Exclusive: Range Media Partners has signed Sam Lipman-Stern, the documentary filmmaker, producer and cinematographer behind the revelatory HBO series Telemarketers, which debuted to much acclaim in August. The deal marks the first strategic partnership between Range and Weisman Worldwide Entertainment, which will continue to co-manage the artist.
A buzzy exposé drawing on Lipman-Stern’s professional experience in the telemarketing industry, which places a huge spotlight on its predatory tactics, HBO’s three-part limited docuseries recently won the Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best True Crime Documentary. In addition to creating and co-directing the show, Lipman-Stern exec produced alongside Danny McBride, Josh and Benny Safdie, and more.
On the heels of his success with Telemarketers, and through the collaboration between Weisman Worldwide and Range, Lipman-Stern is already working on several new projects for 2024 including a scripted drama and music-based documentary which will be announced in the coming months.
In a statement on the signing,...
A buzzy exposé drawing on Lipman-Stern’s professional experience in the telemarketing industry, which places a huge spotlight on its predatory tactics, HBO’s three-part limited docuseries recently won the Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best True Crime Documentary. In addition to creating and co-directing the show, Lipman-Stern exec produced alongside Danny McBride, Josh and Benny Safdie, and more.
On the heels of his success with Telemarketers, and through the collaboration between Weisman Worldwide and Range, Lipman-Stern is already working on several new projects for 2024 including a scripted drama and music-based documentary which will be announced in the coming months.
In a statement on the signing,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Patrick J. Pespas has been found over three weeks after the unlikely star of HBO’s recent hit docuseries Telemarketers had gone missing.
Adam Bhala Lough, the series’ co-director, announced the good news Thursday night, writing, “Patrick J. Pespas has been found and returned safely to his wife Sue. Thank you to everyone who has shared messages of support, donated and prayed for Pat’s safe return. One day I hope to tell the whole story but for now Pat asks that everyone respects his and Sue’s privacy.”
Patrick J.
Adam Bhala Lough, the series’ co-director, announced the good news Thursday night, writing, “Patrick J. Pespas has been found and returned safely to his wife Sue. Thank you to everyone who has shared messages of support, donated and prayed for Pat’s safe return. One day I hope to tell the whole story but for now Pat asks that everyone respects his and Sue’s privacy.”
Patrick J.
- 10/27/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
“Telemarketers” docuseries subject Patrick J. Pespas has been reported missing, according to limited series helmer Adam Bhala Lough. Lough, who co-directed the recent HBO docuseries with Sam Lipman-Stern, took to X (previously known as Twitter) over the weekend to share, “Pat is missing, and [his wife] Sue, his family and friends are very worried about him. Please put out the word that Pat is missing and help us find him.”
“Telemarketers” centers on a New Jersey-based call center that previously employed Lipman-Stern, Lough’s cousin. Pespas was featured in the docuseries as a salesperson who worked for Civic Development Group. Lough and Lipman-Stern began investigating the workplace after its employer, CDG, allegedly stole donations people made for different organizations through the telemarketing scheme; the docuseries takes place over the course 20 years. The Safdie brothers and Danny McBride produced the HBO three-part docuseries.
Pespas went missing from his home in Easton, Pennsylvania on...
“Telemarketers” centers on a New Jersey-based call center that previously employed Lipman-Stern, Lough’s cousin. Pespas was featured in the docuseries as a salesperson who worked for Civic Development Group. Lough and Lipman-Stern began investigating the workplace after its employer, CDG, allegedly stole donations people made for different organizations through the telemarketing scheme; the docuseries takes place over the course 20 years. The Safdie brothers and Danny McBride produced the HBO three-part docuseries.
Pespas went missing from his home in Easton, Pennsylvania on...
- 10/2/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Patrick J. Pespas, the gregarious, affable center of HBO’s surprise hit docuseries Telemarketers, has gone missing, as friends and family put out urgent calls on social media for assistance.
