Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Telemarketers

  • TV Mini Series
  • 2023
  • TV-MA
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
Telemarketers (2023)
Follows former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, two longtime office friends who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the ugly side of American capitalism and the abuse of customer trust.
Play trailer2:02
2 Videos
7 Photos
DocuseriesDocumentary

Follows former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, two longtime office friends who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the ugly side of American capit... Read allFollows former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, two longtime office friends who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the ugly side of American capitalism and the abuse of customer trust.Follows former telemarketing employees Pat Pespas and Sam Lipman-Stern, two longtime office friends who find themselves hot on the trail of a sobering look at the ugly side of American capitalism and the abuse of customer trust.

  • Stars
    • Brian Goetz
    • Pat Pespas
    • Matthew Petzold
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    4.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Brian Goetz
      • Pat Pespas
      • Matthew Petzold
    • 36User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 wins & 7 nominations total

    Episodes3

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season2023

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:02
    Official Trailer
    Telemarketers
    Trailer 1:57
    Telemarketers
    Telemarketers
    Trailer 1:57
    Telemarketers

    Photos6

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 2
    View Poster

    Top cast20

    Edit
    Brian Goetz
    • Self…
    • 2023
    Pat Pespas
    • Self
    • 2023
    Matthew Petzold
    • Self
    • 2023
    Mr. Smyth
    • Self
    • 2023
    Larry Lazare
    • Self
    • 2023
    Sue Pespas
    • Self
    • 2023
    Jonah Lipman-Stern
    • Self
    • 2023
    Sabrina Ross
    • Self…
    • 2023
    X Santino Da God
    • Self
    • 2023
    Sam Lipman-Stern
    Sam Lipman-Stern
    • Self - Former CDG Telemarketer
    • 2023
    Richard Blumenthal
    Richard Blumenthal
    • Self
    • 2023
    Roberto Lozano
    • Self
    • 2023
    Edward Hilger
    • Self
    • 2023
    Ann Ravel
    Ann Ravel
    • Self
    • 2023
    Patrick Yoes
    • Self
    • 2023
    Yinka Soda
    • Self - Former CDG Telemarketer
    • 2023
    Billy Fedor
    • Self
    • 2023
    Faruq Davis
    • Self - Former CDG Telemarketer
    • 2023
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews36

    7.34.8K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10ChristyGuinn

    I am HOOKED!!

    Holy crap this is some interesting stuff. From the very first line to the end of the first episode I was hanging on every word! Pat is absolutely hilarious! I think what has drawn me to this is how human it all is and extremely dysfunctional. The people in these telemarketing centers are just absolutely entertaining I don't really know any other way to put it. The fact that these guys started making a documentary or investigating telemarketers almost 20 years ago is amazing! I for one am glad they stuck with it, I cannot wait to see what all they uncover and where this goes. And I will say in all honesty, I had a fraternal order police sticker on my car year after year after year hahahahha. So they absolutely got me! Truthfully I never thought about Fraternal Order of Police being a scam. I knew others were but I did trusted this. Because they said they were the actual police, so yeah I believed it! What scumbags! Living the highlife while others scrounge just in order to help families of fallen officers! You're a special kind of as$hole to come up with this! I haven't donated to anything in a very long time and I never answer my cell phone if I don't know who's calling. I ended up getting a different cell and number for my business, and I don't know who had that number before me but I get multiple text messages almost daily from people trying to scam, usually offering money and/or loans. So telemarketing just has a new look. Same scam, just not on a landline! There's 2 more episodes so I'll come change my review if need be. But so far, yeah this is very informative.
    9kaideneve

    Raw and Eye-opening

    Like the negative reviews have stated, there are a lot of straight up scumbags interviewed, and maybe it's not as polished and focused as a professional documentary, but it is certainly succeeds at what it sets out to do, which is expose the industry that takes advantage of vulnerable and/or naive Americans to the tone of billions every year. It was really cool to see how CDG evolved, and the footage was complimented by the frank, unscripted interviews they did with the various former employees.

    I actually found the approach this documentary takes really entertaining, and I developed a sincere admiration for Pat for his dedication and tenacity. Sure he's not a seasoned journalistic pro, but you could tell he was super passionate about the project, and it showed in the end result. Good stuff, and I actually learned a few things and had many suspicions confirmed about how the industry works.
    9julianmarku

    A eye-opening documentary about a scam industry...

    First of all PJP is a fantastic charming guy. He was dealt a bad hand but he made the best of it! He is so charming and passionate. Doing documentaries, being a spokesman is something that he has talent in, he is just lacking that upper-class training that most elite get.

    Sam and Pat did a great freelance documentary! This is what real freelance journalism is, this is probably the best that it can be. And I was so exited to see you guys do your work.

