This is Marc Weinstein writing.
If you’re here, it’s likely because you are a friend or more likely because you saw me in the recent Fyre Festival documentary on Netflix.
For me, the festival was a very brief moment in time, just one month. Yet it clearly influenced (pun intended) so many people!
I think Fyre resonated with us because it is a snapshot of the society that we live in today. It highlights influencer culture; social media addiction; FOMO & depression; toxic entrepreneurship; the modern American dream; the erosion of trust; and tribalism via schadenfreude – feeling joy from the misfortune of others.
I didn’t expect the Fyre documentary to be so popular when I first interviewed in September 2017. I didn’t think anyone would really care. But at the time, I was finally over the experience and ready to share. The director, Chris Smith, caught me open and vulnerable.
Maybe I shared more than I should have.
When the documentary was set to launch nearly one and a half years after the festival, I was nervous. I completely second guessed why I had agreed to that interview. I thought I appeared in the movie way too much and was worried about the consequences.
Like all things that touched Fyre, the documentaries were a complete media mess. I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere without hearing someone talk about them. I witnessed first-hand how modern media can really manipulate a story.
The two films covered the same exact event. Yet the stories told were entirely different.
Today more than ever, it’s all about who controls the narrative.
I was briefly catapulted into the spotlight – experiencing my 15 seconds of fame. I don’t know why it happened or why I was involved, and I don’t know why I agreed to talk about it all on camera.
However, I do know why I’m starting this podcast.
I could not stop thinking that maybe this was an opportunity. An opportunity to go a level deeper – to identify and explore what captivated us all. I hope that the Look Up! Podcast will help draw attention to the challenges we collectively face by highlighting incredible individuals on the front lines fighting for change.
Maybe the window has passed and no one really cares about Fyre anymore. Honestly, that’s OK with me. There’s a new Elizabeth Holmes / Therranos documentary, right? But the parallels between these two stories and many others are clear to me. When I reflect on what made Fyre such a hot mess – it seems to me that there were deeper issues at play.
That’s why I’m speaking out… again. I think that there are lessons to be learned here. I know that there are phenomenal people out there who are reshaping society for the better. Many of these individuals and their work goes unnoticed.
I think of this podcast as an act of service. To raise awareness about the issues that permeate our culture by highlighting the amazing people fighting the good fight.
This whole podcast is an experiment– it’s very raw. It may bore you and it will for sure take time for me to find a rhythm. I know it will change a lot from here, but the mission will remain the same – awareness for positive change.
If this resonates with you, feel free to share with your friends to help spread the word. If you have ideas on how I can improve, let me know. If you have recommendations for guests, let me know. I’m open to all of the help I can get.
If this show has a positive impact on only one person, then it will still have been worth it.
Let’s have some fun with it too.