How to Become a Cult Leader

2023
Ended
Documentary · Crime
1 season
6.8/10

Look inside the cult leader's playbook for achieving unconditional love, endless devotion and the power to control people's minds, bodies, and souls. Disguised as a guidebook for capturing a devoted cult following, this docuseries takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the rise of six famed flock leaders.

All seasons

Latest: Limited Series · 2023

View all seasons

E1. Build Your Foundation
Jul 28, 2023 · 32m
Embrace your calling and reinvent yourself by studying the life of petty criminal and folk rock troubadour-turned-murderous legend Charles Manson.
E2. Grow Your Flock
Jul 28, 2023 · 32m
Build a fervent following by retracing the steps of Jim Jones, whose messiah complex turned a small healing grift into a dangerously loyal congregation.
E3. Reform Their Minds
Jul 28, 2023 · 32m
Return to Buddhafield and unlock the mastery of manipulation with Jaimie Gomez, a failed actor who built an army of servants by promising enlightenment.
E4. Promise Eternity
Jul 28, 2023 · 30m
Apocalypse, anyone? Create credible danger and consolidate power by studying the spiritual, sci-fi narrative of Heaven's Gate leader Marshall Applewhite.
E5. Control Your Image
Jul 28, 2023 · 33m
Leverage media coverage to cultivate a pious image like Shoko Asahara, who built the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo on positive PR and deadly methods.
E6. Become Immortal
Jul 28, 2023 · 29m
Avoid unhappy endings and cement your legacy by studying Sun Myung Moon, who transformed the Unification Church into a still-thriving economic machine.