the makings of bad actor

my 3 year cult investigation in detail

i watched she said this weekend and remain very ambivalent about it. the film follows the two new york times journalists as they broke the harvey weinstein scandal; it is more or less a glimpse into the life of investigative reporters (if not slightly dramatized because, well, hollywood). but it did strike a chord.

last month, my three year cult expose, bad actor, was published on new york magazine’s the cut. it was named their one great story, trended on their homepage for weeks, and was apple new’s editor’s pick. as the sole reporter on the story, i wanted to write a substack about the process of working on a story (particularly one that’s so heavy and nuanced) of this magnitude.

then depression knocked on my doors, so this is a little bit late. nevertheless, we persist or whatever the fuck.

if you’re a free subscriber (bless you), please consider subscribing to a paid plan to access this story! as i mentioned a few posts ago, i wanted to give myself a few weeks to regroup (read: brain rot) before diving back into gut feelings. as promised, here we are. here’s what’s included in this post:

• how i came about the acting cult

• the challenges of reporting on abuse

• thoughts through the editing process

• birthing the final piece—and what’s next

• & more!