A24 and Channel 5’s documentary about the January 6 Riot is acquired by HBO (EXCLUSIVE)

The eccentric 25-year-old journalist Andrew Callaghan, who gained notoriety with his Channel 5 YouTube films, is submitting his upcoming work to HBO. Variety can exclusively announce that the firm has acquired his documentary about the uprising on January 6.

Callaghan directs and acts as an executive producer alongside A24, and the film will depict Callaghan’s “wild RV odyssey through America in the months leading up to the January 6 Capitol Riot.” Additionally, executive producing are the comedic team of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. The film does not yet have a title or a scheduled release date.

For his caustic humour, unusual interview topics, and documentation of his RV journeys around the United States and even beyond, Callaghan has gained notoriety. He started sharing brief interviews on the YouTube channel All Gas No Brakes in 2019. His most well-liked films, some of which have amassed millions of views, have featured interviews from the 2019 Area 51 raid, a seminar on the flat Earth, and the Burning Man music festival. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Callaghan’s videos became more sombre and news-centric. He left for Minneapolis three days after George Floyd’s death to cover the fallout, where he captured anti-mask demonstrations and other public events during the pandemic.

Callaghan and his group departed All Gas No Brakes in 2021 to launch Channel 5, their own YouTube channel, which has now racked up more than two million members. Under the banner of Channel 5, Callaghan has covered the Russian invasion in Ukraine, produced a one-hour documentary about the People’s Convoy driving across the country, and spoken with Jake Angeli, also known as the QAnon shaman, who is currently serving a 41-month prison term for his part in the Capitol riot on January 6.

Matt Dines, Jonah Hill, Ali Goodwin (for Strong Baby Productions), Dave Kneebone and Janel Kranking (for Abso Lutely Productions), and Max Benator are additional producers on the film.