Rhonda Byrne's The Secret: A Rejected TV Special That Became a DVD Hit

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Rhonda Byrne, an Australian television producer at Prime Time Productions in Melbourne, built The Secret after a two-and-a-half-week reading binge sparked by Wallace D. Wattles' 1910 book The Science of Getting Rich, along with William Walker Atkinson, Prentice Mulford and Robert Collier's The Secret of the Ages. From these New Thought writers she drew the law of attraction. The documentary was budgeted at $3 million, with Australia's Nine Network covering less than a quarter, and Byrne mortgaged her home. Chicago internet executive Bob Rainone invested and later became CEO of one of her companies.

In 2005 the crew interviewed about 55 speakers in places from Chicago and Aspen to Alaska and a Mexican Riviera cruise ship, where they filmed Esther Hicks. The network rejected the finished film, so in early 2006 Byrne sold it directly through streaming and DVD with Da Vinci Code style packaging that cast the idea as hidden knowledge. Oprah Winfrey, Larry King and Ellen DeGeneres brought it mainstream, and Conor McGregor credited it. The episode also covers the backlash and legal disputes that followed.

The co-producer claimed the team dropped normal budgeting and scheduling and manifested its daily production needs.
U.S. DVD sales were estimated at more than $65 million.
Simon & Schuster ordered a second printing of two million copies, the largest in its history.
Esther Hicks' footage was removed from the extended edition after her contract was rescinded.
Bob Proctor sued fellow cast member David Schirmer, whose business dealings were investigated by Australian regulators.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min