Larry Householder is not a household name – except perhaps in the state of Ohio.
The former Buckeye State powerbroker became a key target of “one of the largest public corruption conspiracies in Ohio history,” according to a U.S. Attorney, one that involved allegations of accepting bribes for a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout.
But that case didn’t just have relevance for Ohio. It’s a case study in the corrupting influence of untraceable cash in our politics, as Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney uncovers in his new documentary double feature for HBO, The Dark Money Game.
The first of his two films, Ohio Confidential, premieres on HBO tonight, followed by the second film, Wealth of the Wicked, on Wednesday. Gibney joins the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to reveal what he learned in his investigation into rivers of secret money flowing through state and national political contests.
There’s no one better suited for the job. Across his career, Gibney has examined the flame out of politically connected energy firm Enron; Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who stacked her board with political titans like Henry Kissinger, George Shultz and James Mattis; and disgraced conservative lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who got sent to prison after a major Washington corruption investigation. Gibney even directed an episode of Billions, the Showtime drama about the nexus of Wall Street greed, political interests and dodgy prosecutors.
Doc Talk co-host John Ridley calls The Dark Money Game “engaging, informative, and fascinating.”
Gibney also tells us about his recently announced partnership with a public-spirited billionaire, the investor Wendy Schmidt, who bought a controlling stake in his Jigsaw Productions. And the filmmaker offers his thoughts on a shocking development for documentary filmmakers – the Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities grants that have supported the landmark series Eyes on the Prize, many of Ken Burns’ films and countless other nonfiction film projects.
That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk, hosted by Oscar winner Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley) and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.
