#266 - Billy McFarland - Fyre Festival Founder - Story Details, Lessons Learned, How to Go Viral, and His New Venture

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EPISODE #266 In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Billy McFarland, the founder of the controversial Fyre Festival event.

The Fyre Festival dominated headlines in April 2017 when videos surfaced online promoting the festival featuring celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and others.

However, after suffering a series of management and administration problems, the festival was canceled after some guests had arrived, leading to a number of lawsuits and US federal investigations.

Just six weeks later, Billy was the subject of an FBI search in his apartment and soon handcuffed and taken to jail, where he was eventually sentenced to 6 years imprisonment before being released early in 2022.

Since then, Billy has started his newest venture, PYRT, which he describes as a “virtual immersive decentralized reality.”

In today’s episode, Billy and Chris sit down to discuss what happened at the Fyre Festival, stories from his time in prison, why things go viral, and what he’s working on now.

Make sure to check it out! 

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

How Fyre App began (01:38)

What actually happened at Fyre Festival (07:36)

What did Billy learn from the event? (14:32)

The aftermath (17:38)

First day in prison (26:39)

How Billy got in trouble in jail (31:47)

What did Billy do there? (44:05)

Getting a second chance (54:25)

The power of virality (59:19)

Billy’s new venture (1:05:03)

Additional Resources

👉 Check Billy out on Twitter

👉 Check out Billy's latest project: PYRT

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