I know that sounds like something out of a drug-induced dream, but honestly, isn’t that what Fyre Fest was? 

Like everyone else, we gorged ourselves on the Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and whether you watched this one or the competing doc on Hulu, you’ve been fascinated, like we have, by all the terrible decisions (ahem, ANDY) that seemed to go by unchecked, and how exactly it all crashed so spectacularly.  

Then, since the documentary also addresses the culpability of influencers, including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, and Emily Ratajkowski, we scratched the surface of ‘influencers’ – who they are, who to trust, and what can happen when their ‘influence’ is taken too far, or too literally.  This led us to the story of Caroline Calloway who recently, and publicly, Fyre’d herself, albeit on a much smaller scale. If you don’t know the story, it is well worth your investigation – that word choice isn’t an accident, because, as Lainey says, Kayleigh Donaldson at Pajiba has been doing CSI-level forensics on Calloway and her events-gone-haywire. Read the whole thing here. 

Plus, Lainey introduces us to Donte Colley, a new-discovery influencer whose brand is spreading positivity in his own spectacular way. If you need a lift today, it’s worth noting that Donte’s feel-amazing brand of dance videos appeared on Good Morning America this morning  - which would be great on any day, but given that a lot more people were inclined to watch GMA this morning because of how appalled they were by what was happening on TODAY with Savannah Guthrie, it’s all the more joyful. 

What came up early and often this podcast were two complementary Work concepts that seem to have been given short shrift lately. Experience, and how much you need to call yourself ‘experienced’ is one of them – and the other is the idea of scale. How fast can you grow without running into obvious problems that, you know, highlight your lack of … experience?  

They’re both in play as we discuss the controversy around SMILF, and its creator-star Frankie Shaw, who has been accused of various kinds of misconduct on the first season of her show leading to the departure of actress Samara Weaving, specifically over the production of sex scenes – a story that directly highlights how Intimacy Coordinators, a new position we discussed on the podcast in the fall, can help the industry. 

Should Frankie Shaw be given another chance? Is she getting the soft-pedal treatment in the media due to her various forms of privilege? We dug in, even though there are no easy answers. 

And finally, what a relief to talk about Hollywood’s Most Bankable Star – Samuel L. Jackson. First we discussed why exactly Samuel L Jackson has such incredible staying power – maybe it’s because, as he says in the article linked above, he hasn’t changed in decades, it’s the people around him who do.

Then, I am proud to say, I drop a first-person Samuel L Jackson story that Lainey has never heard before, that is certifiably amazing, and that involves both orange sherbet and underwear. But not like that. 

Let us know what you think! We love getting your feedback, your work thoughts and stories – many of them are being used for upcoming episodes! – and please subscribe and leave reviews wherever you get your podcasts. THANK YOU for supporting our podcast, and keep Showing Your Work.