Adam Bhala Lough, the series’ co-director, announced Pespas’ disappearance over the weekend, writing Friday night, “Pat is missing, and [Pespas’ wife] Sue, his family and friends are very worried about him. Please put out the word that Pat is missing and help us find him. He was last seen in the Easton, Pa area. Thank you.”
Bhala Lough confirmed Sunday night that...
Adam Bhala Lough, the series’ co-director, announced Pespas’ disappearance over the weekend, writing Friday night, “Pat is missing, and [Pespas’ wife] Sue, his family and friends are very worried about him. Please put out the word that Pat is missing and help us find him. He was last seen in the Easton, Pa area. Thank you.”
Bhala Lough confirmed Sunday night that...
- 10/2/2023
- by Jason Newman
- Rollingstone.com
Patrick J. Pespas, one of the subjects of the recent HBO documentary series “Telemarketers,” has gone missing. That’s according to the directors of “Telemarketers.”
In a post on X, director Adam Bhala Lough wrote, “Pat is missing, and Sue, his family and friends are very worried about him.”
Sue is Pespas’ wife.
“Please put out the word that Pat is missing and help us find him,” Lough wrote. “He was last seen in the Easton, Pa area. Thank you.”
He was last seen Friday night at 8 p.m., according to the post. Lough notes that Pespas left in his white Ford Mustang and was most likely somewhere in New Jersey.
This is Pat’s white ford mustang – he left in this car. He is most likely somewhere in New Jersey. Please look out for this car. pic.twitter.com/ulPaDaCdvu
— Bhala (@AdamBhalaLough) October 1, 2023
Pespas proved to be a dynamic...
In a post on X, director Adam Bhala Lough wrote, “Pat is missing, and Sue, his family and friends are very worried about him.”
Sue is Pespas’ wife.
“Please put out the word that Pat is missing and help us find him,” Lough wrote. “He was last seen in the Easton, Pa area. Thank you.”
He was last seen Friday night at 8 p.m., according to the post. Lough notes that Pespas left in his white Ford Mustang and was most likely somewhere in New Jersey.
This is Pat’s white ford mustang – he left in this car. He is most likely somewhere in New Jersey. Please look out for this car. pic.twitter.com/ulPaDaCdvu
— Bhala (@AdamBhalaLough) October 1, 2023
Pespas proved to be a dynamic...
- 10/1/2023
- by Mike Roe
- The Wrap
Telemarketers is a three-part documentary series directed by Adam Bhala Lough and one of the telemarketing company employees, Sam Lipman-Stern. This miniseries documented Sam and his buddy Patrick’s decade-long investigation into a fundraising scam in the United States. Sam started recording videos when he worked at Civic Development Group (CDG), a fundraising company that was later found to be involved in fraudulent activities. After CDG was shut down due to its scams, Sam and his friend Patrick Pespas teamed up to dig into CDG’s connections with charities. They aimed to expose how these groups were illegally taking money from people in the name of charity, but none of the funds were being used for actual charitable purposes.
What Happened To CDG?
In the first episode of Telemarketers, we meet Sam Lipman-Stern, a 14-year-old high school dropout who joined CDG in the early 2000s. CDG provided a haven for...
What Happened To CDG?
In the first episode of Telemarketers, we meet Sam Lipman-Stern, a 14-year-old high school dropout who joined CDG in the early 2000s. CDG provided a haven for...
- 8/30/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
If there's a golden rule in telemarketing, it's that it never hurts to ask — or, as a manager tells top salesman Pat Pespas, "Just keep pushing." That mantra was burned into the brains of the callers at Civic Development Group, the company at the center of HBO's Telemarketers. Reminders about sticking to the script littered the office, as did signs detailing the appropriate rebuttals to concerns from people on the other end of the line. "Your house just burned down, John? Is it completely totaled?" asks one caller in early-aughts footage filmed by fellow employee Sam Lipman-Stern, who co-directed the docuseries with Adam Bhala Lough. "Now John, I don't want to burn you, but we do have a bronze [donation package] at $20, or a booster at $15."...
- 8/28/2023
- by Claire Spellberg Lustig
- Primetimer
Insurance executives. Wall Street bros. Whoever makes the Subway bread smell like that.
