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Part 4: Billy McFarland on Lying to Investors to Raise $40M for Fyre Festival, Paid Artists $5.3M
Part 2: Billy McFarland on Partnering with Ja Rule to Launch Fyre Media
Part 1: Billy McFarland on Designing Websites for The Weeknd, Rihanna, Drake and Kanye West
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Billy McFarland discussed the chaotic creation of the infamous Fyre Festival, initially planned on Pablo Escobar's former private island. McFarland admitted to dubious financial claims, stating Fyre Media was worth $90 million despite only doing $60,000 in business. Assembling a team in early Fall 2016, McFarland's vision for a high-profile festival quickly spiraled out of control. The original location was lost after a promotional video mentioned Escobar, resulting in a cease-and-desist order. They relocated to a different island in the Bahamas, ironically still linked to Escobar through his attorney. McFarland confessed to lying to investors and misjudging the massive logistical differences between hosting a small event in New York and building a festival city from scratch. He revealed paying $250,000 to Kendall Jenner for promotional posts, underscoring the misplaced priorities and naivety that doomed the event.
