Introducing: Explosive Lies

Introducing: Explosive Lies

If you enjoyed Vine: 6 Seconds that Changed the World, we think you'll love Explosive Lies - your next podcast binge. Jim McCormick was a cocky English salesman with an outrageous claim: a black plastic gadget that could sniff out bombs using “electromagnetic energy.” The science was pure fiction. But in the panic after 9/11, governments bought the lie - paying up to $60,000 for a device that started life as a $20 novelty golf-ball finder. McCormick sold hope to armies and security forces across the globe. But hope turned deadly. Behind the deals were fragmented friendships, betrayals, and a truth so dangerous it would take years to drag into the light. Alice Levine uncovers the jaw-dropping story of a con that likely cost countless lives - and the unlikely people who stopped at nothing to uncover the truth. All episodes available now on Global Player [https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42L5Lt/] or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for 'Explosive Lies'. Explosive Lies is a Global Original podcast, produced by Forest Sounds in partnership with Dentsu Entertainment.

Did We Bring Back Vine?

Vine is coming back, and we might have helped resurrect it. First, Elon Musk announced plans to revive Vine in “AI form”. A few months later, news broke that Twitter founder Jack Dorsey was backing another revival called diVine. The key difference? diVine runs on an open-source, decentralised server that blocks all AI content. So why are two of the wealthiest men in the world - and two of the most influential figures in tech - so keen to revive a defunct app? And could our humble hosts, Benedict and Mary, be the unlikely muse? diVine's creator, and Dorsey’s former boss, Evan Henshaw-Plath, hands the team early access to the app’s highly coveted beta. In a wild interview on the hacker code that built social media, why he chose Vine, how he beat Musk to launch and his hail Mary attempt to fix what platforms broke. Listen to this special episode about a very unlikely chain reaction between Twitter’s very first employee, a podcast and the resurrection of the internet’s favourite app.

8. Famous

Do you believe in life after Vine? On October 28, 2016, the app took its last breath. It left behind a bittersweet legacy that would shape the internet for years to come. In this episode, we unravel the truth behind the app’s demise: the million-dollar demands, the missed opportunities (lip-syncing, anyone?), and the seismic impact it had on creators and culture. With firsthand accounts from insiders and creators, we explore whether Vine’s early exit preserved its charm or whether it was always destined to fall. Credits: Benedict Townsend - Host & Creator Mary Goodhart - Producer & Creator Kevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative Producer Patrick Lee - Sound Design & Score Chris Janes – Mix Lucy Chisholm Batten - Legal Sophie Snelling - Executive Producer Al Riddel - Head of Factual Podcasts Vicky Etchells - Director of Podcasts Archive acknowledgments: CBS News/CNET/’It’s official: Twitter Shut Down Vine’ Bluezone Corporation/’Cinematic Session – Industrial Samples & Impacts’ Artwork acknowledgments: Cathleen Dovolis Brandon Moore  B Bowen Nicholas Fraser James Morosky Ava Ryan

7. The Battle of Vine Street

In a high stakes meeting with Vine’s top creators, a one-million-dollar demand threatens to upend the platform. What started as a push for collaboration spirals into chaos, with creators leveraging their power and Vine’s leadership scrambling to respond. Was this bold move the cause of Vine’s demise, or just one piece of a much larger story?  Credits: Benedict Townsend - Host & Creator Mary Goodhart - Producer & Creator Kevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative Producer Patrick Lee - Sound Design & Score Chris Janes - Mix Lucy Chisholm Batten - Legal Sophie Snelling - Executive Producer Al Riddell - Head of Factual Podcasts Vicky Etchells - Director of Podcasts Archive acknowledgements: Marcus Johns/ Co Vines Marcus Johns/ Instagram Inside Edition/ ‘20-Year-Old Disney Channel Star Terrorizing Neighbors With YouTube Stunts’ Logan Paul/YouTube/’Viners React to Vine Shutting Down!’ CBS News/CNET/’It’s official: Twitter Shut Down Vine’ Artwork acknowledgments: Cathleen Dovolis Brandon Moore  B Bowen Nicholas Fraser James Morosky Ava Ryan

6. VIVs (Very Important Viners)

Vine is on the edge of collapse - creators are in open revolt, Instagram is circling, as Twitter turns a blind eye. With the sacred 6-second limit on the chopping block and creator trust hanging by a thread, time is running out. Enter Karyn, Vine’s newly hired Head of Creators – an outsider with a bold vision to save the app. Her strategy? A full-scale reinvention. But at a glittering Hollywood party packed with Vine’s biggest stars, it becomes clear: this rescue mission won’t be easy. The fate of Vine is teetering on the edge – and not everyone wants it saved.   Credits: Benedict Townsend - Host & Creator Mary Goodhart - Producer & Creator Kevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative Producer Patrick Lee - Sound Design & Score Chris Janes – Mix Lucy Chisholm Batten - Legal Sophie Snelling - Executive Producer Al Riddel - Head of Factual Podcasts Vicky Etchells - Director of Podcasts Artwork acknowledgments: Cathleen Dovolis Brandon Moore  B Bowen Nicholas Fraser James Morosky Ava Ryan