Portrait of a Survivor Part 2

11/21/24 • 25 min

"When I first met him, I was like, this guy is going to be a fucking problem."
In Part 2 of our oral history "Portrait of a Survivor," we hear from a new perspective on an abusive Hollywood showrunner... that of his assistant's close friend.
"He has that cult leader personality, that sort of psychopath thing where he's very superficially charming. I know a lot of people with those personalities."
We hear how our confessor escaped the toxic situation with her friend's clear-eyed perspective and support. And we see how it all came roaring back to her years later, when she saw a warning on an assistant board against working with someone... and the subject line was her abuser's name.
"I think the initial email came out at like eight in the morning. By 10:30, there were like 15 more emails from different people, like, 'He's a terrorist.' 'He's the worst person I ever met.' All these people sharing their experiences. Then a reporter reached out to me asking for a comment."

As the confessor and her friend navigate the process of trying to go public about a powerful abuser in Hollywood, we're also joined by TV/film critic and journalist Maureen "Mo" Ryan. Mo has worked with countless survivors, especially for her book Burn It Down. In the process, she has found perspective... and even hope.
"Anyone, in any job, is often confused about what to do about a problematic situation. But in this industry, the disincentives are huge. And those have not really gone away... But many, many people have found a positive way forward from having come forward."
Join us for this powerful conclusion of "Portrait of a Survivor" to see how our confessor dealt with the fallout of abuse in her own life, and how she found the strength and support she needed to move on.

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Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.
Sound Effects and Music provided by Zapsplat and Pixabay.
Keywords: filmmaking podcast, film podcast, screenwriting podcast, entertainment podcast, Hollywood, filmmaking, writerslife, actorslife, setlife

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Previous Episode

Portrait of a Survivor Part 1

"These people are never going to have sharp claws and pointed teeth. They're going to look like your good friend. And they're mostly going to act like your good friend. And then every once in a while..."
In this episode of the Hollywood Confessional, two confessors from opposite ends of the Hollywood hierarchy share their stories of working with the same toxic man. Over the course of several years and multiple TV shows, they recall how the man they once admired as a leader revealed the monster within.
"You could see the rage radiating off him. He was a completely different person in that moment."
Our mission on this podcast has always been to make Hollywood a happier place by giving industry professionals a place to share their deepest, darkest secrets. And all too often, those secrets exist because abusers are in positions of power.
In this two-part oral history, we explore how one particular abuser got into that position through lies, manipulation, and superficial charm. And through the voice of one of his victims, we hear how his abuse was reinforced by the system.
"He called the exec. And then he told me that what he said was, 'You're a nobody. He's not going to ask the showrunner to leave.'"
In part two, we'll see how even exposing an abuser in the media doesn't always fix the problem, and what one victim did after quitting the job to rebuild her life. We also pay homage to her and all the others who have gone through similar situations in the struggle to achieve their dreams.

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Next Episode

You Never Know Who's Watching

***SERIES FINALE!***
Welcome back Hollywood Faithful, one last time! This week, we hear the magical, heartwarming tale of an actor who gets invited to a holiday party at a stunning A-lister's mansion... and then learns they have to perform!
"There was a pool and music, and there was a dance floor and a deejay. There were pathways lit, and a tarot reader... a psychic medium... white-jacketed waiters, staff walking around with drinks and hors d’oeuvres... And about two hours into it, [BLEEP] gets up on stage and she says, 'All right, we're going to do a little contest.'"
Luckily our confessor knows how to improv! Through a night of twists, turns, and unexpected laughs, our confessor discovers that taking a risk and letting yourself have fun in Hollywood can lead to a magical happy ending.
"At that point, these two people came out in dinner jackets. And they
have these metal cases like Deal or No Deal – that show was hot back then. You would pick a case, and you’d open it, and it would tell you what the amount was. And you never knew. It could be $5. It could be $5,000. So these two people come up on stage and, you know, they're in front of the stage and they have the cases. And my buddy goes first and opens it up. And he goes, Oh my God..."
"You Never Know Who's Watching" is our final episode of the Hollywood Confessional. And with it, we want to say thank you to all of our listeners -- those who have been with us since the beginning, and all of you that we've met along the way. This has been an incredible journey. We love this show and the community we've built, and we are honored to have served as your podcast priests.
We also want to thank our incredible cast and crew who made this show possible! We couldn't have done it without you.
Please keep in touch with us on socials (find Meagan on Bluesky and J.R. on IG) and help us keep the faith as we all move forward into the new year and beyond. We look forward to continuing to make Hollywood a happier place with all of you!
Happy holidays and love to all,
Meagan & J.R.

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Hollywood Confessional - Portrait of a Survivor Part 2

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:06.931

Previously on Portrait of a Survivor .

Speaker 200:00:12.326

I was talking to my friend and I was like leaning over the bar and I was wearing a dress . It wasn't a short dress where you could see my , you know whatever but I was leaning over in a dress and walked by and grabbed my ass .

Speaker 300:00:26.080

So some of those