TRF Docu-series coming to HBO

[groomporter]

https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/ren-faire-premiere-sxsw-1234962338/
" if the behind-the-scenes revelations in Lance Oppenheim's "Ren Faire" are any indication, there's way more going on beneath the surface of any festival than visitors can even imagine. The HBO docuseries premiered its first episode at South by Southwest on March 9, teasing audiences with a grand and dramatic arc they'll have to wait to complete."

[KiltedPrivateer]

Hmm, I was just wondering what I should subscribe to next after I ditch Disney

[groomporter]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ren-faire-hbo-review-the-tyrant-behind-the-texas-renaissance-fair?ref=home
How a Horny 86-Year-Old Created the Country's Largest Renaissance Fair

[Trillium]

Has anyone actually watched this yet? I don't have HBO

[KiltedPrivateer]

Me neither

[groomporter]

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/entertainment-news/scarborough-renaissance-festival-makes-clear-its-in-no-way-associated-with-fair-new-hbo-docuseries/287-fa10cd87-7b85-43cf-b17b-fd7133b28291
Scarborough Renaissance Festival makes clear it's "in no way associated" with fair in new HBO docuseries

[Trillium]

I don't blame them for ensuring disassociation!

[KiltedPrivateer]

I love their final quote at the end. Insinuating that TRF leadership has none of those qualities. And that's likely accurate. 

[RenStarr]

It's a three part series and I watched part 1 on Friday evening.  It's a pretty unbelievable world that George Coulam lives in.  An 86 year old horny rich man that has a personal assistant who spends his time on "sugar daddy" web sites looking for young women for King George.  He says he wants to retire, but he just can't turn over the reins to anyone.  It's a circus soap opera that he lives in and he's the Ringmaster.  I think he's lived in this fantasy world for so long that he's created, he's delusional at this point.  But no one around him dares question anything he does.

[KiltedPrivateer]

Other than the personal assistant part, the rest was known to anyone who has had an opportunity to work the faire, and to anyone who has regularly attended over the last twenty to thirty years.

I do admit, having pretty much written this faire off for the last five years or so, I had believed that George had officially handed the operation off to a board. I wasn't aware that he was still making decisions.

[RenStarr]

Other than the personal assistant part, the rest was known to anyone who has had an opportunity to work the faire, and to anyone who has regularly attended over the last twenty to thirty years.

I do admit, having pretty much written this faire off for the last five years or so, I had believed that George had officially handed the operation off to a board. I wasn't aware that he was still making decisions.

I've been going since the late 80's, but haven't hit every year.  We've (wife and I) haven't been in the last 2-3 seasons for probably similar reasons that you have written it off.
I've never worked at TRF, but most of what is in the show I've heard thru the grapevine.  I found myself a bit amazed to actually see stuff in documentary that I had heard about.   
There is a board, but George has final say so on everything.  At the beginning of the show there was a general manager that ran the board meetings, but at the end of part 1 that gentleman had been moved back down to entertainment director and George had appointed himself GM.  And George is totally convinced he is going to die when he's 95 and did say that was in 9 years.  Wikipedia says he was born in 1938.  The math says the show was made this year. 
We're going to watch part 2 tonight.  Should be interesting.