Actor Zachary J. Horwitz — known professionally as Zach Avery — is the focus of a new Prime Video docuseries exploring one of Hollywood’s most shocking financial frauds.
Titled “Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam,” the three-part series premieres globally on October 17, 2025, directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Rebecca Chaiklin. It examines how Horwitz, once a little-known actor, built and ran a $650 million Ponzi scheme that deceived hundreds of investors — including close friends and family.
The series features candid interviews with those closest to Horwitz, including his wife Mallory, who reflects on their early relationship and the emotional fallout from his betrayal. “We all looked up to Zach so much,” one friend says in the trailer. “But my best friend was running Hollywood’s biggest Ponzi scheme.”
Before his arrest, Horwitz had appeared in several films, including Last Moment of Clarity (2020) and The Gateway (2021). Behind the scenes, prosecutors say, he was operating 1inMM Capital, a company he founded in 2013 and claimed bought and resold film rights to Netflix and HBO in Latin America.
Investigators revealed that Horwitz forged streaming contracts and fabricated emails to support his claims. He even mailed glossy investor reports and bottles of premium scotch to appear legitimate. The deception unraveled in 2021 when investors discovered he had defaulted on over $227 million in payments.
Horwitz was arrested in Los Angeles in April 2021, pleaded guilty to securities fraud later that year, and was sentenced in February 2022 to 20 years in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay $230 million in restitution.
In 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission permanently barred Horwitz from selling securities and confirmed over $74 million in disgorgement and interest — though that amount was satisfied by his criminal restitution order.
Court records show recovery efforts continue; by late 2024, about $15 million had been recovered for victims, including a $2.5 million refund from American Express.
Prime Video’s “Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam” revisits how a Hollywood dream turned into a devastating financial nightmare — and how charm, ambition, and deception built one of the industry’s biggest scams.
