Earlier this month, two competing documentaries hit the internet depicting the disaster that came to be known as "The greatest party that never happened."
"Fyre" on Netflix and "Fyre Fraud" on Hulu tell the story of the Fyre Festival, the 2017 failed music festival from 25-year-old Fyre Media CEO Billy McFarland and his partner, hip hop mogul Ja Rule.
Fyre Festival promised an all-inclusive VIP music experience on a private Bahamian island complete with private jet transfers, gourmet meals, luxury accommodation, and A-list performances.
Both documentaries recount how Fyre went from being the biggest event of the year until it was revealed to be a multimillion-dollar scam that tricked wealthy millennials into paying for tickets that cost up to $100,000 each for the experience. McFarland is now in jail for his role as orchestrator of the fiasco.
But Fyre didn't just bilk millions from wealthy kids — the employees, caterers and other contractors on the island never got paid for the thousands of hours of work they put in to help prepare for the festival.
When the ashes settled from their dumpster fire of a concert, and the last plane had shuttled the guests back to Florida, the Bahamian day workers were left unpaid to a tune of $250,000.
Others were hit even harder — owner of the Exuma Point Bar and Grille Maryann Rolle says she had to shell out $50,000 of her own savings to pay her staff who helped cater the failed event.
Yet while the festival left hundreds of Bahamians with nothing, Hulu and Netflix are certainly profiting from the festival's disaster. Even worse, recent reports show that Netflix employed Jerry Media, which was involved in marketing Fyre Festival, to executive produce its documentary while Hulu reportedly paid disgraced Fyre Media CEO, Billy McFarland, himself for an interview.
It seems unfair and unethical that these multi-billion dollar companies and those involved in the scam should profit from the disaster while the local workers were left empty-handed.
Netflix, Hulu, JerryMedia, and Billy McFarland should donate their profits to the men and women of Exuma island who worked hard to bring Fyre Festival to life. Sign the petition and tell them to do the right thing and give their money to the unpaid workers who are the real victims of McFarland's Fyre Festival.
