After ‘Tiger King,’ Eric Goode goes deeper into the reptile world
Summary
Hosts Kim Masters and Matt Bellamy discuss the political fallout of the Paramount-Amazon merger, including Mark Ruffalo’s controversy and antitrust litigation. They then interview Eric Goode, creator of *Tiger King*, about his new HBO series *Monsters of God*. Goode details his return to documenting exotic reptile smuggling, his self-financed, lean production style, and how his childhood passion for herpetology shaped his unconventional documentary career.
Topics discussed
Intro: Eric Goode's career and new HBO series
Mark Ruffalo, Paramount merger, and antisemitism claims
Iowa AG sues California over merger block
Settlement talks canceled and media strategies
Eric Goode's background and reptile passion
Early conservation films and meeting the Safdie brothers
How Tiger King distracted from the reptile story
Filming dangerous traffickers for Monsters of God
The rise of Tiger King and the pandemic timing
Reaching new audiences and tiger conservation facts
Working with HBO vs Netflix and reptile stigma
Gaining access to criminals and avoiding unions
Unorthodox filming methods and conclusion
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