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E30: Fyre Festival Fraudster Billy McFarland: F#CK HIM or FORGIVE HIM?
This week John welcomes Billy McFarland to the show for a first hand look inside his disastrous and ultimately criminal co-founding of the notorious Fyre Festival. In 2016, Billy alongside his business partner Ja Rule hatched a plan for a "luxury" music festival that promised 5-Star accommodations, celebrity encounters, and gourmet dining. Some ticket holders paid upwards of $100,000 dollars per ticket for the promise of a celebrity and champagne soaked weekend in the Bahamas to find the only thing that was soaked was their ramshackled tents and soggy cheese sandwiches. The event was scheduled to take place in April and May 2017, but was aborted after attendees had arrived due to problems with security, food, logistics, understaffing, accommodations, and talent relations.
In May 2017, McFarland and Ja Rule were sued for $100 million dollars in a class action lawsuit on behalf of Fyre Festival attendees. The following month, McFarland was arrested and charged with wire fraud in Manhattan Federal Court for his role in the organization of the festival. After pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud in March 2018, he was sentenced to six years in a federal prison. He was released in late March 2022, after serving over four years.
In this episode Billy and John sit down to explore the truth behind what exactly went wrong. Billy is transparent about how he allowed both his ego and his entrepreneurial drive to spiral out of control forcing him to lie to investors, friends, vendors, and finally himself. John and Billy talk about the legacy that his mistakes have left and how time spent in prison forced him to reflect on his actions, his character, and his plans for the future.
Topics Include:
- Origins Of The Frye Festival
- Billy Breaks Down His Mistakes
- The “Legacy” of Billy McFarland
- A Warning For Overzealous Entrepreneurs
- Billy’s Biggest Regrets
Follow Billy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pyrtbilly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pyrtbilly
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pyrtbilly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billymcfarland
Follow John:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johncerasani
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johncerasani
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncerasani
For More Info on John's Book: https://2000percentraise.com/
More 2000 Percent Raise Episodes and Content: https://linktr.ee/2000percentraise
Produced by: https://socialchameleon.us
View all episodes
This week John welcomes Billy McFarland to the show for a first hand look inside his disastrous and ultimately criminal co-founding of the notorious Fyre Festival. In 2016, Billy alongside his business partner Ja Rule hatched a plan for a "luxury" music festival that promised 5-Star accommodations, celebrity encounters, and gourmet dining. Some ticket holders paid upwards of $100,000 dollars per ticket for the promise of a celebrity and champagne soaked weekend in the Bahamas to find the only thing that was soaked was their ramshackled tents and soggy cheese sandwiches. The event was scheduled to take place in April and May 2017, but was aborted after attendees had arrived due to problems with security, food, logistics, understaffing, accommodations, and talent relations.
In May 2017, McFarland and Ja Rule were sued for $100 million dollars in a class action lawsuit on behalf of Fyre Festival attendees. The following month, McFarland was arrested and charged with wire fraud in Manhattan Federal Court for his role in the organization of the festival. After pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud in March 2018, he was sentenced to six years in a federal prison. He was released in late March 2022, after serving over four years.
In this episode Billy and John sit down to explore the truth behind what exactly went wrong. Billy is transparent about how he allowed both his ego and his entrepreneurial drive to spiral out of control forcing him to lie to investors, friends, vendors, and finally himself. John and Billy talk about the legacy that his mistakes have left and how time spent in prison forced him to reflect on his actions, his character, and his plans for the future.
Topics Include:
- Origins Of The Frye Festival
- Billy Breaks Down His Mistakes
- The “Legacy” of Billy McFarland
- A Warning For Overzealous Entrepreneurs
- Billy’s Biggest Regrets
Follow Billy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pyrtbilly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pyrtbilly
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pyrtbilly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billymcfarland
Follow John:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johncerasani
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johncerasani
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncerasani
For More Info on John's Book: https://2000percentraise.com/
More 2000 Percent Raise Episodes and Content: https://linktr.ee/2000percentraise
Produced by: https://socialchameleon.us