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On this episode of The Podcumentary, Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart welcome Michael Bonfiglio to the show to get all into his new HBO documentary that he co-directed with Judd Apatow, ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man.' They get into the process of making this, how elaborate this 2 part documentary is and the comedic genius of Mel Brooks. Then after they go through Michael’s extensive resume that includes Paradise Lost, multiple stand up comedy specials, a documentary series for MTV and two ESPN’s 30 for 30s films. Watch ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man’ - https://www.hbomax.com/shows/mel-brooks-the-99-year-old-man/c967b1a4-d0e2-491e-967e-ae09f88fef62 Get in Touch - [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart get into the exciting news that the documentary Barry is producing got accepted into SXSW. They talk about what that experience has been like and the mad dash to finish the film for the festival. Then they get into the super meta ‘Zodiac Killer Project’ and how you must give credit to the director, Charlie Shackleton for sticking to the bit. Then after they welcome guest Claire Parker (Good Noticings Podcast) to discuss CNN's new documentary 'I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not.’ Claire has a ton of experience reading celebrity memoirs so she is the perfect guest to dive deep into this film. They get into the differences between celebrity docs and memoirs, what worked here and if we have peaked with breezy celebrity driven documentaries. Claire has a new comedy special coming out later this month. For more information on Claire and her new special follow her on Instagram - @clairethescare Get in Touch - [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart welcome comedian Shaun Murphy to the show. Shaun has a new comedy special that just dropped called ‘Long Story Thin’ that can be seen on Mark Normand’s youtube channel. The NFL playoffs are underway and Shaun is a huge Bills fan so they get all into the new Netflix documentary ‘Elway.’ They breakdown why a 90 minute sports documentary does not feel adequate enough anymore. Then at the end Shaun talks about a comedy bit that he just couldn’t get off the ground. Shaun Murphy’s Comedy Special - https://youtu.be/sqgJfhnpBN8?si=BnMkL34tKaFyG-ob Get in Touch - [email protected]

Are you ready to get stuffed? We are starting the year a little differently as we have the number two ranked competitive eater in the world, Pat Bertoletti on the show today. Pat won the famous 4th of July Nathan’s hot dog eating contest in 2024 and he was also one of the featured competitive eaters in the documentary ‘Hungry.’ They get into what Pat’s experience was like being in a documentary that Jeff and Barry made, what has changed about the sport and what keeps him still doing contests. Pat’s Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@PatBertoletti?app=desktop&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnxenJsUvR1BcS8wUiZ56bQpQ18YaFuQuBj61yuCzFYUnDKztf6_XFs35f3B0_aem_vHnWeh59uooNcdc-kd73eA Pat’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/deepdisheats/?hl=en Get in Touch - [email protected]

On the last episode of 2025 Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart go out with a bang as they welcome Josh Dean to the show. Josh is a journalist, author and the co-host of CRIMELESS podcast (with Rory Scovel), as well as one of the co-founders of Campside Media. The preeminent narrative podcast and true crime studio. Campside Media is responsible for podcast like ‘The Clearing,’ ‘White Devil’ and ‘Searching For Allan Rothbart,’ which was Barry’s narrative podcast about his father. They get into Josh working as a journalist, why people do not use the term audio docs, how to organically set up a story, and campside’s new podcast about NEXVIUM and Allison Mack. Crimeless Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crimeless/id1844700671 For more info on Campside Media - https://www.campsidemedia.com Get in Touch - [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart have a grab bag blitz to end the year. They get into the confusing ’The Truth About Jussie Smollett?' the mostly well made 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning,' Werner Herzog’s instagram account, media conglomerates merging and then they get into their lists for the top 5 documentaries of 2025. Get in Touch [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart welcome back Brooks Wheelan to the show. Brooks latest comedy special ‘Alive in Alaska’ was picked as the best youtube comedy special of the year by The New York Times. He just re-released that special with a brand new companion documentary short about the making of the special where he is on the road in Alaska. They get into Brooks passion for travel, the cost of making this, why he went to Alaska to do a special, 'The Alabama Solution,’ and of course the band Geese. To watch ‘Brooks Wheelan: Alive In Alaska Deluxe Edition’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6737Ew1vm8 Get in Touch - [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart welcome director Charlotte Kaufman to the show. Charlotte is the co-director for one of the best documentaries of the year, ‘The Alabama Solution.’ This film is an unflinching look at the abuse going on within the Alabama prison system as told from the perspective of the prisoners via private cellphone footage. They discuss how this film came about, the ethical way to approach true crime in documentaries, and the experience of co-directing with the revered Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx, Capturing The Friedman's). At the end of the episode, Charlotte shares her top three favorite documentaries to watch. Doc Links: ‘The Alabama Soluation:’ https://play.hbomax.com/video/watch/20f7ef1e-33d2-46c2-be8d-d7578414adf1/6fc73996-d0b6-4d2e-b69a-1e08d7fb7533 Get in Touch: [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart talk to Rodney Ascher who is the man behind such mind bending documentaries as ‘Glitch In The Matrix’ and ‘Room 237.’ He has a new documentary called ‘Ghostboy,’ which tells the story about Martin Pistorius, who as a boy fell into a vegetative state only to break out years later and tries to reconnect with his life. They talk about the dream like qualities of his films, why he doesn't like standard talking head interviews, the Mandela effect, uncanny valley and the use of AI in films. Then at the end Rodney gives his three favorite docs of 2025. For more information on Rodney Ascher and Ghostboy check out - https://www.rodneyascher.com Get in Touch [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, Jeff Cerulli talks to one of the top editor working today, Joe Beshenkovsky. Joe has a very distinct editing style and has been the editor on two of The Podcumentaries favorite docs ‘Montage of Heck’ and ‘The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling.’ Joe talks about how he likes to tell a story, his unique editing style, some of his influences, his thoughts on AI and what he is working on now. For more information on Joe Beshenkovsky - https://www.shablabs.com Get in Touch [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, hosts Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart welcome filmmaker Elizabeth Lo to talk about her new documentary ‘Mistress Dispeller,’ which is one of the best docs of the year. ‘Mistress Dispeller’ tells the story of a Chinese woman who hires someone to secretly end her husband's extramarital relationship in an attempt to save her marriage. On this episode, Cerulli, Rothbart, and Lo get into why a small film crew was necessary for filming this documentary and how Lo gained the trust of her subjects to end up with such candid and raw footage. They also dive into the unique way that this was film was shot, so that it resembles more of a scripted movie rather than a documentary. Then at the end, Lo shares her three favorite documentaries of all time. Doc Links: ‘Mistress Dispeller:’https://www.mistressdispellerfilm.com For more information on Elizbaeth Lo: https://www.elizabeth-lo.com Get in Touch: [email protected]

Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart are back on a Friday to do an emergency podcast about the state of sports documentatries by taking a closer look at Netflix’s ’Starting Five.’ This is a documentary series that follows around five of the NBA’s biggest stars. It has access but does it have any real stakes? They get into what doesn’t quite work here and what they would like to see in sports documentaries and why the format works better with lesser known players. Watch ‘Starting Five’ on Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/title/81720808 Get in Touch [email protected]

Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart welcome comedian and filmmaker Dan Perlman to the show. Dan has an interesting resume creating a variety of different projects including ‘Flatbush Misdemeanors,’ which began as a web-series and turned into a show that ran for two seasons on Showtime. His latest film, ‘Being Buble’ is a hilarious documentary short about being asked to perform as famous singer Michael Buble for a woman’s 60th birthday party. The only problem is Dan is not the best singer and doesn’t really look like Michael Buble. They get into pitching vs just making your film, failing to succeed, the experience of making ‘Flatbush Misdemeanors,’ writing when you don’t have an ending, the incredible sound design on ‘Being Buble’ and why this was such a charming documentary. To watch ‘Being Buble’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyXoJhBtntQ For more information on Dan Perlman - https://www.danperlmancomedy.com Get in Touch [email protected]

On this episode of The Podcumentary, hosts Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart welcome comedian Anthony Devito to the show. Anthony is one of the funniest comedians in the country and he has a new comedy special coming out November 20th on his YouTube channel called 'Straight Hoopin.' Anthony is on the show today to deep dive into the new Netfilx 2 part documentary ‘Aka Charlie Sheen.’ This documentary has Charlie Sheen sit down and go over in great detail the highs and lows of his roller coaster life. It features talking heads from other celebrities from his life like Denise Richards, Sean Penn and Jon Cryer. They get into what exactly worked here and what exactly we want from a celebrity documentary. The quirks of the set design, the honesty of Charlie Sheen vs what might have been held back. Then at the end a huge debate breaks out over who is a good hang versus a bad hang. For more information on Anthony Devito check out - http://www.anthonydevitocomedy.com Get in Touch - [email protected]

We are getting into the holiday sprit today by talking to director Seth Porges about his new documentary ‘Santacon.’ You are most likely familiar with the drunken phenomenon known as Santacon, but you probably do not know the origins of it. ‘Santacon’ peels back a layer to see how it started by speaking to the creators of it. They get into the insane archival footage that Seth was able to include in the film to tell this story, why he wanted to do a documentary on Santacon, and how his first documentary ‘Class Action Park’ ended up on HBO Max. Santacon is currently playing at the DOC NYC Film Festival all week. 
Thursday the 13th at 6:45pm, Saturday the 15th 9:30pm and Thursday the 20th at 9:10pm. For more information on Santacon at DOC NYC visit - https://www.docnyc.net/film/santacon/ Get in Touch [email protected]