Co-workers reveal scam to the Capitol in ‘Telemarketers’
Phone frenzy:
It’s time to hang up the phone and spill the gossip: the third and final episode of “Telemarketers” airs Sunday, Aug. 27, on HBO, with episodes streaming on Max. Directed by Adam Bhala Lough (“AltRight: Age of Rage,” 2018) and Sam Lipman-Stern (“Live from the Streets”) – the latter of whom uncovered the scandal in question – this eye-opening docuseries dives into the twisted world of telemarketing, exposing a billion-dollar scam that rippled through the industry at large. This limited series, according to HBO, “chronicles the 20-year journey of two unlikely employees who stumble upon the murky truth behind a seedy New Jersey call center,” introducing viewers to two former telemarketing employees – Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern himself – who met while working in the telemarketing industry during the early 2000s. At the time, Lipman-Stern was a 14-year-old high school dropout and Pespas a top salesman dealing with addiction issues. But eventually, their unlikely partnership led to the discovery of mass corruption and fraud throughout the industry: some taking place in their own backyard, as their own company advertised itself as raising money for charitable causes while in reality pocketing most of the money. After their workplace was shut down by an FBI investigation, the pair became whistleblowers and continued their work bringing attention to the exploitative (and more often than not) illegal practices used fervently across the telemarketing industry, leading to (what HBO calls) “a madcap story of an unruly, low-wage environment and two longtime office buddies who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the dark side of American capitalism and the misuse of consumer trust.” “With raw eyewitness footage and a comedic cast of characters,” says HBO, “this three-part documentary takes you from an anarchic boiler room filled with booze, drugs and debauchery to the halls of the United States Senate as a billion-dollar telemarketing scam unravels.” From executive producers Benny and Josh Safdie (the Safdie brothers, both of “Uncut Gems”) and Danny McBridge (creator of HBO series such as “Vice Principals” and “The Righteous Gemstones”), “Telemarketers” airs its explosive final episode, Sunday, Aug. 27, on HBO, later streaming on Max.