It’s hard to imagine professions more widely hated than telemarketers — the people, and more recently robots, who call you up at all hours of the day, asking for money. But what if I were to tell you that telemarketers aren’t the problem? Like any service industry job, the customer-facing employees are rarely the ones deserving our ire. It’s the executives who set their quotas, write their scripts, and pay for the call lists with your phone number — they’re the ones who should catch an earful of vitriol every time they interrupt family dinner. But what if it wasn’t just these uncaring, overpaid executives who were to blame? What if it’s also the so-called charities themselves?
“Telemarketers,” a three-part HBO documentary series produced by Danny McBride along with Benny and Josh Safdie,...
It’s hard to imagine professions more widely hated than telemarketers — the people, and more recently robots, who call you up at all hours of the day, asking for money. But what if I were to tell you that telemarketers aren’t the problem? Like any service industry job, the customer-facing employees are rarely the ones deserving our ire. It’s the executives who set their quotas, write their scripts, and pay for the call lists with your phone number — they’re the ones who should catch an earful of vitriol every time they interrupt family dinner. But what if it wasn’t just these uncaring, overpaid executives who were to blame? What if it’s also the so-called charities themselves?
“Telemarketers,” a three-part HBO documentary series produced by Danny McBride along with Benny and Josh Safdie,...
- 8/13/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Sam Lipman-Stern was 14, he’d just dropped out of ninth grade, and he needed a job stat. There wasn’t a host of options for an underage kid in New Jersey in terms of gainful employment, and his main interests at the time — skating, graffiti, filming his friends on his camcorder — weren’t necessarily gateways to a paying gig. But his parents told him that if he left high school, he would need to work, full stop. And then Sam heard about the Civic Development Group.
The telemarketing firm, commonly referred to as CDG,...
The telemarketing firm, commonly referred to as CDG,...
- 8/13/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
A new docuseries from HBO and Max goes on a deep dive through a 20-year experience shared by two co-workers who become best friends. They both got wrapped up in a charity scheme based in a New Jersey call center. “Telemarketers” gives viewers an up-close look at the shady scam and exposes the truth behind the business pedaling for donations. The shocking story unfolds throughout three episodes. The first episode debuts on Max on Sunday, August 13 at 10 p.m. You can watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Max.
How to Watch ‘Telemarketers’ Series Premiere When: Sunday, August 13, 2023 at 10:00 Pm Edt Where: Max Stream: Watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Max. 7-Day Free Trial$9.99+ / month Max via amazon.com
Get 20% Off Your Next Year of Max When Pre-Paid Annually
About ‘Telemarketers’ Series Premiere
The new docuseries, “Telemarketers” tells the dark, true story of two call center employees, Sam Lipman-Stern and Pat Pespas,...
How to Watch ‘Telemarketers’ Series Premiere When: Sunday, August 13, 2023 at 10:00 Pm Edt Where: Max Stream: Watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Max. 7-Day Free Trial$9.99+ / month Max via amazon.com
Get 20% Off Your Next Year of Max When Pre-Paid Annually
About ‘Telemarketers’ Series Premiere
The new docuseries, “Telemarketers” tells the dark, true story of two call center employees, Sam Lipman-Stern and Pat Pespas,...
- 8/13/2023
- by Aubrey Chorpenning
- The Streamable
Two decades ago, Civic Development Group put a lot of people to work who couldn’t find it anywhere else. The telemarketing company employed high school dropouts, convicted felons, and drug addicts, many of whom felt as though they’d found their calling at a company that incentivized them to unwittingly participate in a high-stakes grift.
As they juggled calls on behalf of policemen unions and other charitable organizations, inadvertently duping gullible targets into opening their wallets, they had no idea how little money actually went to the organizations themselves. In truth, CDG was making a killing, keeping 90 percent of all donations — while its staffers treated the office as a hedonistic playground.
The footage of those antics provides the backbone for the first episode of “Telemarketers,” directors Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern’s gritty and often darkly funny look at the CDG’s scam and the wider conspiracy of...
