BYT Media announces full programming for the New York City Edition of Death Becomes Us, a true crime festival, March 20-24

New York NY, USA—BYT Media today announces full programming for the New York City edition of Death Becomes Us - A True Crime Festival. The multi day event is the second edition of the festival, which saw its premiere edition in Washington D.C. in 2018. It is also the first of its kind in New York City, expecting to attract upwards of 6,000 attendees across its venues, which include Gramercy Theatre, Town Hall, Nitehawk Cinema, Strand Bookstore and more between March 20-24th, with warm up events and content leading up to it.

Festival all access passes sold out the first week, with individual shows on sale now and more announcements coming soon.

In recent years, true crime has gone from (mostly) sensationalist fare to prestige entertainment. Shows and podcasts like “Serial,” “My Favorite Murder,” “Making a Murderer,” “Evil Genius,” “Last Podcast on The Left” and “Criminal” are helping transcend niche audiences and applying world class storytelling (and often humor) to these compelling tales of murder, conspiracy and mayhem. In a polarized world where there is no clear cut mass audiences anymore, these stories provide us with heroes and anti-heroes we can all agree to have conversations about.

BYT has taken that conversation from the proverbial water-cooler and into a real life environment with an innovative, curated line-up of events that build on the country’s fascination of the genre. Attendees can expect live podcasts, storytellers, screenings and author talks, taking place across a variety of venues.

DEATH BECOMES US – A TRUE CRIME FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING

Tuesday, March 19 @ 6:30pm

AN EVENING OF WOMEN WHO KILL
Presented in partnership with Strand Bookstore

Strand Bookstore (828 Broadway, Manhattan)

Tickets: $15 (includes a $15 Strand gift card)

In 1892 it was said that Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. This was quite possibly the trial of the century. Between the years of 1884 and 1908 in Illinois and Indiana, Belle Gunness went on such a violent, murderous reign of terror she was dubbed The Butcher of Men. Belle Gunness was never caught. Who was she and how did she escape the fanfare Lizzie Borden received? We invite you to find out.

Featuring Cara Robertson, author of the upcoming The Trial of Lizzie Borden, Harold Schechter, author of Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men; moderated by Refinery 29’s Leah Carroll, author of Down City: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Memory, and Murder.

Thursday, March 21 @ 6:45pm

TRUE CRIME CLASSIC: ZODIAC SCREENING

Nitehawk Cinema (136 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn)

Tickets: on sale 2/23

In the late 1960s/early 1970s, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree. Festival talent Paul Holes and John Douglas both worked on the case. David Fincher, who still collaborates with Douglas on the “Mindhunter” series, directed this true crime classic.

Thursday, March 21 @ 7pm

DAMIEN ECHOLS IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVE HILL

Gramercy Theatre (127 E 23rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $36.50

Damien Echols is a ceremonial magician. He spent over 18 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit, and is the subject of four documentaries, including the Paradise Lost Series. Since his release Damien has written several books, the most recent of which, High Magick: A Guide to the Spiritual Practices That Saved My Life on Death Row, was released last year. Damien will be in conversation with his friend, comedian, writer, musician, actor and man-about-town Dave Hill.

Thursday, March 21 @ 9:30pm

HOW TO SOLVE A MURDER W/ BILLY JENSEN

Gramercy Theatre (127 E 23rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $21.50

Billy Jensen may best be known as the tireless writer who helped finish I’ll Be Gone in the Dark after his friend Michelle McNamara passed away. Jensen is also a true crime investigative journalist focused on unsolved crimes and citizen detectives. After 17 years of writing about unsolved murders, he became fed up—and came up with a system for solving murders himself. He has been referred to as the world’s first “digital consulting detective,” and it’s this expertise that led him to write Chase Darkness With Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders, which will be released this April by Audible. Presented in collaboration with Audible.

Friday, March 22 @ 7pm

HLN NIGHT – A NEW COLD CASE w/ PAUL HOLES

Gramercy Theatre (127 E 23rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $16.50 ($36.50 VIP meet & greet available)

Join Cold Case expert Paul Holes (of Golden State Killer solving fame, most recently) and HLN’s Jax Miller and Sarah Cailean, as they discuss strategies and investigation techniques in relation to a new HLN Original Series that explores a harrowing and unique missing persons case currently evolving into a much larger story of unsolved murder, cover-up and corruption. Presented in collaboration with HLN.

Friday, March 22 @ 10pm
HLN NIGHT – FORENSIC FILES UNCORKED w/ WINE & CRIME GALS
Gramercy Theatre (127 E 23rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $21.50

“Wine & Crime” is a hit true crime / comedy podcast you know and enjoy. What you maybe didn’t know is that it started in part because Amanda, Kenyon, and Lucy bonded over their love of “Forensic Files.” Join them as they chug wine, screen and chat about their favorite FF episodes, and unleash their worst Minnesota accents. PLUS: fun, girly things to do before and after. Presented in collaboration with HLN, the exclusive TV home of “Forensic Files.”

Saturday, March 23 @ 4pm

WRONGFULLY ACCUSED – MINDHUNTER’S JOHN DOUGLAS WITH AMANDA KNOX AND DAMIEN ECHOLS

Town Hall (123 W 43rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $47

Join John Douglas, author of Mindhunter, as he speaks with Amanda Knox and Damien Echols about the painful journey of being wrongfully accused. Damien spent 18 years in prison wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three. He was released on an Alford plea. Amanda spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial before she was exonerated for the murder of Meredith Kercher. Discover how they both lived through it and came out the other end stronger.

Saturday, March 23 @ 8PM

CREATING SERIAL: AN EVENING W/ SARAH KOENIG AND JULIE SNYDER

Town Hall (123 W 43rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $62

“Serial” is the world’s most listened to podcast. Join creators Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder as they go behind the scenes to lay out the challenges, the surprises, and the personal ups and downs of creating a new form of modern storytelling.

Saturday, March 23 @ 7pm

MARTINIS & MURDER LIVE

Gramercy Theatre (127 E 23rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $10

“Martinis & Murder” is Oxygen Media’s weekly true crime podcast hosted by John Thrasher and Daryn Carp. The series covers a new murder case every week while drinking martinis and keeping it light. Like so many true crime fans, John and Daryn are passionate about discussing these cases, but in a way that isn’t so gruesome and scary. From cold-blooded murders to mysterious disappearances, “Martinis & Murder” covers the true crime genre in a relatable way while they’re friend-we-love-to-hate Matt the Bartender serves us up delicious drinks in his giant reindeer mask (it’s a long story).

Saturday, March 23 @ 9pm

TINDER LIVE – TRUE CRIME EDITION

Gramercy Theatre (127 E 23rd Street, Manhattan)

Tickets: $21.50

This critically acclaimed show is an anything-can-happen interactive comedy showstopper (where the audience chooses who Lane Moore swipes right or left on) with helpful and oftentimes ridiculous tips, tricks, and real-time swiping and messaging. The true crime edition will feature true crime festival talent as guests.

STAY CONNECTED

Photos from the 2018 D.C. edition are here. Video from the 2018 D.C. edition is here.

Complete details and updates are always available at DEATHBECOMESUS.COM.

twitter: @byt / instagram: @deathbecomesusfest / @brightestyoungthings / #BYThings #DeathBecomesUs

The festival is supported by HLN.

Freehand Hotel will serve as a hotel anchor offering attendees a special discount with the code TRUECRIME2019.

In addition to Death Becomes Us joined forces with The Lineup to curate special Death Becomes Us versions of their Creepy Crates to serve as a companion piece to the festival, available for pre-order now with code DEATH.

ABOUT BYT MEDIA

BYT Media, Inc., also behind the Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival, curated by Tig Notaro, is a collective of content makers, culture curators, event planners and creative marketing strategists. For over a decade now, BYT has produced a legitimately cool AND useful online and offline presence in DC, NYC and Chicago, and works with amazing individuals, institutions and brands to build loyalty, start conversations and create memories, 365/24/7. You can check out some of their favorite projects here. www.brightestyoungthings.com