Standoff

3.8 (378)
TRUE CRIME
WEEKLY SERIES

Premium Narrative Series. Ad-free & Early Access.

$4.49/mo or $34.99/yr after trial

Standoff follows Fred Gómez Carrasco, a drug cartel kingpin and orchestrator of the 1974 Huntsville, Texas, prison siege. The siege was one of the most infamous hostage crises in American history and played out in dramatic fashion over eleven days, all in front of a terrified national audience. One hundred hours of audio containing the actual hostage negotiations and the deadly shoot-out tell the story like never before. "Journalist Wes Ferguson... weaves a fascinating yarn using new interviews as well as unearthed tapes of Carrasco’s hostage-negotiation calls. What emerges is a big bold look at a little-known crime story." - Vulture Standoff is a production of Imperative Entertainment and is written, created and hosted by Wes Ferguson. Executive Producer and Story Editor is Jason Hoch. Audio editing and sound engineering by Shaine Freeman and Jason Hoch. Original music is by Max Baca with Flaco Jiménez on accordion and Tony Gonzalez is the music engineer for the original score. The main theme 'Huntsville' is performed by Ray Benson and is from the 1971 Merle Haggard and the Strangers Album, 'Someday We'll Look Back'.

See All Season 1 (11)

TRAILER

Trailer: Standoff

A new series on the 1974 Huntsville, TX prison siege, one of the most infamous hostage crises in American history that played out in dramatic fashion over 11 days – all in front of a terrified national audience. 100 hours of newly uncovered audio containing the actual hostage negotiations and the deadly shoot-out tell the story like never before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

S1

•

4 min

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

4.8 (7257)

TRUE CRIME
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

4.7 (3426)

DOCUMENTARY
2022 Webby Award Honoree, Podcast Documentary Limited Series and Specials. The Agent is the remarkable true story of Jack Barsky, the longest-surviving known member of the KGB illegals program operated during the height of the Cold War. Barsky hid in plain sight in America for 10 years, all the while leading dual lives on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. On one fateful day, he was confronted with an impossible choice. The Agent is a production of Imperative Entertainment in association with Windjoy and is created, written, produced and edited by Jason Hoch. Narration by Alden Ehrenreich. Executive Producers are Jason Hoch, Jack Barsky and Alden Ehrenreich. Original score by Jasha Klebe. Sound engineering and additional editing by Shaine Freeman.

4.7 (1139)

DOCUMENTARY
The murder of 18-year-old Rhonda Sue Coleman in 1990 has been a thorn in the side of the small community of Hazlehurst, GA for over 30 years. No arrests, no answers, and no justice. The family, friends and townspeople have never let go of the hope of finally getting the answers they so desperately seek. Fox Hunter is a 10-episode series with new episodes publishing Tuesday mornings.

4.8 (2608)

TRUE CRIME
Sean Kipe tells the story of former Georgia police officer Michael Chapel, convicted of the 1993 robbery and brutal murder of Emogene Thompson and sentenced to life in prison. However, with the recent surfacing of new information, Chapel’s story may have taken a dramatic turn – one that could potentially prove his innocence. Kipe takes a deep dive into Chapel’s past to find the unbelievable truth behind a story that involves corrupt police officers, crime rings, drug trafficking, steroids, and murder. In the Land of Lies is written, created and hosted by Sean Kipe. Original music from Sean Kipe. Executive Producers are Jason Hoch and Gino Falsetto. Story Editing by Jason Hoch. Audio Engineering by Shaine Freeman. Cover Art and Design by Jeana Sullivan. Consulting Producer is Henry Ball.

4.8 (1364)

TRUE CRIME
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.

3.9 (117)

DOCUMENTARY

View Subscription FAQs

Wes Ferguson

Host

3.8

out of 5

378 Ratings

Great Binge show

03/02/2023

Bear!2023

I loved this show! I binged it in 2 days. The best part is defiantly the first hand interviews with those involved, on the flip side the worst part is probably the repetition from the narrator. If you’re looking for a basic podcast that will keep your attention I definitely recomend this.
I like the story, but.

Feb 28

Knune

The story is great, but the audio interviews are super hard to understand and take away from the story. The audio should probably be mixed better.
Flaco Ji-ME-nez!!! NOT “JI-menez”

Jan 22

Sharkninjaappisbrokeeeeeen

Show that man some respect and say his name correctly. Flaco JiMENez, not “HEE-menez. Everything was great, except for the cringe at the end of every episode where Wes can’t correctly pronounce probably one of the MOST common last names in Texas. It felt like a purposeful dig against such a talented musician. A perfect example of a racist microagression, to be honest. To put in aaaaalllll that research and then purposefully get a name like his wrong.
Intrigued but letdown

03/22/2023

Al-Russ

Intriguing premise, excellent research and primary sources, but not very entertaining or engaging

Standoff follows Fred Gómez Carrasco, a drug cartel kingpin and orchestrator of the 1974 Huntsville, Texas, prison siege. The siege was one of the most infamous hostage crises in American history and played out in dramatic fashion over eleven days, all in front of a terrified national audience. One hundred hours of audio containing the actual hostage negotiations and the deadly shoot-out tell the story like never before. "Journalist Wes Ferguson... weaves a fascinating yarn using new interviews as well as unearthed tapes of Carrasco’s hostage-negotiation calls. What emerges is a big bold look at a little-known crime story." - Vulture Standoff is a production of Imperative Entertainment and is written, created and hosted by Wes Ferguson. Executive Producer and Story Editor is Jason Hoch. Audio editing and sound engineering by Shaine Freeman and Jason Hoch. Original music is by Max Baca with Flaco Jiménez on accordion and Tony Gonzalez is the music engineer for the original score. The main theme 'Huntsville' is performed by Ray Benson and is from the 1971 Merle Haggard and the Strangers Album, 'Someday We'll Look Back'.