As they juggled calls on behalf of policemen unions and other charitable organizations, inadvertently duping gullible targets into opening their wallets, they had no idea how little money actually went to the organizations themselves. In truth, CDG was making a killing, keeping 90 percent of all donations — while its staffers treated the office as a hedonistic playground.
The footage of those antics provides the backbone for the first episode of “Telemarketers,” directors Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern’s gritty and often darkly funny look at the CDG’s scam and the wider conspiracy of...
- 8/12/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern’s new three-part HBO documentary Telemarketers occupies a space on the nonfiction continuum somewhere between the angry, journalistic interrogation of early Michael Moore and the more laid-back, observational curiosity of the Nathan Fielder/John Wilson school.
It’s a slightly precarious position. As a muckraking crusade, Telemarketers conveys and synthesizes less revelatory information than your typical Last Week Tonight With John Oliver main story — which is to say that anything you learn from the documentary you probably could have learned five years ago if you’d just wanted to know. As more personal storytelling, the series sometimes lacks introspection and sufficient autobiographical candor.
In the uneasy blending, though, Telemarketers finds something that’s frequently funny, unexpectedly poignant and occasionally rather special. It isn’t going to topple an industry, but its story of two unlikely friends who, after doing the wrong thing for a long time,...
It’s a slightly precarious position. As a muckraking crusade, Telemarketers conveys and synthesizes less revelatory information than your typical Last Week Tonight With John Oliver main story — which is to say that anything you learn from the documentary you probably could have learned five years ago if you’d just wanted to know. As more personal storytelling, the series sometimes lacks introspection and sufficient autobiographical candor.
In the uneasy blending, though, Telemarketers finds something that’s frequently funny, unexpectedly poignant and occasionally rather special. It isn’t going to topple an industry, but its story of two unlikely friends who, after doing the wrong thing for a long time,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Telemarketers” may be summer TV’s oddest thrill ride. Co-director Sam Lipman-Stern begins the three-part docuseries, which launches August 13 on HBO, in retrospect. He’s looking back at the footage he shot of his time working for telemarketing firm CDG (short for Civic Development Group) two decades ago. Then a teenager, Lipman-Stern recorded everything: The aggressive sell he and his colleagues made over the phone to solicit donations for what the callers claimed were police charitable unions, as well as the freewheeling culture that permeated throughout the office. Closer to the present day, he and co-director Adam Bhala Lough reconnect with Lipman-Stern’s former colleague Pat Pespas to delve into how the system has morphed since they first worked together, and how they might be able to use what they’ve learned from their years of calling strangers to take it down.
Backed by high-profile executive producers including Benny and Josh Safdie and Danny McBride,...
Backed by high-profile executive producers including Benny and Josh Safdie and Danny McBride,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
The Safdies may be (temporarily) breaking up as directors, but the brothers are still a showbiz team. Josh and Benny Safdie have executive produced a new documentary limited series “Telemarketers” for HBO, it was announced Wednesday. The channel has set an August 13 premiere date for the series, in addition to releasing the official trailer.
“Telemarketers” focuses on two former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, the latter of whom is credited as co-director of the series with Adam Bhala Lough. The series chronicles, with the assistance of footage shot by Limpman-Stern, the duo’s time working in the telemarketing industry during the early 2000s, when Limpman-Stern was a 14 year-old high school dropout and Pespas was a top salesman dealing with addiction issues. The two worked for a company that advertised itself as raising money for police and firefighter charities, but in reality pocketed most of the money.
After a...
“Telemarketers” focuses on two former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, the latter of whom is credited as co-director of the series with Adam Bhala Lough. The series chronicles, with the assistance of footage shot by Limpman-Stern, the duo’s time working in the telemarketing industry during the early 2000s, when Limpman-Stern was a 14 year-old high school dropout and Pespas was a top salesman dealing with addiction issues. The two worked for a company that advertised itself as raising money for police and firefighter charities, but in reality pocketed most of the money.
After a...
- 7/26/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
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