NEW YORK (NY)
Newsweek
May 2, 2019
By Kelly Wynne
A new HBO documentary about Larry Nassar started production before Nassar’s accusers came forward. At the time, the documentary wasn’t specific to Nassar, but it was going to address sexual abuse in American gymnastics as a whole.
Producers Dr. Steven Ungerleider and David Ulich knew about the rumors years ago, but the Nassar case put a spotlight on the U.S. Olympic team. Ungerleider and Ulich wanted to stop sexual abuse in gyms throughout America, which is how At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal was born.
The leading angle wasn’t immediately clear. “We became aware many years ago of this specific behavior,” Ungerleider told Newsweek. “We were talking every day and deeply concerned that things weren’t being addressed. The goal was to educate parents, athletes, people in all aspects of the sport. There are good people out there, and there are really bad people out there. We need to be aware of where our kids are in a gym situation. Who’s checking up on coaches, background checks, hiring? It was more of an educational mindset. This is a horrific tragedy we want to prevent.”
The timing for At The Heart of Gold happened to fall in line with Nassar’s trial. The team set out to film the victim impact statements that opened Nassar’s trial as the first step of the documentary. “We started this project well before [Nassar’s accusations], and started production when the trial started,” Ulich explained to Newsweek. “We were able to just grab our crew to film the victim impact statements.”
Finding their way into this advocacy project was natural for both Ungerleider and Ulich. “This situation has been pervasive for 30 years,” Ungerleider said. “Because we’re known in the elite athlete world, people were calling us asking how they get help.”
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