Episode 3 – Scott Budnick

Scott Budnick is a film producer whose credits range from The Hangover to Just Mercy. He also volunteers with California state prisons and advocates on behalf of prisoners. He founded the Anti-Recidivism Coalition whose executive director, Sam Lewis, I spoke to in the previous episode. In this episode, we discuss how Just Mercy was filmed, ranging from how the creative team used research to ensure that the film authentically depicted a system that is terrifyingly real to millions of Americans, to the aspects of our criminal justice system the filmmakers wanted to highlight, including racial injustice and wrongful convictions. We also discussed pushback from prosecutors whose portrayal was accurate but not flattering. We concluded by discussing Budnick’s fight to implement more services in prisons and the possibility of releasing prisoners in the future.

I hope this episode will help listeners appreciate the effort that went into Just Mercy and the reality that it portrays for many Americans. I also hope my listeners will recognize a pattern in our guests thus far, all of whom advocate for more services in prison.