All language subtitles for Telemarketers (2023) - S01E01 - Part 1 (1080p AMZN WEB-DL x265).en

(OBJECTS CLATTERING)

SAM LIPMAN-STERN: All right.
Uh! Let's see.

I was just sitting here,
feeling like absolute...

I was just sitting here
feeling like fucking shit.

I've been thinking about it

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

It's weird.
I don't even recognize

(SIGHS)

GROANS)

I worked at CDG for seven years

But Pat was onto it right
from the very start.

Pat was like born
to be a whistleblower.

- SAM: Patrick. Tell us--
- Hey. What's up?

Tell us about the place
we're about to enter into.

we're going
into Civic Development Group,

and what we do
is we call up people

on behalf of some bullshit organization

what would you do
with the decal

if you were to get mailed
one to your house?

I mail 'em out every day.

Pat, did you--
Are you high right now

SAM: Let's go.
Let's go get-- Let's head in.

♪ ("OH HAIL NO"
BY EL-P PLAYING) ♪

(TELEPHONE CONTINUES RINGING)

RECEIVER: Hello.

JAMES CHESTNUT:
This is James Chestnut calling

- Ah! Whoo!
- (TELEMARKETERS LAUGHING)

(ED HILGER YELLING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

♪ (SONG CONCLUDES) ♪

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- ♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

- Hi. Mm. Mm.
- (WATER BUBBLING)

SAM: I started working at CDG
when I was this 14-year-old kid.

SAM: I had just dropped out
of the ninth grade.

whoa, whoa!

I didn't even
wanna fucking work there.

I just wanted to hang out
and paint graffiti and film me

was the only place that wanted
to hire someone my age.

- TELEMARKETER 1:
Here's my day at work.
- (TELEMARKETER 2 CHEERS)

of what I thought
telemarketing was.

- SAM: This was not it.
- TELEMARKETER: Ooh!

BILLY: They basically reinvented
American telemarketing.

The whole art was the brainchild
of this operation.

SAM: Civic Development Group
had been around since the '90s

TOM WHITE: CDG came up
with a tremendous idea.

for a lot
of charitable organizations.

Let's say you've got
the firemen's organization

And when
that firemen's organization

000 bucks a year.

000 dollars
and allow us to use your name,

and we'll take care
of everything else."

SAM: They told me
that my job would be

to make calls on behalf
of charitable police groups.

this is Sabrina
and I'm calling

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- Thirty-five dollars

All they ask is that
you send back the 55 dollars

(TELEMARKETER LAUGHS)

- TELEMARKETER:
- MANAGER:

but most of them
were state lodges

of the Fraternal Order
of Police.

000 members nationwide.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

BRIAN GOETZ: The reality of it

you know?

SABRINA ROSS: This is the place

SAM:

(INDISTINCT CLAMOR)

♪ I'm trying to work here
Forever at my job at CDG ♪

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

It takes
a certain kind of person

in front of that
computer monitor

we would allow the guys
to do whatever they needed to do

buddy?

They didn't care what you did.

you're good.
You don't sell, you suck.

BRIAN:
You didn't wanna be there.

(LAUGHS)

But the thing was
you were always smart.

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- Hello?

Sam Lipman-Stern calling
on behalf of the Washington DC

And whenever
any Delaware police officer

to them and their families.

Click.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

you were never a part of
the Fraternal Order of Police.

You were never a cop. You were
calling on behalf of 'em.

SAM: The other rule is
that you had to tell people

"Ten percent
of something is better

unless they asked specifically.

so they only get
ten percent, you keep the 90?

if I give you 100 bucks,
you only give them ten dollars?"

you know?

no matter what.

John?

Was it completely totaled?

John,
I don't wanna burden you

Please display it proudly
to show your support.

it was just some
flimsy shit.

I'm gonna send you out a new
2007 police card and decal.

Do me a favor
and just slap the decal

on the back of the vehicle
and the card inside your wallet

to show
your proud continued support

When we would get
asked questions of like

we were told
to not say,

We're gonna give you
this fucking sticker

the big one is 35.

The smaller silver still goes
a long way for 25.

Could you reach up high
and do the gold?

Or you wanna just play it safe
with the silver?

Patricia.

