Carl Rinsch: Lights, Camera, Fraud

Scamfluencers

The episode chronicles the meteoric rise and devastating fall of director Carl Rinsch, who leveraged his connections to secure a $61 million deal from Netflix for

Key takeaways

• Carl Rinsch secured a $61 million deal from Netflix for the series White Horse despite the massive failure of his debut film 47 Ronin.
• Rinsch misappropriated nearly $11 million in Netflix funds to invest in the stock market, specifically making large bets on Gilead Sciences.

Main topics

• The rise and fall of Carl Rinsch
• Netflix's production of White Horse

Notable quotes

I thought, would it be possible for us to ever communicate with God?

Conclusion

The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked e

Transcript preview

Speaker 7 (0:00) Audible subscribers can listen to all our episodes of Scamfluencers ad-free right now. Speaker 6 (0:04) Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Speaker 7 (0:08) A heads up to our listeners, this episode contains descriptions of domestic abuse. Please listen with care. Speaker 7 (0:21) Sachi, we've both worked in television at some point or know people who do. And one thing everyone can agree on is that it's impossible to get anything made. Oh, yeah. People Speaker 6 (0:32) love to not make anything in these industries. They are addicted to not making stuff. And Speaker 7 (0:38) I think most people think it's just like lesser known filmmakers who have it hard. But even like really popular, highly regarded directors can't get funding for anything sometimes. Speaker 6 (0:49) Don't forget, Sarah, Zach Braff had to crowdfund for one of his movies. Yeah, Speaker 7 (0:54) let's not forget that. Today, I'm going to tell you about an ambitious filmmaker who had the type of unearned goodwill most aspiring artists could only dream of. As in, he basically had a blank check to do whatever he wanted. And like so many auteurs before him, nothing was enough. But instead of reevaluating his failures, he doubled down and scammed. Speaker 7 (1:21) It's late 2019, and Gabriela Rosis is pacing the living room of her Los Angeles home, a two-bedroom on Mulholland Drive that costs $14,000 a month in rent. Gabriela is in her early 30s, a former model from Uruguay with long brown hair that cascades over her shoulders. She seems to be living a dream life, but right now, she's worried about the man she's sharing it with. Her husband, Carl, is a director, born and raised in Los Angeles and almost a decade older than her. Gabriela and Carl just wrapped filming on a sci-fi series called White Horse that they sold to Netflix for $61 million. Carl directed while Gabriela was an executive producer and costume designer. The project has been their main focus since they got married five years ago. But lately, Carl's been off, acting strange and erratic, and it's putting everything they've worked for at risk. That's why Gabriela's not alone in her living room today. She's joined by one of Carl's brothers, several members of their film crew, and a behavioral health consultant. And Keanu Reeves. Speaker 7 (2:39) Thank God. Speaker 6 (2:40) I have to say I feel immediately safer. Narratively and physically. Speaker 7 (2:46) Keanu acted in Carl's first film and has been close with the couple ever since. And today, they're all gathered here to stage an intervention. When Carl walks in, Gabriela and his loved ones explain their concerns. First, there's the drug abuse. They suspect Carl is misusing his Vyvanse prescription. He says he uses it to treat his ADHD. But some of his friends believe he's exhibiting all the signs of overuse, mania, delirium, even psychosis. Then there was his behavior on set. He was irritable and aggressive, screaming at crew members and cursing people out. He was even accused of harassment and abuse during filming. And then there's the way he treats Gabriela. Carl has screamed at her, thrown things at her, and punched walls next to her. At one point, he was so paranoid, he allegedly accused her of plotting to have him assassinated. Carl's brother and Keanu say they're worried he's losing his grip on reality. And Carl appears to listen. According to witnesses, he agrees to let a sober companion stay with him. Gabriela exhales, maybe this intervention will work. Speaker 6 (4:01) Or... Speaker 7 (4:02) Hear me out, she gives up on this guy and marries Keanu. Huh? Ugh, Sachi, if only this was that kind of episode. Also, Carl's cooperation is fleeting. He allegedly kicks the sober companion out of the house after just a few days. Gabriela is left wondering if the man she married will ever return. And unfortunately, he won't. Carl is about to descend into a state of pure delusion where