and photos. Whatever money was left could afford but a few hundred dome tents, mattresses and cheese sandwiches.
Which was the conclusion drawn by the Netflix doc.
Now we can all say “Fuck Jerry” without a hint of irony.
Good. The real world has real consequences for people having no other talent than being considered beautiful by Western standards.
Normally I’m not one to say “eat the rich”, and I stand by the assertion in this case. Mostly because these two are so scrawny and pumped full of poisonous diet teas.
“Use the rich for kindling” just doesn’t flow as well.