632. When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries?
It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing Billie Eilish’s musical genius and Martha Stewart’s vulnerability — and why he really, really, really needs to make a film about the New York Mets.
Episode 632 of the Freakonomics Radio podcast, hosted by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher, titled "632. When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries?" was published on May 2, 2025 and runs 54 minutes.
May 2, 2025 ·54m · Freakonomics Radio
Summary
It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing Billie Eilish’s musical genius and Martha Stewart’s vulnerability — and why he really, really, really needs to make a film about the New York Mets.
Episode Description
It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing Billie Eilish’s musical genius and Martha Stewart’s vulnerability — and why he really, really, really needs to make a film about the New York Mets.
- SOURCES:
- R.J. Cutler, filmmaker.
- RESOURCES:
- Fight for Glory, documentary (2025).
- Martha, documentary (2024).
- "Reality Check: The Boom—or Glut—in Streaming Documentaries Has Sparked a Reckoning Among Filmmakers and Their Subjects," by Reeves Wiedeman (Vulture, 2023).
- "Inside the Documentary Cash Grab," by Mia Galuppo and Katie Kilkenny (The Hollywood Reporter, 2022).
- Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, documentary (2021).
- EXTRAS:
- “Ari Emanuel Is Never Indifferent,” by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
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