About this episode
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). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.