(PATRICIA SPEAKS
INDISTINCTLY OVER PHONE)

I didn't think
I was doing anything bad at all.

and this is how police raised
their money.

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SAM: I probably met Big Ed
when I was like 16.

BRIAN: I don't think
I'm exaggerating

that motherfucker's winning.
He was nasty.

man?

a few years back.
- ED: ...Magnum P.I.

SAM: It was actually Ed's idea
that we start filming

this place is
and put it on YouTube."

...if you'd like
to have it sent out.

SAM: That's a live turtle?

TELEMARKETER: Twenty-dollar
bronze and a 15-dollar booster.

- SAM: What's up Sabrina?
- Hi.

He has to have a big dick...

Don't eat it like a puppy.
I don't like that shit.

there were some guys who thought
they were master salesmen

and took the job
really seriously.

CDG has been good to me.

It has been real good to me.

LAUGHING)
- I'm... Get away from me.

um, how do you feel

- I mean...
- ED: Well needed by whom?

needed-- needed
by most businesses and then...

in the case of CDG,
it provides a public service

ED: By doing what?

What I mean by that
is very simple.

Most of the people
that worked at CDG

had questionable pasts.

people in transition,

or other people
just trying to earn extra money,

man.

probably every other cubicle.
You know what I'm saying?

You don't know who's working
next to you.

Dudes flip out
at the drop of a hat

SABRINA: CDG is just like
anything you could ever imagine

or robbed?"
Every day was a new adventure.

Every other person
was a drug dealer.

either a drug dealer
that wasn't caught yet,

Everything you need right there. Pussy...

ED: What the hell
wrong with you?

BILLY: CDG would send
their managers

and recruit directly
at the halfway houses.

man.

I went to jail at 23,
I come home at 30,

you know what I'm saying?
I ain't have nothing at all.

no real bread,
no real clothes.

"The cops
need some money."

FARUQ: You had people who were
committing criminal activities

but we're calling for policemen.

look to us to put money
in their safes.

SAM: I agree. Totally. Cool.

That was dope.
Go back to work.

- ♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

BRIAN: People can talk
about the negatives all day long

"These guys are
scumbags," or whatever,

they don't understand
camaraderie of the dudes

How did your tweezer
stretch it out so much?

(LAUGHS MOCKINGLY)

Sam.
- SAM: Yeah.

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- Video taping

Sam.
- (SAM CHUCKLES)

SAM: You had to be crazy.

I wasn't in a good place
when I worked at CDG.

BRIAN: We were
the number one office

We went out to an awards dinner
and we won everything.

- (TELEMARKETERS CHEERING)
- We're the office of the year!

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC FADES) ♪

Pat.

I'm doing good today.
- SAM: Nice.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

BILLY: The craziest thing
I ever saw at CDG

was probably just like
what they let Pat get away with.

being high,
doing heroin

We got-- We got Pat The Tapper
right over there.

Pat.
Sell those stickers.

Hello.

Hello.

this nigga like this
and jump up, "Hi, I'm Pat."

I do understand, um...

what I mean?
Like, he goes straight

Pat made that company
a lot of money.

They used to kiss Pat's ass.

about two weeks ago,

like,
350 an hour and that's all day.

- ED: Speaking of dope.
- Pat fucking Pespas.

everybody loved Pat.
- ♪ (MUSIC TURNS SOFT) ♪

here I am...
- SUE ORIN: What did
they charge you?

I think you're
minimizing it a little bit.

but that's a factory?

Come on. Get real. Whatever.

Sue, come here.
- SUE: What?

Come here. Come here.

Turn.

Sue.
Isn't she lovely?

SUE:

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

Pat was very sweet.
Like such an innocent soul.

I remember Pat speaking
about justice

and how things
were just not right.

PATRICK: If it's gonna cost
money for big corporations

does he make
a very remote,

You gotta love this place.

SAM: "Let's make a movie
about the life

Patrick J. Pespas The Movie.

- It's my friend.
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

that's good.
It's good you act that way.

Hold on to your television sets.
(CHUCKLES)

- How you doing?
- PAT'S MOM: Fine. How are you?

- PATRICK: That's
Sam Lipman-Stern.
- SAM: Hi.

