How Tony Robbins won over docmaker Joe Berlinger
He was reluctant to attend. He nearly left on the first day. So how did skeptical documentarian Joe Berlinger wind up making a concert-style film about a Tony Robbins seminar?
Berlinger says his new documentary about the high-profile life coach, Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, isn't for those who already love or hate Robbins. After meeting Robbins at a party, Berlinger reluctantly agreed to attend one of his seminars — and he ended up convinced that most people misunderstand both self help generally and Robbins specifically.
- Watch the trailer for Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (warning: explicit language)
Today Berlinger — known for moving films about injustice, like Paradise Lost and Crude — joins Shad to explain what compelled him to turn his lens on the self-help magnate. He also responds to critics who say his film is too onside with Robbins to be revealing.
"I've made a lot of feel-bad movies. This is my feel-good movie," he says, adding that the film is more of an exception than a change of course.
"Don't worry, my next film is about genocide."
WEB EXTRA | Robbins has advised the likes of Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams. He sells out massive, multi-day seminars. He's churned out scores of books and media interviews. But he remains a polarizing figure.
Watch his TED talk, his most viewed clip on YouTube, and tell us: does he intrigue you? Repel you? Inspire you? Why?