aliens speak to him, where Netflix funds become his personal piggy bank, and where the line between his sci-fi fantasy world and reality starts to disappear. Speaker 4 (4:44) James Arthur Ray was a charismatic self-help guru who promised his followers a path to wealth and enlightenment by becoming the best versions of themselves. But not all who followed him finished their journey. For the best bingeable series, listen to the Audible True Crime Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 5 (5:04) Hi, I'm Candace DeLong, former FBI profiler and host of the podcast Killer Psyche. In our latest episode, I speak with legal analyst Josh Ritter to break down Luigi Mangione's stunning guilty plea in federal court. Listen to Killer Psyche on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 7 (5:26) From Audible Originals, I'm Sarah Hagee. And I'm Saatchi Cole. And this is Scamfluencers. Speaker 7 (5:40) Carl Rentsch had everything Hollywood loves in an up-and-coming director. Talent, charisma, and the ability to make people believe in the stories he told. He was also an obsessive perfectionist with an uncompromising vision, and for a while, his behavior was excused as that of a demanding auteur. In the peak TV gold rush of the 2010s, streamers were throwing millions at creatives. It often didn't matter how creatives like Carl behaved as long as there was a chance they'd deliver a hit. But the pandemic brought the streaming industry back to earth, while Carl ascended into full-fledged fantasy. He blew millions from Netflix on cars, cryptocurrency, and luxury mattresses, and in the process, alienated everyone who'd ever believed in him. Carl wanted to make the next big-screen epic, but what he got was an all-time epic fail. This is Carl Rentsch Lights, Camera, Fraud. It's the early 90s in California's San Fernando Valley. Summer here means temperatures surging up to 100 degrees. Teenage Carl and his best friend Tim are sweating through their shirts as they trudge up the driveway of yet another home. They're going door to door, selling plumbing supplies. They're not in it for the love of waste management. They're raising money for their actual passion, making short films. Even as a teenager, Carl takes his craft very seriously. He sees filmmaking as a calling and wants to make films like Fellini or Kurosawa, real art that people remember after they watch it. He's all about artistic merit, not fame and fortune. But that might also be because Carl is, by all accounts, pretty privileged. He's working hard to help fund his short films, but he's also the son of a very successful insurance executive. And that gives Carl the freedom to dream big. Luckily, Carl also has genuine talent. When he's only 14, his first short film gets accepted into both the New York and Telluride film festivals. By the time he starts college at Brown University, he has a reputation as a quirky but dedicated artist. He's so passionate and intense that he often holds up for weeks at a time to finish his projects with zero distractions. That's probably how he completes his thesis. a series of fake commercials for real corporations like Tampax, Pepsi, and Calvin Klein. His goal is to explore the marriage between consumerism and art. But he also might be doing something a little more strategic. Because in 2000, after graduating, Carl sends a reel of those fake ads to Ridley Scott's production company. Ridley Scott is the big deal director of movies like Alien, Thelma & Louise, and Gladiator. But he got his start directing commercials, and Carl hopes to do the same by learning from him and making industry connections. Ridley must have been impressed because he hires Carl without ever meeting him in person. And so at 22, Carl moves back to Los Angeles and starts doing legit commercial work for companies like Heineken, BMW, and Mercedes. Speaker 6 (9:06) Hey, that's a pretty cool way to get a job and a cool job to have. At 22. Speaker 7 (9:12) Yeah. Carl quickly becomes known for his innovative storytelling and cutting-edge visual effects. His ads are cinematic, like mini-movies. But his perfectionism is intensifying. Left to his own devices, he'll spend hours obsessing over a single frame. Ridley ends up taking Carl under his wing and becomes a mentor to him. And their bond grows even stronger when Carl starts dating Ridley's daughter. Carl has a mentor, a pedigree, and he's about to get an opportunity that could be a major step toward directing feature films. He's on the doorstep of Hollywood success, as long as he can stay out of his own way. Speaker 7 (9:58) It's 2010, and Carl is in his early 30s now. His hair is slicked back into a man bun, and he seems to have a permanent furrowed brow. He's