The Agent

In a rugged corner of West Texas, billionaire wildcatters and roughnecks are fueling an oil boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, our economy, and our geopolitics. This modern-day gold rush has sent both big oil companies and scrappy start-ups scrambling to secure a piece of the action. Texas Monthly’s Christian Wallace follows characters along every rung of the oil field ladder, from the executive cutting billion-dollar deals to the itinerant pipeline worker risking life and limb, and from the traveling exotic dancer following the trail of money to those who worry that our planet is on a path to destruction. Meet the people cashing in and those just trying to get by as the world around them is turned upside down. "A beautiful ride filled with levity, even as it delivers troubling forecasts for the future" - The Atlantic 2021 Webby Award Honoree, Podcast Documentary

Billionaire Zappos founder and tech CEO Tony Hsieh was obsessed with happiness and helping people achieve it. After running “the world’s happiest company” for two decades, Hsieh created his experimental community — The Downtown Project — dedicated to pursuing happiness. But what do Tony's life and death reveal about Silicon Valley’s obsession with re-imagining how society functions? "A gripping tale" - The Guardian The Cost Of Happiness is reported and hosted by Nastaran Tavakoli-Far. It is produced by Charlie Towler. Cover art and design by Jeana Sullivan. The story editor is Meara Sharma, and Thomas Curry is the managing producer. Scoring and sound-design by Charlie Brandon-King. For Imperative Entertainment, the executive producer is Jason Hoch, and for Vespucci, the executive producers are Daniel Turcan, Johnny Galvin, and Matt Willis.

Over the last 25 years, thousands of women have been viciously murdered or disappeared along the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The investigation into these crimes has revealed a systemic web of corruption, drug violence, sex trafficking, and unchecked globalization that authorities have tried desperately to hide. Hosted by famed investigative journalist Lydia Cacho and produced by a Mexico-based creative team, The Red Note examines the story of the Juarez femicides through the voices of investigators who tried to solve the mystery of these crimes, and the families of the victims, whose lives have been reshaped by tragedy.

Buried deep in the past of a quiet southern town lies the legend of Billy Sunday Birt, the most dangerous man in Georgia history. A chance meeting one spring day unravels the truth behind the notorious figure and uncovers new secrets along the way. "A wild tale of moonshine, murder, and mayhem" - Vulture 2021 Webby Award Honoree, Podcast Limited Series

"Best Podcasts of 2022" - Financial Times On a January night in 1978, a white light burned through the sub-Arctic sky. It was Cosmos 954, a nuclear-powered Soviet espionage satellite that had malfunctioned and fallen to earth. As the satellite disintegrated, it scattered dangerously radioactive debris across the vast traditional lands of the Dene, Métis, and Inuit in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Operation Morning Light tells the story of the Cosmos 954 disaster, its impact on the land, and the resilience of the communities in the debris field. Operation Morning Light is hosted by Dëneze Nakehk'o, a Denesuline and Dehcho Dene father from Denendeh. It is produced by Aliya Pabani, and written by Michael LaPointe and Dëneze Nakehk'o. Cover art and design by Jeana Sullivan. The story editor is Matt Willis, and Thomas Curry is the managing producer. Scoring and sound-design by Alice Boyd. For Imperative Entertainment, the executive producer is Jason Hoch, and for Vespucci, the executive producers are Daniel Turcan, Johnny Galvin, and Michael LaPointe.

Fear and hysteria grip the small town of Gilmer, Texas, when the search for missing teenager Kelly Wilson takes a series of bizarre and shocking turns. Thirty years later, journalist Wes Ferguson returns home to uncover what really happened to Kelly, who has never been found, in this wild, 11-episode true crime podcast. "A thorough examination of the circumstances surrounding Wilson's disappearance and the ensuring hysteria that engulfed Gilmer" - Longview News-Journal Devil Town is a production of Imperative Entertainment.   It was written and created by Wes Ferguson.  Executive Producer is Jason Hoch.  Audio Engineering and editing by Shaine Freeman and Jason Hoch.  Original score is by Robert Ellis.  Recorded by Austin Sisler at Eastside Studios.