Crooks of Hollywood: the Dillon Jordan scandal is a tale as old as Tinseltown

It was alleged last week that Hollywood producer Jordan used his filmmaking activities as a front for an international prostitution ring. There’s nothing new in prominent industry figures dabbling in criminality on the side, writes Geoffrey Macnab

From left: David Begelman, Ray Donovan (fictional), Anthony Pellicano and Dillon Jordan (Shutterstock/Getty)

It was the scale of film producer Dillon D Jordan’s alleged wrongdoing that caused jaws to drop so heavily last week. To the outside world, Jordan was the boss of a respected Los Angeles-based production company, Paperchase Films. But under the surface he is said to have been in charge of a global prostitution racket.

Jordan’s recent film credits include Sara Colangelo’s Sundance-winner The Kindergarten Teacher (2018), starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, and white supremacist drama Skin (2018), starring Jamie Bell and Vera Farmiga. He partnered on both projects with the London and New York based company, Maven Pictures, run by prominent British producers Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray and set up expressly to support female talent in the industry.

In the trade press, Jordan’s business partners have talked about his “instincts and vision”. A profile of the company on a business website claims he has “rapidly achieved acclaim for his strong cinematic sensibilities, protecting investor relationships, and funding provocative, award-winning material”.