From abolitionists to the Tea Party, accusations of “paid protesters” have shadowed American political movements for centuries. But what if the reality is more nuanced (and more interesting) than the talking points suggest?

In this episode, Andy Mills sits down with Adam Swart, founder and CEO of Crowds on Demand, a company that quite literally pays people to demonstrate. Swart pulls back the curtain on an industry most people encounter only as a conspiracy theory, explaining how his business actually works.

As you’ll hear, Swart makes his provocative case that the “astroturf vs. grassroots” debate is a juvenile distraction. He believes that most major movements, left or right, have big money behind them, and that his company is simply one of the more transparent players in the influence game.

We’d love to hear if (and how) this interview shapes your thinking around the debate. Leave us a comment or send us an email: [email protected]

CREDITS:

This episode was produced by Andy Mills, Ethan Mannello and Matthew Boll

Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠

Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more:

⁠⁠⁠⁠GROUND.NEWS

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices