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He Walked Away From Hollywood Fame to Change Thousands of Lives. Here's Why

Scott Budnick produced some of the biggest films in Hollywood — Old School, The Hangover, War Dogs. Then, at the height of his career, he visited a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles. It changed the trajectory of his life. Soon after, he walked away from Hollywood. He started going into juvenile detention centers — teaching, listening, showing up every week for kids the system had written off. That was 22 years ago. He still goes every week. Along the way, Scott built the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) — a name suggested by Robert Downey Jr. — changing the lives of thousands of inmates and formerly incarcerated people across California. He fought for sentences to be overturned. He watched people walk out of prison and build lives nobody thought were possible. And then he came back to filmmaking with a different mission — producing films with impact, including Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan.

English
  • Originally Aired May 13, 2026
  • Runtime 51 minutes
  • Network United States of America YouTube
  • Created May 13, 2026 by
    BiboPenta
  • Modified May 13, 2026 by
    BiboPenta