PATRICK: He's a producer
and he's following me

What are you doing
with him anyway?

we're pretty much--

uh, we're trying to--

what about it?

PATRICK: You wouldn't believe
the people

law enforcement organizations

and it's like a big
bullshit scam.

(PAT'S MOM SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

PAT'S MOM: For what?
What are you saying on there?

SAM: Nice.

"What's your opinion
of telemarketing?"

uh, one more question.

I...
I hear he's good at it.

He's good
with the bullshit lines.

Yeah. Yeah.

♪ ("CARRY ON WAYWARD SON"
BY KANSAS PLAYING OVER RADIO) ♪

dude.

dude.

get a little buzzed,
make some crazy phone calls.

- SAM: All right.
- Put some old ladies down

for their cigarette money.
(LAUGHS)

Wanna do this right here?
Or should I start driving back?

♪ (SOFT ROCK SONG
PLAYING OVER RADIO) ♪

PATRICK: The Bronx. The Bronx.

SAM: The Bronx.

we gotta smash the list.

Either we get 200 dollars
in an hour or we go home.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Hi. Good evening.
My name is Patrick J. Pespas.

I'm calling on behalf
of the New Jersey State

today,
three brave New Jersey officers

were killed in the line of duty.

The New Jersey State

has set up a fund providing

of any New Jersey officer
unfortunately killed

uh, this year,
the top donation of 95

but they do have
a 75-dollar gold level.

fantastic.
It goes a long way to help.

Colleen,
for being a supporter.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(LAUGHS)

uh, if you noticed

before I sniffed
that bag of her-- (HESITATES)

before I sniffed
that bag, I couldn't get a sale.

(LAUGHS)

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SAM: We were all just in

- TELEMARKETER: Let her rip!
- (SAM SNIFFS)

and I was in no place to judge.

SAM: We're telemarketers.
We're hardcore. (LAUGHS)

so I'm gonna paint
this one right here.

I bugged Pat to come
paint graffiti with me

It's gonna fuck up my shit."
But he'd come with me anyway.

what the hell? Fuck it.

SAM: I felt like he was maybe
the only person in my life

Beautiful.

Wow!

I was just like,

absolutely.

dude.

- The plot thickens. (LAUGHS)
- (SAM LAUGHS)

I'm here with Mark.
He's a new CDG guy here.

SAM: So how does it feel working
with a bunch of ex-convicts?

nice, nice. So am I.
- SAM: Nice, okay.

this says,

- (SAM LAUGHING)
- (MARK LAUGHING)

man.

You have to be able
to pronounce "benevolent."

They want people like me at CDG.

This way they could pull
all the shady crap

that they figure you won't do
nothing about it

because you're doing shady crap
to begin with.

SAM: I never knew much
about who actually ran CDG.

the Keezers and the Pasches.

All I knew was that one of them

was in some terrible
Christian rock band

with some of the owners?

get wasted,

BILLY: These guys
were innovators.

They put together the scripts
from their garage.

like, Apple.

Amazing. Amazing.

they were calling for some
Christian organization

and the initials
of the Christian organization

they would tell you
to tell the people,

SUE: And how many stupid people
did that?

probably a lot.
- SUE: Stupid!

those guys would just
say whatever.

"Hey, yeah,
this is Lieutenant Callahan,

calling from the local FOP 48."

this is gonna provide
bulletproof vests

PATRICK: That really got people
pissed off.

They are taking people's money
and not doing what they say

not guns,

are the crack houses
of consumer fraud.

PATRICK: They were
on Barbara Walters's 20/20.

uh,
pretty big exposé on 'em.

How much would you say
that you've given

I had to go borrow it.
(LAUGHS)

If someone calls
claiming to be the police

SAM: The government actually
took them to court and won.

No more bulletproof vest shit.
No more saying you're a cop.

the Civic Development Group
did not admit to any wrongdoing,

000 dollars in fines.

PATRICK: But I'll tell you
the secret about CDG.

They don't ever change.

"Where's the next little
loophole we can get through?"

in Kissimmee,

but she just gave us ten bucks
"for the guys."

if you hit the lottery,

(IMITATES LAUGH)

- (SAM LAUGHS)
- (CHUCKLES)

MATT PETZOLD: The goal was
to sound like a cop

(SIGHS) It's...

