Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story

This series oozes neon dirt about the reckless Lisa Frank empire and the chaos it created for employees, licensing partners, and Kickstarter-based funders.

Frank declined to participate in the series. Both her absence and the victims' stories speak volumes about the sky-high level of dysfunction she and her husband perpetrated.

As a creative who's worked for high-profile companies - two of which were husband-wife owned and operated - I believe the words of former Lisa Frank staff.

Here's my take on the documentary's triad of doom:

Lisa Frank: A talented, selfish, greedy, ineffectual, litigious, dishonest, out-of-touch person and, more recently, straight-up plagiarist.

The Ex-Husband: An abusive, greedy, and hopped-up egomaniac and megalomaniac who seems to have found Jesus but pukes shade and foul language on all involved.

The HR Lady: Most of us know the type - you can't trust her any farther than you can throw her.

I feel horrible for the children and trusting souls who were/are caught in their crosshairs.

I was a parent when Lisa Frank products became so popular, so I was not really emotionally invested in any of this. It's sad to know that the person who was behind all of the optimistic cheerful artwork was giving her employees such a hard time. I hate that we didn't get her side of the story.

The employees had an equally hard time with James. Their descriptions of him made him sound like a total narcissist. His interviews confirm that 100%. And his poor son seems completely brainwashed. I suppose when you have two difficult parents you just have to choose the lesser of the two evils.

The best part of the whole documentary is how they color coordinate all of the clothing and backgrounds for each person interviewed. I'm not sure how all that was arranged, but I loved it!!

Although she's obviously a horrible person, I'm not so sure about the motives behind making this documentary and that they are not horrible as well. Seems like a subversive advertisement in favor of Lisa Frank. Because it is Lisa Frank branding plastered all over almost four hours of (rather boring documentary)

Hopefully, some of the people that she s'd over are going to have their day of justice, especially Amina Mucciolo, who was obviously ripped off. Honestly, the only thing I took away from this is that Lisa Frank is a horrible exceedingly greedy person who loves wealth instead of her family. She is failing and fading, hopefully so.

I feel I must preface this by saying I was never a fan of the Lisa Frank brand-it always felt too 'forced happiness' to me; but I will say, my little sister loved it. The bright colors, the big doe-like eyes on everything, the forced-down-your-throat rainbows were just a lot.

Which is ironic, because it's exactly how this 4-part documentary feels, too. It is a lot to stomach, and definitely defies belief. Most of the stories told by employees feel authentic, Rhonda and James feel cartoonish in their appearances. But these employees are largely no better. If they were hoping to be portrayed in a more sympathetic light, maybe they should have a more sympathetic story to tell.

Being in a career that barely pays minimum wage, just so you can say you're an 'artist' defies logic. It's akin to holding a career in the adult film industry just to say you're an 'actor'; the only difference is, those in adult films are generally paid incredibly well.

There's myriad examples of insanity, but one example that really stands out is a grown adult with bangs (no sis, just no) who loudly proclaims that 'all wealthy adults partook in 'illicit activities' and even if she was serious, it sounds very contrived and forced.

I could almost feel a good amount of empathy for the employees had they been hired at demonstrably higher wages, and then had a rug pull that landed them at 8.00/hr working 12 hour days, but that was not the case. One employee went from a salaried position of 12.5K yearly to 8.25/hr, and I believe the hourly rate puts him miles ahead, with both examples being enough that a sane person would have rather worked fast food 60 hours a week, but apparently being considered a literal starving artist made it a viable career. I do feel badly for people trying to raise families on this paltry salary, however, the moment it's apparent there's nothing changing, it's time to flee and find haven in another job. We're talking about Tucson in the 80s-90s, not exactly a ghost town with no other options, at a time when the economy was thriving.

All that being said, James being the CEO makes all the sense in the world; the head of a cartoonish, flamboyant company is the embodiment of the brand. The mission statement should have been enough to tell you this is not your job. Upon reading this debacle you didn't feel an urge to purge, Rhonda and her antics should have been the impetus for an hasty exit. I don't know if it was her being a female that made her believe being a garbage person was her claim to fame, or the result of working in a miserable environment that eventually exacerbated her persona, but either way, she should have endured multiple.lawsuits, not continued employment. I get the distinct impression that Green was using Frank for a few things- a meal ticket, a beard, and a step stool. I don't really care how little you wanted to have children or how old they are at the time- admitting it was something/someone you did not want or wish to pursue is something you squash deep down to places you don't acknowledge. Ever.

The employees seem intent on creating some sort of cartoonish work environment that anyone with the slightest sense would have walked away from immediately, and given the pure hell they supposedly endured, one has to question the veracity of truthfulness, because I cannot imagine staying.

My review, much like this series could have easily been condensed into a much smaller version, but for some reason, we're forced to hear the same things on repeat as often as humanly possible. Too long, too repetitive and too boring.

We don't often see many documentaries on modern day art or the exploitation of artists by corporations who steal their work. I think what hit me most is how Lisa Frank is not even an artist; She was and, arguably, still is, a con artist business woman. I believe all of those interviewed who can back the abuse by Lisa Frank. Lisa not participating except by providing a brief, generic and patronizing corporate response, truly reveals the person she is. I felt for the mature son who had to leave and basically disown her. That had to be excruciating but he did the right thing. Narcissists rarely change. To the startups who received business degrees; perhaps they could refer back to their professors for assistance. I personally feel that a business degree should be followed by a law degree because it's all about the contracts. Sadly, if your contract is not well done, it opens the door for predators like Lisa Frank, who, by the way, is talentless. Predatory practices and bullying does not take talent. Glamour dolls should rebrand and continue on with a great new line of brushes and other makeup accessories and pitch to urban outfitters. They don't need Lisa. Also, if Lisa was a good person, with a sincere business ethic, who was not struggling financially ( as she claims), she would have given the startup all the money back she borrowed, and walked away with a handshake. Lots of lessons to be learned after viewing this. One such lesson is don't kill your self for a job, EVER. Next, don't allow a corporation to use your art work under their name or be sure you are able to keep the rights to your work if they do. Finally, always speak your truth. Perhaps you lost now but your story is out there and that is a win and takes courage. I think there was some karma that came to Lisa ex husband. I'm sure he knows that and agree with him on living with no regrets. What's done is done and there is no changing the past. He has the admiration of his son and has moved on with a new lady. I loved the art work that was shared by the loyal concept artists in this doc and am saddened that Lisa put it all in her name, made millions, paid them little, only for her to turn her back on all of them. The woman at the end who created the rooms and colors and was featured on a major media outlet, she should contact that same outlet and ask if they would assist her in finding justice. Lisa was correct about one thing; "the best is yet to come", but it won't be her.