    The investigation was very interesting and I could feel it piecing together. It is one of those situations where you kind of need to be much more awareness to the public. It is in their interest to avoid giving them the donations.

    In poorer countries we have something similar on much smaller scale: the begger scheme, where people give money to beggers thinking that they are helping a poor homeless person. In reality most of them are like a network that travel city to city and collect money for some kind of mafia boss. It is basically the same type of crime.

    Anyway, I hope you guys made some money from this. I hope PJP and Sam might work on something more. Maybe I don't know, start a YT channel and review stuff they know and love.
    9jc666999

    A C A B

    Blue lives matter people are review bombing this show. Do not listen to them and watch it. Patrick Pespas is a wonderful character, his arc is very inspiring and emotional and the doc is worth watching for that alone but the whole show was great. With many twists and turns narrated by some very interesting (as in, weird) people, it leaves you wanting more until the very last moments. It just shows how rotten and corrupt the system is in America in ways that are actually surprising. How is it possible something like this has ben going on for so long? And it's not even at its worst yet. AI will make sure of it. ACAB!
    9Kepart

    Can I have a ticket to the police charity ball? "No ma'am, police don't have balls."

    Two men (Patrick and Sam), dealing with substance addiction along with many others working at sleazy telemarketing company, decide to document the pressure of sales and the insanity of ever-changing fundraising scripts. Soon, they see how bad their company CDG and Fraternal Orders of Police profit from scamming money for fake charities. (The money you are donating are not going to disabled officers widow/grieving families, or needy children. They are filling the pockets of these union leaders, and the owners of telemarketing companies. You should see the houses and cars they bought.) And if the telemarketers are not selling enough, they will be let go of possibly the only job they can work at because who else would accept their criminal background.

    This documentary is what you get. It starts quick film clips of Sam and Pat and other employees goofing off, doing drugs while sounding like angels on their shifts. But along the way, Pat, the one known as the Legend educates Sam on the dirty truth behind these phone requests. These two eager amateurs wanted to throw it out there for people to see how they are being blinded by agreeing to donate money for what "sounds" like an official police campaign. Very slow development, as some years pass by; Sam tries to enlist Pat for new interviews, but Pat ran off with no contact information. It was a little nerve wracking as their investigation could not be continued. If you do watch the show, be sure to watch Pat do interviews!

    I think the two did a fantastic job despite their limitations in journaling experience. I hope they can find more heroes to help shoulder the burden. Their parents and their spouses were amazingly supportive with little tips of advice, here and there. Thank you Ann Ravel, Sarah Kleiner for her enthusiasm. Reverend James and his no holds barred. "They should go to jail." A true David and Goliath story. Hopefully this documentary will save others from losing their life savings. Because now I guess the telemarketer companies are now utilizing their former employees' recorded voices as robocallers. There is always a ways around to take money off of a victim.

    Patrick J. Pespas and Samuel Lipman Stern for President 2024!

    Senator Blumenthal - you're an embarrassment. You are part of the problem.

    (Surely we can defund the police, if they're getting all these million dollar donations. The disabled policemen or the families of fallen officers have not seen that money).

    The police fraternal orders will not admit to stealing money for their own purposes like entertainment, cruises, fancy cars. Why do the police force threaten us or manipulate us to give money, if it is their job to protect us. (Have you heard the aggressive selling techniques? Especially the one guy who was hired even after he committed murder?)

    Message: Do Not Donate to what sounds like a police or fraternal organization. That money will most likely be used for travel expenses to some party. And all you have left to show for it, is an easily printed decal for your window.

    More like this

    Guns & Gulaabs
    7.7
    Guns & Gulaabs
    Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher
    5.5
    Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher
    Little Bone Lodge
    6.0
    Little Bone Lodge
    Husband, Wife and Their Lover
    5.3
    Husband, Wife and Their Lover
    The Cello
    4.0
    The Cello
    Cryptid
    4.7
    Cryptid
    Open Marriage
    5.0
    Open Marriage
    Bad Nanny
    5.4
    Bad Nanny
    *smiles and kisses you*
    7.9
    *smiles and kisses you*
    Aaron's Blood
    4.7
    Aaron's Blood
    Alien Planet
    3.7
    Alien Planet
    The Renata Road
    4.8
    The Renata Road

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The theme music is "Oh Hail No" by El-P.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Film Junk Podcast: Episode 908: Past Lives (2023)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ15

    • How many seasons does Telemarketers have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 13, 2023 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La gran estafa de los teleoperadores
    • Production companies
      • All Facts
      • Elara Pictures
      • HBO Documentary Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h(60 min)
    • Color
      • Color

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.