Hollywood writer and producer sues HBO, claims ‘Entertainment industry designed to steal’ 

Jack Piuggi, a writer and producer from Hollywood claims HBO stole his concepts and turned them into two shows on their network.

A Hollywood writer and producer has sued HBO after he claims that the network stole his concepts.

Jack Piuggi, who owns Flipp Productions claimed that after stealing his concepts, HBO eventually went on to produce two shows for the network called Fake Famous (HBO) and FBoy Island (HBO Max).

In a statement to the Euro Weekly News on Tuesday, May 2, Piuggi said that “Maybe you saw those shows. Maybe you didn’t. But you’ve probably watched hundreds of shows just like it – ones that were stolen from the person who created it – and not just on HBO, but any of the major networks”.

He stated that “There was even a movie based on the concept, Big Fat Liar, about a teenage boy whose creative writing assignment was stolen by a Hollywood producer”.

Piuggi claims the “Entertainment industry is designed to steal from little guys like me”, adding, “My lawsuit against HBO aims to prove that and shut it all down”.

“I learned for myself, though, how the whole system worked in 2021 when I brought my ideas to a friend in the industry, who introduced me to another guy, who introduced me to a production firm that supposedly specializes in turning concepts into shows”, he said.

Piuggi continued, “What I didn’t know is they all worked for HBO. Not directly, but through an intricate and clever system built by HBO’s lawyers that relies on a network of independent contractors who are trained to find the best ideas and pass them along to the network”.

“Then, as the independent studio works with the creator, the information continues to get funneled through to the network and added to the show already in production”, he said.

He claims that following this process when the creator goes to pitch the show to the network, they learn there is already a “similar show” lined up and are encouraged to go back to the drawing board.

“Someone had a parallel idea – the legal (and deceptively unprovable) term used to describe the ongoing supposed coincidence that more than one person can have the same idea at roughly the same time, and so cannot be accused of theft”, he said.

Piuggi stated that he can prove that it’s not just a coincidence, as he stated that, “I have more than 20 hours of recorded evidence that proves the shows Fake Famous and FBoy Island were stolen from me”.

Speaking about the footage he said that his idea was meant to be a documentary about how someone becomes famous.

The writer and producer said that he began recording his video and audio conversations with GFY Productions, Grand Street Media, and his attorneys, who simultaneously represented HBO.

“What they revealed in these calls is nothing short of living proof that the system is designed for theft – a game of three-card monte that the industry plays time and time again to collect and steal his show concepts”, said Piuggi.

He also claims that “I had even suggested some cast members for the show I was pitching, and one of them, Garrett Morosky, was cast as the star of FBOY Island”.

Piuggi stated that Garrett later admitted to him that a GFY producer was the person who cast him on the show, which he ended up winning.

“He told me later that we all know what happened, they stole your show.” Piuggi said, adding, “I recorded that, too”.

He said that “I realize this is a classic Jack vs. the Giant story, but I am up to the challenge”.

“Others before me have tried to take on these entertainment behemoths, but they’ve always been shut down in the, Oh yeah? Prove it! phase of the fight”, he stated, adding, “Without solid evidence that a concept was stolen, all those creators and producers were rowing upstream without a paddle”.

Piuggi concluded that he will not stop until the “truth is revealed, and the Big Fat Liars are taken to task”.