bringing the fyre
Netflix and Hulu could be hit with subpoenas over their Fyre Festival documentaries
Netflix and Hulu's Fyre Festival documentaries might soon be in need of a follow-up, as they could result in subpoenas for the streaming services themselves.
The trustee in the Fyre Festival bankruptcy case, Gregory Messer, is looking to subpoena Netflix and Hulu over their recent films about the failed 2017 festival, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
Hulu's Fyre Fraud and Netflix's Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened both are chock full of behind-the-scenes footage that was shot during the planning of the event, which was canceled as musical acts pulled out and organizers failed to provide the first-class accommodations and food advertised. Co-founder Billy McFarland was later charged with wire fraud and is currently serving a six-year prison sentence, and Fyre Festival LLC filed for bankruptcy, per CBS News.
Now, Messer is asking a judge to subpoena Netflix and Hulu, requiring them to show whether they paid for the documentary footage that he says would be an asset of the company, Bloomberg writes. The co-director of the Hulu documentary told The Ringer McFarland was indeed paid for footage, as well as for an eight hour interview.
Messer was appointed to oversee the bankruptcy case and has been trying to account for how the $26 million raised for the event was spent, but he says that McFarland has not cooperated and kept no records, reports Billboard. He previously requested subpoenas for some of the models and influencers who promoted the event, including Kendall Jenner. Netflix and Hulu haven't yet responded to possibility of a subpoena.