Incites aim is to finance and produce premium non-fiction fare, and they have started out with a bang.
He was disappointed she focused mostly on Santos cashing a check to take part and furnish materials.
DEADLINE: This is something brought up by The New York Times, but Id ask the question anyway.
Christos Katsiaouni, Courtesy of Incite
Just to be clear, what was Santos paid for, exactly?
JENNER FURST: I would never ever tell you that amount.
And not only that, do I find it that thats the only thing were going to talk about?
Christos Katsiaouni/Courtesy of Incite
This is one of the biggest stories in the news right now.
A man has mountains of exclusive archival material that no one has ever seen.
He has evidence that no one has ever seen.
Im not defending George Santos in any way.
I think that there is problematic aspects of this all across the board.
And he himself on the record says, I lied and its the greatest mistake of my life.
He says in many points of the interview that he believes he has sold his soul.
Its laughable, actually.
That in itself is an amazing phenomenon, and this is bigger than partisan politics.
I have no interest in a partisan story.
I think something deeper occurred here.
And he was fabricated as an individual, sold his soul.
It was a big lie he could never escape.
And that to me is the stuff of Hollywood, the stuff of timeless storytelling.
And thats fascinating to me.
I mean, people arent even really checking to see who people are.
He was trying to measure up for a woman he loved but who was above his station.
What was Santos motivation for reinventing himself with falsehoods?
He has that talent.
Ultimately its a tale of misdirected talent and potential.
That it is a universal story.
Its a bit of a farce as far as what it chooses to investigate and what it doesnt.
And [touches] the people who strive to succeed in it.
Youre right, theres hypocrisy to go around.
FURST: I dont want to give comment on that, but the latter is totally true.
DEADLINE: I could feel you bristle that the idea of Santos getting compensated.
FURST: But Mike, this is entirely common in my industry.
This is not unique, same as Santos is not unique.
The idea of licensing inclusive materials is completely and totally not unique.
I did not option his life rights, and I never pay for interviews.
Especially in the entertainment industry context.
I beat out over 100 different people, who were trying to get this story.
That is how crazy our industry has become.
FURST: Yeah, he didnt do the interview because I was the highest bidder.
He looked at my work and decided I would be the most trustworthy storyteller.
I dont think he referred to it as a gig by coincidence.
Those clicks went to The New York Times.
I wouldve rather given it to you at this point.
I dont think they did anything interesting with this story.
Thats the bigger story.
We want to watch something like this.
What the hell is wrong with us?
And I know that thats a self-reflexive comment for someone making a story about something like this.
I have to honor that but at the same time, be wary.
DEADLINE: You spent eight hours with George Santos.
Hes a guy who has been a national punchline, a running joke on Saturday Night Live.
What did you learn in eight hours with him that most surprised you?
FURST: I think the man is at his core a very charming individual.
So at this point, anything you say is assumed to be a lie.
And to me, that is an amazing foundation to talk to someone.
You have to validate and or dispute every aspect of your life.
And at this point in the world, everything is viewed as a lie.
And Im not surprised by anything, at this point in my career.
When the reality is, hes not unique.
I didnt go in thinking would be surprised.
I already knew that ultimately this was a story worth telling.
I am surprised by how comprehensive the story becomes at this point.
And its not just a story about one guy who lied.
And sadly, works against small people, and frankly that is George Santos.
And he sabotaged everything about his self-worth and about his potential.
Thats the subject of novels; thats The Great Gatsby, that is every con movie youve ever seen.
If he didnt, the stakes are so high for him.
If he did, the stakes are still so high for him.
That is whats so fascinating about it.
DEADLINE: Feels like youve got a lot of fact checking ahead.
Its a story that all the buyers have heard.
There are countless pitches that have already been out there at this point from people claiming to have access.
This is the access.
I dont care who else has amassed whatever they have amassed.
Like I said, its become a feeding frenzy.
DEADLINE: Whats that like?
DEADLINE: How quickly will George Santos be ready for broadcast?
We could do more of a news style piece.
But thats not my interest.
That is how soon we could have a premium documentary, which could align with the process of justice.
They continue to want to watch him on every single nightly show, every cameo.
I dont believe in villains.
I dont believe in bad guys.
Thats the stuff of fiction.
In my genre of storytelling, theres machines and there are greater conditions that lead to characters.
And George Santos is a pretty insane character, but he did not act alone.
Were living in a scam economy.
DEADLINE: Whats that mean?
Were all trying to promote who we are, what we do.
Were all trying to game the system.
He chose who he felt could tell the best story, and that happened to be me.
You know, aggressive proposals.
I thought it was crazy at that point.
Im like, wow, were dealing with pretty big people here now.
Everybody is the best.
Everybodys going to tell my story the best way.
And I said, Yeah, no, I feel pretty good about this guy.
I mean, money is trivial when youre trying to tell your story.
.For me, it was never about that.
