Commissions

Greenlit: The McAfee Project, Spike

The McAfee Project w/t (6 x 60′) –  Docuseries that will shed light on the brilliant yet complicated tech pioneer John McAfee, viewed by some as the godfather of online security and by others as the master manipulator of fear who is the key figure in a  shocking international murder mystery.

The series is centered around McAfee’s first-person interviews and will reveal unanswered questions about his life ranging from drug-fueled college days in Virginia, to learning to battle computer viruses early in his career at Lockheed in the 1980’s, to starting McAfee and Associates in 1987, to the 2012 murder investigation in Belize.

In April, 2012, John McAfee, a world-renowned billionaire computer anti-virus pioneer, found himself at the center of Central America’s hottest manhunt in recent history. McAfee was named a “person of interest,” but not a suspect, by police officials in Belize following the murder of his neighbor. McAfee went on the run for three weeks before crossing the border into Guatemala. He was detained by Guatemalan authorities soon after entry, and was soon fighting against deportation to Belize.

McAfee claims the police and drug cartels in Belize were out to kill him thus the escape to Guatemala. He also reportedly faked a series of heart attacks to prevent deportation to Belize and aid safe passage back to the United States. Following a lengthy legal battle, he was deported to the United States while his home in Belize mysteriously burned to the ground.

Was this celebrated tech genius really involved in the murder of a neighbor?  Or does he have nefarious enemies out to destroy him and crumble his empire?  Or is the man who earned enormous success and wealth based on the public’s online security fears and paranoia playing another mind-game?

McAfee continues to be a prophet of internet protection.  In 2010, the company he founded (McAfee Associates) was sold to Intel for an incredible $7.8 billion and four years later they announced they would be changing their name from McAfee to Intel Security.  Recently, McAfee launched Future Tense Central, a security and privacy company offering innovative mobile and web applications with the highest degree of security, empowering the user with the knowledge and awareness to make informed decisions about their personal information. Is this another tech game-changer or another example of McAfee manipulating the public’s fear and paranoia?

Channel: Spike TV

Producer: Rakontur

TX: 2016

Source: Spike press release