Gallup’s most recent poll indicates that Americans’ confidence levels in banks and big businesses are at a record low, making it the perfect time for television to introduce a banking billionaire whose change of heart turns him into a passionate, world-traveling philanthropist.
NBC’s new eight-part series, The Philanthropist, follows philandering billionaire Teddy Rist – played by James Purefoy of HBO’s Rome – as he decides to use his wealth and business skills for the good of mankind.
His adventures lead him to Nigeria, Haiti, Myanmar, Kashmir and more, as he negotiates with drug dealers, fights with corrupt officials, and uses his rogue wit to save the world.
The show’s concept is loosely based on the story and philanthropic work of Bobby Sager. The Boston-based entrepreneur was president and partner of Gordon Brothers Group, a global advisory, acquisition and capital solutions company that boasts more than 20 offices around the world and $40 billion in annual transactions and appraisals.
Though Sager did not have the philandering back story presented by the series, he did have a change of heart and left Gordon Brothers to pursue a life of philanthropy and humanitarian work.
In 2000, Sager founded the Sager Family Traveling Foundation Roadshow, and began traveling the world with his wife and two kids, meeting with villagers and presidents alike. The Sager family’s experiences include passing out blankets to Pakistani earthquake refugees, teaching science to high Tibetan monks, and supporting micro enterprises in Rwanda and Palestine.
“By being on the ground, face-to-face with the people we are trying to help, my family and I get to live amazing life moments, learning, feeling, and accomplishing,” Sager writes in his forthcoming book, Power of the Invisible Sun.
“The idea that people give to charity because they are supposed to isn’t sustainable, and people who need help deserve real long-term commitment. Finding ways to serve your self-interest fuels that commitment,” he writes.