It almost made me feel
like a crook.

it's James Chestnut,
calling on behalf

How are you this evening?

BILLY: People are intimidated
'cause they hear

it was just fear based.

it was really
people giving out of either fear

"Yeah."

you know,
the streets is all about.

BRIAN: (IN ENGLISH) Do you know
how Spanish people react?

with all this ICE shit.

we're raising money
for the police."

"Okay. Yep." Bang.

They'll find a way.

but it's the same shit
every time.

They just agree
to a bullshit fine

I'm still calling you
for the police...

and they ain't even getting
the money. (CHUCKLES)

come on people.
Wake up, smell the coffee!

But it wasn't that simple.

I'm 50 years old,
I am disabled.

Pat has to pay our bills.

You try to find a job
with a criminal record. Ha!

or we would've
ended up homeless.

and you and I are the only ones
that can finally stop it."

PATRICK: (OVER CELLPHONE)

- SAM: What do you mean?
- This has gotta go
like this. Watch.

guys, Patrick J. Pespas.
I'm here with Joe Makko.

how do you like CDG?

it's a great place
to work, man.

- It's the greatest ever.
- PATRICK: Is it crazy?

does it bother you

It depends on what set of books
you're looking at over there.

you know.

- (PATRICK STAMMERS)
- We gonna do marijuana?

- PATRICK: You wanna?
- Do you do that?

♪ ("A STICK AND SLACKS"
BY SHINTARO SAKAMOTO PLAYING) ♪

Charity in America.
Where does it all begin?

uh,
I'm walking up to my job,

America.

This company that I work for
doesn't forget anything.

You gave us money
on behalf of some charity

you gave 25?
Now, I want 55.

you were stupid enough
to give me that?

fantastic!

it's gonna tell me to ask you
for at least 125.

The Maine State Federation
of the Firefighters.

Good afternoon.

I'm doing great.
How you doing today?

I wanna remind you
these brave men and women gave

it's time to give
something back to them.

to build self-esteem.

my name is
Patrick J. Pespas.

I'm on behalf
for the Maine State Federation

a 53-year-old
Springfield firefighter

when his tanker truck overturned.

you have gold level at 35,
silver level at 25.

I'm gonna send you out
a new decal.

ma'am please accept
this decal

in honor and support
of these fallen heroes.

First we call you

in about a week for New Jersey

SUE:

cook them all up.

SAM: We were getting
handed scripts

And some of them just sounded
like bootleg versions

Fucking the Children's Wish Foundation.

like,
the Cancer Fund started,

"Oh, man.
We calling motherfuckers

with cancer and they not even
gonna get half the shit?"

Yeah! Oh... (SIGHS)

Then we called
for the Cancer Fund of America--

every bullshit organization

- ♪ (SONG FADES) ♪
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

They were trying to franchise

♪ (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

and areas that didn't have
any kind of industry.

Pretty much hopeless places.

TOM: We were doing a massive
amount of business

And the next
closest company to us

there was just
no comparison.

(INSECTS CHIRPING)

TOM: Things at CDG
really started changing.

"Hey,
this is the list.

bro...

MATT: Motherfucker!

PATRICK: There's so much chaos.
I OD'd on the sales floor!

"Pat, Pat, wake up.
Can you stand?" "Yeah."

call.
Make money. Come on.

your light's getting cut off.

and tell him
you haven't been here.

Either make the sales
or you're going back to jail."

They stopped calling us telemarketers.

we were professional
management consultants.

You didn't have to mention
you were calling on behalf.

You didn't have to mention
the fact

"Uh, yeah.
Hi, Mrs. Smith.

I'm calling on behalf
of the New Jersey State

We wanted to take it
to the point

"We are the New Jersey
Fraternal Order of Police."

This actually happened
in Florida.

That's where they started
the experiment.

It wasn't called CDG.

It was called
the Florida Highway Patrol

but we knew
they were testing it out

MATT: We switched from CDG

like,
a new login and file number

♪ (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

but the consultant model
was a fucking whole other level.

It was written right there
in the rebuttals.

(CONTINUES READING PROMPT)

SAM:

well,
as an NJ FOP employee,

of your donation does go
directly to the organization."

