TALOS FILMS is led by principals Julian P. Hobbs and Elli Hakami, an award-winnging duo with a proven track record of directing and producing critically acclaimed, breakout documentary series. Two tentpole miniseries directed and produced by the filmmakers are currently streaming on HBO Max. The Cult of the Real Housewife explore the collision of reality television, fame, and faith, exposing the cult-like dynamics behind a high-profile religious community that entered the public consciousness through The Real Housewives. The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story offers a bold new perspective on one of the most shocking, headline-grabbing true-crime cases in modern history, reexaming how extremist religious ideology and unchecked influence shaped the tragedy and continue to challenge assumptions about responsibility and accountability.
Both miniseries ranked in the platform’s Top 5, generating significant press coverage and social-media buzz, and reinforcing Talos Films’ reputation for timely, culturally resonant documentaries that cut through the noise and reframe familiar narratives. READ MORE>
Prior to these releases, Sons of Ecstasy streamed on Max and climbed to the #2 spot in the platform’s Top 10 Films. Hakami and Hobbs also directed and produced the breakout hit House of Hammer for Warner Bros. Discovery, which earned a Critics’ Choice Award nomination. The Chicago Sun-Times praised the filmmakers, noting: “Directors Elli and Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs are to be commended for handling this deeply troubling material in jounalistically solid and sensitive fashion.”
House of Hammer subsequently spun off into the 2024 documentary series Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders, which premiered on Max and Investigation Discovery and trended in Max’s Top 10 for six consecutive weeks. IndieWire observed: “(Deadly Influence) uses the visual and aural language of social media itself as a filmmaking tool to find new ways of approaching the true crime genre.”
Talos Films’ mini-series How to Create a Sex Scandal premiered with the launch of MAX. A co-production with Texas Monthly which Hobbs directed and Hakami developed and executive produced. The documentary reveals a mischarge of justice in a small East Texas town, fermented by implanted memories, a corrupt justice system, a complicit community, and a most unlikely perpetrator. The Daily Beast noted: “a jaw-dropping account of insane accusations, rigged prosecutions, and unjust outcomes–not to mention immoral child abuse, albeit not the kind that’s initially alleged.” The Decider observed: “How to Create a Sex Scandal turns the tables of what a true crime documentary is…“
Additionally, Talos Films launched the breakout hit mini-series Queen of Meth (Discovery+) and Teen Torture Inc. (MAX). For HBO, Hobbs and Hakami, executive produced, Torn Apart: Separated at The Border, a feature documentary directed by the Academy Award-winner Ellen Goosenberg Kent. Other projects include: Rebuilding Hope: The Children of 9/11 (Magnolia/Discovery+), the feature documentary Red Elvis: The Cold War Cowboy (SKY/Curiosity Stream), and the award-winning, critically acclaimed mini-series America’s War on Drugs (History Channel).
Bio • Julian P. Hobbs
Prior to Talos, Hobbs served as the Vice President of Scripted and Unscripted Programming at History Channel. During his tenure, he produced multiple feature documentaries including Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the Oscar-nominated film Encounters at the End of the World, Errol Morris’ Emmy-nominated film The Unknown Known, and Barbara Kopple’s Emmy-nominated film Woodstock: Now and Then. Hobbs also executive produced several limited series including the Emmy-winning Outstanding Non-Fiction Special Gettysburg with Tony and Ridley Scott and America: The Story of US with Nutopia. On the scripted side, Hobbs launched The Bible with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey as well as the breakout drama Vikings.READ MORE>
Bio • Elli Hakami
Prior to Talos, Elli Hakami headed up MTV’s East Coast Production and Development team where she oversaw Catfish and The Challenge. Hakami also ran the unscripted unit for BBC Worldwide Production in LA. During this time, she created and produced a wide range of projects including HBO’s feature documentary Americans in Bed, and National Geographic’s Emmy Award-Winning Life Below Zero. Hakami also served as the Head of Development for Discovery Channel where she oversaw the development of long-running franchises Gold Rush and Dual Survivor. READ MORE>