Episode 288: Meet the influencers who’ll do anything for fame

Filmmaker Tyler Funk delves into the dizzying world of content creation for his wildly entertaining and borderline-terrifying documentary, Anything For Fame. As the Internet upends traditional notions of celebrity, Anything For Fame journeys into the virtual Wild West to profile an ambitious and reckless breed of content creator. There’s Ava, who rose to worldwide fame for a video where she licked an airplane toilet seat; amateur stuntman Peter, who routinely defies death and Homeland Security to leap between urban rooftops and climb iconic landmarks; and self- described “dumb-as-shit” prankster Jake, who stages hair-raising hijinks inspired by the Jackass franchise. While stars rise with meteoric and disorienting speed, they can plummet just as fast—with heartbreaking results. Anything For Fame shares those stories, too, and also offers some context for why these young people want to be influencers in the first place. Anything For Fame is currently streaming on Paramount+ in Canada, Germany, France, New Zealand, and Australia, and, as of November 8, will be streaming free across Canada on the National Film Board of Canada site. Tyler Funk visits the YVR Screen Scene studio to talk about what he learned after spending time in the world of social media influencers, and what might be driving their appetite for fame. Episode sponsors: Biz Books and The Drama Class