Director Ben McKenzie joins us for in-person Q&As at the following shows: Monday, April 27, at 7:30 PM moderated by Evan Smith (Managing Director for Events at the Atlantic) and Friday, May 1, at 8 PM moderated by Mark Strama (Director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas at Austin).

In EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU FOR MONEY, actor and author Ben McKenzie turns investigator, pulling back the curtain on the cryptocurrency industry and the culture of hype, misinformation, and speculation that fueled its explosive rise. What began as a promise of financial freedom has evolved into a volatile ecosystem rife with fraud and reckless gambling, carrying with it devastating consequences for everyday people.

Through firsthand reporting, expert interviews, and a clear-eyed examination of major collapses and scandals, the film traces how crypto became one of the most aggressively marketed financial products of the modern era—and how warning signs were ignored, dismissed, or deliberately obscured. As fortunes are made and lost, EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU FOR MONEY asks a sobering question: who benefits from the chaos, and who is left to clean up the damage?

Accessible, urgent, and often darkly ironic, the film is both a cautionary tale and a call for accountability—cutting through the noise to expose a system built on speculation, influence, and belief rather than truth.

ABOUT THE MODERATORS

Evan Smith is managing director of events at The Atlantic, overseeing live journalism and other public programming produced by the award-winning 169-year-old magazine. He’s also a senior advisor at Emerson Collective, working closely with journalists and funders around the country to support local news. Previously, he spent more than 13 years at The Texas Tribune, which he co-founded and led as CEO, and nearly 18 years at Texas Monthly, including nine years as editor in chief and a year as president. Evan is a professor of practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin — where he teaches a graduate-level course on the politics and issues of the moment — and is the host of “Overheard with Evan Smith,” a weekly half-hour interview program that airs on PBS stations from coast to coast.

Mark Strama is Director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Professor of Practice in UT’s Moody College of Communication and in the Plan II program. Mark was recently appointed by the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives to serve on the Texas Ethics Commission. Previously, Mark spent ten years at Google Fiber working to upgrade the speed and quality of internet service in the United States. Prior to that, he served five terms in the Texas House of Representatives, where he focused on renewable energy, public education, and electoral reform. Mark received Honorable Mentions on Texas Monthly‘s 10 Best Legislators list in three of his five sessions in the House.