Conbody VS Everybody
Filmed over eight years, this five-part documentary series from director Debra Granik combines a remarkable, against-the-odds story of grit, survival, and redemption with an incisive look at the harms of America’s prison industrial complex. After years in and out of prison, former drug dealer turned entrepreneur Coss Marte is determined to take control of his future by building Conbody, a New York City gym with a unique social purpose: to employ formerly incarcerated people like himself in an attempt to combat the high rate of recidivism. As Marte wages an uphill battle against the stigma of incarceration and the realities of a relentlessly gentrifying city where second chances are hard to come by, what emerges is both an inspiring portrait of a man on a mission and a powerful examination of a system that continues to punish people even after they have served their time.
S1 E1 · Origins
Coss Marte, recently home from prison, builds a team of ex-cons who have a dream to own and operate a gym where they can teach exercise routines they learned in prison. They name the gym Conbody.
S1 E2 · New Horizons + Growing Pains
The Conbody gym attracts attention and clients. One of the trainers is sent back to jail on a parole violation, and the Conbody crew must step up to help him.
S1 E3 · Ups and Downs
New trainers join Conbody, and the gym opens a pop-up workout spot at Saks Fifth Avenue. Coss’s younger brother, Chris Marte, runs for New York City Council, shaking up an entrenched local political regime. Tragedy strikes, leaving the crew to support a grieving member of the team.
S1 E4 · Here to Stay
As luxury construction transforms the Lower East Side, Conbody is forced to move again. The team continues to grow, and new personal milestones are reached. Coss participates in a prestigious start-up incubator program, searching for money to keep the business going.
S1 E5 · We Belong
After the COVID pandemic forces the gym to close, Conbody finds ways to stay afloat, taking to the parks to offer outdoor classes. The killing of George Floyd brings protesters into a tense face-off with police in the streets of NYC. Chris Marte runs again for a City Council seat and is clearly the people’s choice. The team opens doors to new trainers, and Conbody continues to evolve.