As the true crime content space continues to grow, both in documentary and audio formats, top producers, filmmakers and network executives behind shows like “Quiet on Set,” “The Fall of Diddy” and “House of Hammer” joined Variety‘s Kate Aurthur, Emily Longeretta and Ethan Shanfeld for a special episode of Variety‘s “Variety Confidential” podcast.
The voices you’ll hear spoke with the Variety team during the inaugural True Crime Summit, presented by Investigation Discovery, at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.
LISTEN to the full episode below:
As is true in journalism, stories can often take many years to report by building trust with sources. Beth Karas, a legal analyst in the Investigation Discovery docuseries “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” says she’s covered trials for over 30 years.
“Sometimes there are twists that we can tell haven’t been discovered. But I like the cases that aren’t as well known because it’s a new audience,” Karas says. “How many times can you tell the same story over and over?”
Jason Sarlanis, Warner. Bros Discovery’s president of linear and streaming, describes the constant scramble for access: “Eighty different producers and filmmakers come to you with the same story. They’re out there fighting 17 other production companies, other filmmakers, to get people to say yes.”
“The Fall of Diddy” executive producer Mary Robertson adds: “Our goal and our obligation is to get it right. So it’s not to beat TMZ.”
“Inside Edition” anchor Eva Pilgrim says that “you have to be the first person on the ground,” or else “next thing you know, these exclusives are snapped up under contracts and you don’t get it.”
Building trust with sources is a different battle, and a much more sensitive one when it comes to communicating with victims of horrific crimes. Sometimes, the timing for victims may not be right, no matter how careful producers may approach them to go on the record.
“48 Hours” correspondent Natalie Morales explains her approach: “You walk into that room and you just want them to feel like they can speak to you, and it really is just letting go of any preconceived notions. You almost basically have to dumb down the conversation like you haven’t heard anything about this crime. You haven’t heard anything about this case.”
Conversations about the ethics of true crime storytelling persist in the space, especially with critics who claim that the genre turns pain into product and entertainment. “Lost Women of Alaska” executive producer Christina Douglas says: “The misnomer is that people think sensationalism equals entertainment. And I don’t think that’s true.”
“The victims’ stories need to be told,” Morales says. “We realize that we have an obligation when it comes to storytelling and reporting them factually, without the glorification or entertainment that a lot of people, I think, like to associate with true crime, which is not the case. We do the job of journalists first.”
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