been making commercials for about a decade, and it's paying off. With Ridley Scott's backing, Carl's name has been circulating in Hollywood, and he's in the running to direct several high-profile genre movies. Warner Brothers is considering him for a remake of Logan's Run. There are talks of him directing X-Men Origins First Class for 20th Century Fox. Ridley thinks Carl should direct a prequel to Alien, his own 1979 sci-fi classic. And Universal needs a director for a big-budget movie called 47 Ronin. It's based on a true story about a group of rogue samurai in 18th century Japan with fantastical elements added in, like dragons and magic. Keanu Reeves is attached, along with an ensemble of Japanese stars. Universal wants to hear Carl's take. He's thrilled and determined to get this job. He arrives at the meeting super prepared. He brings detailed storyboards and a thorough schedule. If they give him the green light, he's ready to get started today. Carl's great in the room. Charming, persuasive, confident. And most importantly, he understands the studio's vision for their next big blockbuster. Universal wants this to be their version of The Last Samurai, the hugely successful Tom Cruise film, and Carl says he can deliver. After all, his entire career has been about proving that good art and commercial appeal can coexist. The execs love his energy. Universal offers him the directing job. They slate the movie for a holiday release in 2012 and give him a budget of $175 million. Speaker 6 (12:00) Ooh, that is too much money. That's too much money. Because now you have to make a movie that makes at least that much money. That is really setting yourself up Speaker 7 (12:10) for a rough time. As a debut, yeah, it is like impossible to imagine that happening today. The buzz is real. But then, one by one, the other projects he'd been circling failed to materialize. They either go to more experienced directors or get dropped altogether. In the end, Carl is left with one shot to prove himself, 47 Ronin. Carl has to translate his slick commercial style into a major motion picture. But with hundreds of millions of dollars riding on his ideas, the pressure will be unlike anything he's ever experienced. And how he handles it will shape the rest of his career and his life. Speaker 7 (12:57) It's January 2012 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Executives are watching a cut of 47 Ronin, and they are not happy. When Universal hired Carl, they believed his training under Ridley Scott would prepare him for the big leagues. Instead, the second Carl got into the director's chair, it seemed like the power went straight to his head. The movie is a mess, and Carl can't rein in his creative impulses. He's trying to balance the true Japanese history with CGI effects and fantasy elements, but it's all too muddled. Carl later describes it as Kurosawa on meth. Speaker 6 (13:38) Yeah, I don't know that you're going to make $175 million back on Kurosawa on meth. Although it does sound interesting. It Speaker 7 (13:45) sounds interesting in the right circumstance, but does it sound like a blockbuster? No, no, no. No. Reports emerge that the production has turned into a nightmare and that Carl has crumbled under the weight of the shoot. By the time editing begins back in Los Angeles, Donna Langley, the chairman of Universal Pictures, has reportedly lost all patience with Carl. His perfectionism and indecision have cost the studio more than they wanted to spend. The film's budget has reportedly swelled from $175 to $225 million. And the release date has been pushed back twice. At this point, they just need to finish the movie. It's rumored that Donna kicks Carl out of the editing room and works with the editor herself. But Universal must know they have a flop on their hands. So they decide to take a write-down. A move where, for tax purposes, a studio publicly acknowledges a movie isn't going to make as much as initially projected. It's embarrassing for everyone involved. Carl most of all. Before the public has seen a single frame, the studio is telling the world that his big debut is a disaster. Speaker 6 (15:00) This is so embarrassing. Can you imagine being humiliated like this on a Speaker 7 (15:04) tax level, a public tax level? It really does sound like the worst type of stress dream. And as expected, 47 Ronin has an abysmal opening at the box office. In its first five days, it barely makes $20 million. One reviewer for the LA Times said it was, quote, Speaker 6 (15:25) An overlong, underwhelming movie that certainly wasn't worth the Speaker 7 (15:29) wait. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 16%. Carl's first big shot has gone about as bad as it