Anthony Lappé is a New York-based investigative storyteller who specializes in premium global documentary programming. He is most drawn to stories that reveal secrets about how the world really works. 

 

Lappé's best known for the award-winning VICE docuseries BLACK MARKET, the late Michael K. Williams' highly emotional foray into unscripted television and its global companion series BLACK MARKET: DISPATCHES, as well as the two groundbreaking HISTORY channel series, AMERICA'S WAR ON DRUGS and UNIDENTIFIED. His most recent production is the Tubi documentary NEW YORK POST PRESENTS: LUIGI MANGIONE MONSTER OR MARTYR? – produced in three weeks from start to finish. In 2024, he released the premium Wondery podcast CRIMINAL LIVES. In 2021 and 2022, he helmed VICE's secret history series, WHILE THE REST OF US DIE, narrated by Oscar-nominee Jeffrey Wright. ​

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In 2022, he was an Executive Producer of the Sony limited series podcast, FRINGE NETWORK: ALIEN STATE, which premiered at #1 on the Society & Culture charts. 

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Lappé has worked in all phases of documentary film, television and podcast production from the initial spark of an idea to final delivery, managing shoe-string to multi-million dollar budgets. He has extensive experience working domestically and overseas as a director, as well as directing dramatic recreations, motion graphics, visual effects and show packaging.

 

He began his career as a freelance feature writer for The New York Times, New York, Paper, The Fader, South China Morning Post, ESPN: The Magazine, Vice, Black Book, Rolling Stone Mexico, among many others. He reported from the backstreets of Havana, the contested hills of the West Bank, the slums of San Salvador and the top of a 200 ft. redwood tree, which is still the scariest thing he's ever done. His big break in television came when MTV News and Specials optioned a New York Times feature article he wrote about computer hackers. The network hired him to produce his first documentary alongside correspondent Serena Altschul. In addition, he was an on-air correspondent for Video News International, the world pioneer in one-man-band video journalism, where he shot and produced his own stories for an internationally syndicated series.  

 

​​​​​​​​​​​From 2000 to 2009, he was Executive Editor of GNN, a citizen journalism blogging network and production company. GNN produced politicized music videos for artists such as Ad Rock, dead prez, Chronic Future, Eminem and 50 Cent. GNN's music video for Eminem's politically-charged song, Mosh, hit number one on MTV's TRL the day it was released in 2004. New York Magazine called it "one of the most important pieces of mainstream dissent since the 60s."

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In 2003, he traveled with his friend Stephen Marshall to Iraq, where they shot GNN's award-winning war documentary, BATTLEGROUND ("Historically essential viewing" – Chicago Tribune).  The film won several awards and was sold to Showtime. GNN's second feature documentary, AMERICAN BLACKOUT, won a Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.​

 

As a commentator, he's been invited to opine on media outlets around the world, including Sky News, Huffington Post Live, CBC, WNYC, NPR, BBC Radio, Channel 4 News, Radio France, Fox Business Network and Radio Havana. He has also lectured at over twenty universities, institutions and conferences on the state and future of the media. 

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At RadicalMedia, he was a creative consultant, director, producer and writer on numerous high profile projects from 2010-2014. Clients included: J.Crew, Apple, VEVO, and Jay Z and Ron Howard’s documentary MADE IN AMERICA. He wrote Robert Redford’s critically acclaimed 3D documentary, CATHEDRALS OF CULTURE: THE SALK INSTITUTE.

 

Lappé has authored or contributed to several books. His Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel SHOOTING WAR was serialized in New York Magazine and was called "the Apocalypse Now of the War on Terror" by Forbes, "scary smart" by Rolling Stone and "wicked satire" by the Financial Times. 

 

Lappé also co-directed the short film, LEBANON WINS THE WORLD CUP, which won best doc short at the 2015 Warsaw International Film Festival and the Santa Barbara Film Festival.​

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Lappé is a graduate of NYU and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. He also studied at St. Catherine's College, Oxford University. But his real education has been in traveling the world and telling stories.

 

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