Who is William Baekeland from HBO’s Generation Hustle?

William Baekeland was a travel extraordinaire. His next big gig is being featured on HBO’s Generation Hustle. The show puts true crime together with character studies to reveal what makes people tick. Fame, money, power: everyone wants it, but at what cost? Generation Hustle has 10 documentary-style episodes. William’s is the sixth of the series. Get more details on William below.

Get to Know William Baekeland

1) William Baekeland is not his given name. His birth name is Jesse Gordon. Although, Jesse did change his name to William. He adopted the rich history of the Baekeland family, according to PAPER.

2) He was a travel guru. William’s Instagram had adventurous photos. But, it was all a ruse. He convinced people to give him money under the guise of a travel agency. His agency was Atlas Travel and Expeditions LLC. He promised clients fancy trips, but they got nothing.

3) His Instagram page no longer exists. William isn’t listed as the director of his agency. Their website no longer exists either. He was 25 when he was first investigated. Now, he’s 28 years old.

4) There’s a book written about his exploits. Harry Mitsidis wrote it in 2018, soon after William’s arrest. It’s titled The Curious Case of William Baekeland. The book discusses Baekeland’s travels to places like Ireland and South Africa.

5) Episode 6 is called “Baekeland.” The description reads: “Young, aristocratic billionaire William Baekeland charms his way into an exclusive group of wealthy world travelers – only to disappear with their money. Is he a brilliant imposter who spins fabulous lies and invents fictional personas to con the rich? Or, just a kid who went too far trying to escape his past?” Yon Motskin directs.

Tune in to Generation Hustle on April 22 to see William’s journey.

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