In this episode documentary filmmaker Mark Landsman discusses his new film Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer.

Starting with why and how this movie came to be (1:19) and why the history of this magazine is relevant today. They go into the history of the creation of the National Enquirer and its first iteration with Generoso Pope (6:15) and the major points in his marketing epiphanies. They discuss the next owner, Steve Coz (14:18).

Then CurtCo Media’s CEO, Bill Curtis, joins the conversation with his perspective from the world of magazine publishing (18:48). They discuss interviewing subjects who may have their guard up (19:52), and bringing in additional journalists to add credibility and balance the perspective (21:20). They then move to David Pecker’s history with the magazine (24:00) and his ultimate effect on the National Enquirer.

They go behind the scenes on the decisions made when telling this story (29:29). Mark discusses the sense of obligation to tell this story (33:19) and warns us to pay attention to the media we consume (34:10).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

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