Behind the festival was marketer slash con man Billy McFarland, a mastermind of hype, who got the rapper Ja Rule to be a cofounder and the digital marketing group FuckJerry to promote it. McFarland understood the power of influencer marketing, paying Kendall Jenner $250,000 for a single Instagram post to drive ticket sales. He preyed directly on the lifestyle Instagram influencers valued. There would be exclusivity; people would get to fly in on a custom VIP Boeing 737. Guests would stay in eco-friendly luxury domes. They would be asked to preload money onto wristbands, to have a completely
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