Plain Talk Bob & Dan | The $740,000 Question (Episode 3)
NOTE: The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern.
In the conclusion of this three-part series, filmmaker Matt Fern investigates the two men at the center of North Dakota’s film grant controversy: longtime legislator Rep. Bob Martinson and Canticle Productions founder Dan Bielinski.
As an ethics complaint regarding the film grants finally moves into a formal investigation, Governor Doug Burgum’s administration breaks its year-long silence, reluctantly agreeing to a meeting. Yet state officials remain dismissive, downplaying concerns and refusing further action.
From a mysterious $40,000 payment in 2017, to an unannounced grant in 2021, to a $600,000 grant in 2023, Fern traces how Canticle Productions repeatedly benefited while other North Dakota filmmakers were shut out. At the same time, lawmakers—including Rep. Martinson—pushed to weaken the North Dakota Ethics Commission’s authority to investigate complaints.
Ultimately, Fern confronts a disturbing truth: transparency and accountability are hard to find in North Dakota government. As the ethics investigation continues, the $740,000 question remains unanswered—how was all of this legal?