What’s American Excess?
American Excess is a video-based newsletter that delves into the extremes of American culture, combining rigorous original reportage and cultural commentary.
Who are you?
I’m a Manhattan-based journalist and television producer. Sometimes I make documentaries, sometimes I make content, sometimes I just make egregious mistakes. My blood type is sequin.
How often will new content be published on American Excess?
Every Tuesday at cocktail hour! (6pm EST)
How is American Excess different from the 80’s Excess videos you post on TikTok and Instagram?
American Excess is my new longform docuseries available exclusively to Substack subscribers. It differs from 80’s Excess in three main ways:
80’s Excess videos are limited by time constraints, with a maximum of 90 seconds on Instagram Reels and ten minutes on TikTok. American Excess videos will focus on huge monthly stories, broken into ~10-22 minute segments every week, to create, in combination, the equivalent of one feature-length documentary per month.
80’s Excess focuses exclusively on the years years 1980-1989. American Excess will combine rigorous original reportage with cultural critiques, and any decade is fair game.
On social media, we’re at the mercy of community guidelines, which limit the types of stories I can tell. American Excess episodes will be about all the stuff I’d get thrown off of TikTok/Instagram for talking about.
Can you give me examples of topics or stories that will be covered in the longform video series?
To get an idea of the kinds of stories I’ve covered on 80’s Excess:
Five of the most-watched videos on TikTok are about Drew Barrymore, Imelda Marcos, Julio Iglesias, Nancy Reagan, and this primer on the series at large.
Five of the most-watched videos on Instagram are about Candy Spelling, Lynn Wyatt, Pat Buckley, The Mayflower Madam, and Dynasty.
