JRE 1706 · June 27, 2024

Billy Corben

crimehistoryfilmbusiness

Who is Billy Corben?

Billy Corben is a documentarian and producer. His new series, "Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami," is now available on Netflix.

Topics and Timestamps

01Billy Corben discusses his new Netflix series 'Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami' and the real-life drug trafficking empire it documents
02The conversation covers how Miami became the cocaine capital of the US during the 1980s and the criminals who dominated the trade
03Corben explains the challenges of making documentaries about criminal enterprises and getting interviews with subjects still involved in illegal activity
04Discussion of how the cocaine trade shaped Miami's culture, economy, and violence during its peak years
05Corben shares behind-the-scenes production details about filming the series and tracking down key figures from that era
06The episode explores why this particular slice of American crime history remains relevant and fascinating to audiences today
▶Billy Corben introduces the Cocaine Cowboys Netflix series and his filmmaking background0:00:00
▶Discussion of how Miami became the epicenter of the US cocaine trade during the 1980s0:08:30
▶Corben explains the process of interviewing active criminals and getting them to go on camera0:18:45
▶Conversation about the violence, corruption, and cultural impact of the cocaine trade on Miami0:35:20
▶Behind-the-scenes discussion of documentary production challenges and archival research0:52:00

The Show

Billy Corben sits down with Joe to talk about his latest Netflix project, 'Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami', a docuseries that dives deep into the wild world of Miami's drug trafficking empire during the 1980s. This isn't Corben's first rodeo with crime documentaries. He's built a reputation for getting into the nitty gritty of how criminal organizations actually operated, and this series is no exception.

The conversation centers on how Miami became ground zero for the cocaine trade in America. Corben breaks down the economics and logistics of how tons of cocaine were moving through the city, the players involved, and what made Miami such a perfect hub for this operation. Joe and Billy dig into the violence that came with it, the corruption that enabled it, and how the whole situation shaped the city's identity during that era.

What's interesting about Corben's approach is that he doesn't just tell the story from a law enforcement perspective. He actually sits down with people who were inside the game, who can explain how these operations functioned. Getting these interviews is harder than it sounds, especially when you're talking to people who are still connected to criminal enterprises or have done significant prison time. Corben talks about the process of tracking people down, building trust, and convincing them that telling their story on camera is worth the risk.

Joe and Billy also discuss the broader cultural impact of the cocaine trade on Miami. It's not just a crime story. It's about how an influx of money and violence reshaped an entire city, how it affected real estate, how it influenced the music and culture that came out of Miami, and how those effects rippled outward. The 1980s Miami cocaine scene basically became a blueprint for how we understand major criminal enterprises in documentaries and pop culture.

Corben explains the production challenges of making a series like this. Finding archival footage, hunting down people willing to go on camera, fact-checking stories from people who have every reason to embellish or lie, and presenting it all in a way that's both historically accurate and actually compelling to watch. It's a balancing act between journalism and entertainment that most people don't think about when they're just watching Netflix.

There's also discussion about why this story still matters. This wasn't just some historical curiosity. The cocaine trade fundamentally changed how America approached drug enforcement, how cities dealt with gang violence, and set patterns we still see today. It's recent enough that people involved are still alive and willing to talk about it, but far enough in the past that there's some perspective on it now.