**FREE** Q&Awards: SEAN COMBS: THE RECKONING

Diddy. Puff Daddy. Love. The public knows the hip-hop icon by many names — but who is the real Sean Combs? In a new four-part documentary by Emmy and Grammy Award–winning executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Emmy Award-winning director Alexandria Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted offender. Born with an insatiable drive for stardom and a knack for spotting talent, Combs made a quick ascent through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment and was crucial in bringing hip-hop to the pop masses and launching the careers of dozens of generation-defining artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and Danity Kane. But along the way, and as detailed by his former associates, childhood friends, artists, and employees, something darker began to color his ambitions. Through explosive, never-before-seen materials (including footage from the days leading up to Combs’s indictment and arrest, and exclusive interviews with those formerly in his orbit), this documentary tells the story of a powerful, enterprising man and the gilded empire he built — and the underworld that lay just beneath its surface. (Synopsis by Netflix)

Alexandria Stapleton is an Emmy® Award-winning director and producer known for her thought-provoking projects that have redefined authentic American storytelling across sports, music, pop culture, and social justice. In a career spanning more than 15 years, Stapleton has collaborated with some of the best documentarians in the industry, releasing projects across all the top networks and studios. In 2021, she founded the production company House of NonFiction as a platform to develop and produce film, television, and experiential storytelling rooted in authentic voices and community impact.

Stapleton most recently directed, and executive produced with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the Netflix docuseries SEAN COMBS: THE RECKONING, which premiered on December 2, 2025 and was instantly the #1 Top TV Show globally. Through explosive, never-before-seen materials, including exclusive interviews with those formerly in his orbit, the four-part series offers a staggering and deeply reported examination of a powerful, enterprising man and the gilded empire he built — and the underworld that lay just beneath its surface. Stapleton was nominated for a 2026 Directors Guild of America (“DGA”) Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Series/News for her work.

Next, Stapleton directed and produced ESPN’s THE BRITTNEY GRINER STORY, a personal and profound odyssey which follows basketball star Brittney Griner from her playing career and harrowing imprisonment in Russia, through the extraordinary geopolitical battle to secure her freedom. The documentary will make its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

Also upcoming, Stapleton directed and executive produced Prime Video’s forthcoming feature-length documentary about Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens. Produced in partnership with Skydance Sports and NFL Films, the film traces Owens’ meteoric rise as one of the most dominant — and polarizing — athletes in modern football, while examining his evolving personal journey today.

Stapleton also notably directed one part the HBO documentary trilogy GOD SAVE TEXAS, titled GOD SAVE TEXAS: THE PRICE OF OIL, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Hailed by The New York Times for the “sense of urgency [she brings to] recording Black histories,” the film chronicles the energy industry’s impact on the African American community told through her own personal lens and the experiences of fellow Houston residents impacted by environmental racism.

Her recent work also includes the Paramount+ documentary HOW MUSIC GOT FREE, produced with LeBron James’ SpringHill and Eminem. The film premiered at SXSW in 2024 and explores the secret history of digital music piracy and the racial and economic disparities embedded within the digital music revolution.

Previously, Stapleton directed the critically acclaimed Prime Video documentary REGGIE, which follows the story of baseball megastar Reggie Jackson as he contemplates his legacy as one of the first iconic black athletes, a pioneer in the fight for dignity, respect, and a seat at the table. The film garnered a Critics Choice Award nomination for “Best Sports Documentary” in 2023.

Stapleton made her directorial debut with the critically acclaimed A&E documentary CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL, featuring Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, and Ron Howard, and later directed and executive produced Netflix’s HELLO PRIVILEGE. IT’S ME, CHELSEA, exploring the impact of white privilege on American culture.

In television, Stapleton served as showrunner and executive producer of FX’s GLAAD- and Gotham Award–nominated series PRIDE, chronicling the American LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. Her additional directing and producing credits include Showtime’s SHUT UP & DRIBBLE and Netflix’s THE PLAYBOOK.

A proud member of the Directors Guild of America, Stapleton serves on the National Board and co-chairs the DGA’s Documentary Committee.

Evan Wise, ACE, is a Primetime Emmy nominated and ACE Eddie Award winning documentary filmmaker. He most recently served as supervising editor of the hit Netflix series Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a sweeping portrait of Sean “Diddy” Combs, featuring never-before-seen footage captured in the final days before his arrest.

Previously, Evan served as writer, producer, and supervising editor of Chimp Crazy, HBO’s most watched docuseries since 2020. His real-time shaping of the Chimp Crazy narrative earned two Primetime Emmy nominations; Outstanding Picture Editing and Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program, and an ACE Eddie Award for Best Edited Documentary Series.

Evan was lead editor on HBO’s Q: Into the Storm, earning his first Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program. He also received three News & Doc Emmy nominations as producer and supervising editor on Showtime’s The Circus, along with an ACE Eddie nomination for Best Edited Non-Scripted Series.

Benji Kast, ACE, is a New York City-based editor who most recently served as the lead editor on the acclaimed series Citizen Nation for PBS, which received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Editing in Documentary. Citizen Nation also recently won Best Episodic Series at the IDA Doc Awards and is currently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Benji also recently cut the hit series Sean Combs: The Reckoning for Netflix, which became one of the most popular documentaries in the history of the streaming service. His other credits include the Paramount+ film June, which debuted at Doc NYC and received a 2024 Grammy nomination for Best Music Film. Other notable titles include Tricky Dick (Cinema Eye winner for Best Series, nomination for Best Editing), and The Circus (Eddie nomination and multiple Emmy nominations). Benji’s own experimental and music shorts have screened at Slamdance, Rooftop Films, Fantastic Fest Austin, and the London International Short Film Festival. He is a former member of NYC underground band Your 33 Black Angels.

Jon Miller is an award-winning editor and director with more than 15 years of experience in non-fiction television and documentary film. He has worked as an editor on over 35 shows for major platforms, including HBO, Showtime, Netflix, National Geographic, Hulu, Peacock, Discovery and A&E. As lead editor, he has helped shape series including THE CIRCUS, GIRLS GONE WILD: THE UNTOLD STORY, and THE EMPLOYABLES. Other highlights include the Emmy-winning SCIENCE FAIR, QUIET ON SET: THE DARK SIDE OF KID’S TV. He is currently a senior editor at the New York Times helping shape content in their reporter video division. 

As a director, Jon’s documentaries have screened at leading festivals including DOC NYC, Hot Docs, AFI, and Big Sky. His films include the feature STANDING UP (acquired by Gravitas Ventures) and shorts A JEW WALKS INTO A BAR (Short of the Week), THE INTERVIEW (The New Yorker), and A PICTURE OF MY FATHER (Switchboard).

Jack Gravina is an award-winning editor, filmmaker, and documentary specialist whose work spans high-profile projects for Netflix and beyond. He is credited as lead editor on acclaimed titles including Sean Combs: The Reckoning, Amy Bradley Is Missing, This Is the Zodiac Speaking, and more. Known for shaping culturally resonant series, his work has helped drive eight documentary projects into Netflix’s Top 10—seven of which reached the #1 spot. In addition to his editorial work, Jack co-owns production ventures including Gravina Films and the music company Nimble Music, bringing a creative, multidisciplinary approach to post-production and storytelling.