- (TELEPHONE RINGING)
- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

- SAM: No way. Are you serious?
- Dude...

But we didn't really understand
how they were doing it.

we didn't know
if CDG had found

I was young
and I'd get fired

And I had been trained.
I had been conditioned.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

PATRICK: (OVER CELL PHONE)

like,
the extracurricular activities

so we gotta--

SAM: I'm doing journalism.

You gotta take them down.
You gotta take the videos
down from YouTube."

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(TELEMARKETERS CHEERING)

SAM: "Everyone says it's you
with the camera.

you know,
the rumor is spreading around,

I walked into CDG
and the owner told me

I'll feed you info
from the inside."

And it gave me more time to dig
into anything

And then I started going down
the rabbit hole.

Sandy Ward said no.

That's when the threats began
on her answering machine.

The company denied
they made the call.

But now
the Federal Trade Commission

going back to 1998.

CDG is telling consumers
that 100 percent

of their donation is going
directly to the charity.

"Hey,

"All right,

Who's to say it's gonna end now?

♪ (TENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

VOICEMAIL: You have
reached the voicemail box of...

♪ (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

- (TELEPHONES RINGING)
- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

(TELEMARKETERS READING PROMPTS)

but when I hear
the downfall of the company...

I... I can only attribute it
to greed.

- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)
- (TELEPHONE RINGING)

TELEMARKETER: Hi...
(READS PROMPT)

"Hey, listen,

no. They're like, "No,
the whole thing's, like, shut--

man.

REPORTER: It's being called
the biggest telemarketing scam

has been permanently shut down
by the Federal Trade Commission.

I was shredding stuff
in the office.

All of a sudden it's like
these big white vans came.

like desks.

I fucking clapped.

REPORTER 1:
CDG made 189 million calls

which implied
that 100 percent of donations

would go to charity.

with CDG keeping nearly
all the money for themselves.

REPORTER 2: The Federal
Trade Commission sued

REPORTER 3:
No jail time is expected

have been banned
from telemarketing for life.

two Bentleys,
a Range Rover, and an Escalade,

and a quarter
of a million dollars

They told me this cat
had a fucking house

and had a fucking boat
that would go--

to go to the other house
on the other end of the lake."

And he said he had to liquidate
all his artwork.

Get the fuck outta here.

♪ (OMINOUS MUSIC FADES) ♪

(CAR HORN HONKING)

SAM: What's... (CHUCKLES)
What's up?

uh...

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

- The Han Hin.
- SAM: Mm. (CHUCKLES)

PATRICK:
This is the turn right here.

SAM: (CHUCKLING) The old CDG.

I have that
"I'm going to work" feeling

this was nothing
but a cash cow.

please donate to me.
I need a new Corvette."

They didn't wanna share.
They wanted--

They couldn't live
with 90 percent of the money.

Do you think
that fine meant anything?

The owner of this company
had a band and they sucked.

ANNOUNCER: This is real.

This is J-Henry.

ANNOUNCER: This special
exclusive TV offer

and these clowns take that money

The thing that
I don't understand

is how did they get away
without going to jail?

if I ripped off
all that money

SAM: I think Pat
and I were resigned to the fact

that there was nothing left
for us to investigate

and it was time to move on
with our lives.

But then I got a call
from Big Ed.

- ♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
- TELEMARKETER: ...and they take.

You know why?

Yeah. Hi.
Is this Mr. Lee? Mr. Lee?

SAM: He'd gotten a job
at a new call center

75.

Can you do the big one
this year?

Can I at least get you involved
with the ten-dollar pledge?

please?

ED: One leg up. (FARTING)

people saw
that the recipe was there

and other companies took it
and ran with it.

SAM: He told me
that he could get me hired there

And it sounded pretty good.

I kind of missed
CDG to be honest.

(INAUDIBLE)

"Fuck that."

forget CDG.
Forget this new spot.

Let's take down
the entire industry."

♪ (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SAM: Pat and Sam.
We're back together.

we got more
to do yet, you know.
- Yeah.

but right now,

New Jersey.
- Yeah.

I thought it would be cool
if we could maybe interview

some people
that run the organizations...

you know.
- Yeah.

SAM:

JEFF:

SAM:

(SIRENS CONTINUE BLARING)

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

♪ (TENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