This is an episode of Inside the Tent, a podcast going behind the scenes of Campside’s award winning shows.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
One of Campside’s first shows was about a father and son, Tony and Conner Hathaway, who were both addicted to heroin… and who robbed a bank together.
Campside Co-founder Josh Dean was initially looking for a heist story. What he found was that and much more: a story about family and a window into the opioid epidemic.
After Conner’s arrest, his father Tony went on to confound multiple police departments and the FBI: he robbed 30 banks in 54 weeks. But that streak could only last so long.
Josh discusses his first visit to the Washington state prison where Tony was serving his sentence. While there were rules about taking notes or recording conversations with inmates, Josh found a workaround.
And Tony was an open book. Rather than the story someone might want to hear, he told the unvarnished truth. And the truth was, he wasn’t chasing a high; he was desperately trying to avoid feeling dopesick. And it ruined his life.
Before Tony was a masterful bank robber — and while he was a bank robber — he was a top design engineer at Boeing. Hathaway traveled the world in business class, working on the 747, while hiding a gigantic secret: an OxyContin addiction that ultimately unraveled his life.
Josh and Tony went on to have phone conversations and exchange emails for years. They still do. Those conversations formed the basis of Hooked.
Adam and Josh discuss the potential for a television adaptation written by John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, American Crime), journalistic objectivity and how a perfect ending for Hooked almost came true.
Hooked is an Apple Original produced by Campside Media.
Listen to Inside the Tent on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. And let us know what you think: questions@campsidemedia.com
We hope to see you inside the tent again soon. Subscribe now for updates on all of Campside’s hit shows.
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