Paperless
34 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsImmersive true stories, narrative non-fiction and tales inspired by true events. Written by award-winning journalists and storytellers. This is Paperless, an audio magazine from Vespucci.
Esquire's Best Podcasts Of 2022: “It’s your weekend long read, but pretty much any day you like and you don’t actually have to use your eyes.”
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Episodes
Afterword: The Beanie Baby Heist of '97
March 05, 2024 18:52 - 9 minutes - 141 MBA conversation with journalist Serena Coady, author of THE BEANIE BABY BANDIT '97. HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTE EDITING: THOMAS CURRY MUSIC, SCORING & SOUND-DESIGN: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Beanie Baby Heist of '97
March 05, 2024 18:48 - 36 minutes - 403 MBIt's Chicago in the summer of '97, and criminal defense attorney Kathleen Zellner (of Making a Murderer fame) is feeling worn out. After once defending a serial killer, she promised herself never to defend a guilty person again, and has devoted her life to exonerating the innocent. But after years of gruesome murder trials, she needs a holiday. When a lemon-yellow stretch Cadillac bounces into her parking lot, and out hops a five-foot-tall, 77-year-old man named Ben Perri, that holiday arriv...
Afterword: The Mockbuster
October 17, 2023 19:00 - 8 minutes - 133 MBA conversation with journalist Shaun Raviv, author of THE MOCKBUSTER. HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTE EDITING: THOMAS CURRY MUSIC, SCORING & SOUND-DESIGN: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Mockbuster
October 13, 2023 17:37 - 30 minutes - 332 MBWhen small-time money counterfeiter Edward L. Montoro nearly dies in a plane crash, he decides to reinvent himself as a filmmaker. It's the late 1970s, the dawn of the age of the blockbuster, and Montoro pioneers the "mockbuster"—knock-off productions that capitalize on the popularity of mainstream Hollywood films. But as his little studio attracts the wrath of the movie industry, Montoro makes a desperate decision, sparking one of the great unsolved mysteries in cinematic history. JOURNALI...
Afterword: The Way We're Built
July 20, 2023 19:01 - 13 minutes - 203 MBA conversation with journalist Alex Mayyasi, author of The Way We're Built. HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTE EDITING: THOMAS CURRY MUSIC, SCORING & SOUND-DESIGN: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Way We're Built
July 20, 2023 19:00 - 35 minutes - 708 MBFacing hard times in the early 1990s, Subaru of America is trying to understand who exactly buys their sturdy but drab brand of cars. That's when one marketing executive notices a peculiar niche in their focus groups—lesbian women. In the conservative corporate culture of Subaru, a group of marketing executives will try to turn the company's fortunes around through a secretive marketing campaign. JOUNALIST: ALEX MAYYASI EDITING: THOMAS CURRY MUSIC, SCORING & SOUND-DESIGN: DOMINIC GOZO VO...
Afterword: The Badir Brothers
June 01, 2023 21:02 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBA conversation with journalist Yochai Maital author of "The Badir Brothers". HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTE JOURNALIST: YOCHAI MAITAL AUDIO: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ FORD Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Badir Brothers
June 01, 2023 21:01 - 46 minutes - 933 MBIn a small Israeli village in the 1980s, three Arab brothers are born blind. When a payphone is installed at the end of the block, the brothers discover they can use their supersensitive hearing to manipulate the lines to do their bidding, the first step in what will become the largest telecom fraud in Israeli history. JOURNALIST: YOCHAI MAITAL EDITING: THOMAS CURRY MUSIC, SCORING & SOUND-DESIGN: DOMINIC GOZO VOICE: ALI SULIMAN REPORTING BY: ADAM BIZANSKI Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...
Afterword: Blinkers
May 04, 2023 16:07 - 10 minutes - 10 MBA conversation about fakes, hustlers, and how to rip off the Grateful Dead with Harmon Leon, author of “Blinkers. Host: Michael LaPointe Journalist: Harmon Leon Audio: Natalia Rodriguez Ford Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Blinkers
May 04, 2023 16:03 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBTeenage hustler Conor MacKay makes his living selling counterfeit tickets—or blinkers—at concerts and sporting events across the United States. It’s the early 1990s, the golden age of the blinker game, but as the federal authorities and Ticketmaster close in, Conor has to find what’s authentic in this world of fakes. A fictional story based on real events. NARRATOR: CARTER BELLAIMEY JOURNALIST: HARMON LEON AUDIO EDITING: MADDIE HICKISH MUSIC, SCORING & SOUND-DESIGN: DOMINIC GOZO Hosted...
The Starlet Bandits: Part 2
April 10, 2023 19:59 - 23 minutes - 478 MBIt's Los Angeles in the mid-2000s and Nina is chasing the LA dream. She falls into sex work and gets caught up in her boyfriend/pimp's latest scheme: robbing banks. A disparate group of sex workers are transformed into a gang of bank robbers named The Starlet Bandits... Narrator: Jurnee Smollett Journalist: Lexi Pandell Audio Editing: Natalia Rodriguez Music, Scoring & Sound-Design: Dominic Gozo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Starlet Bandits: Part 1
April 10, 2023 19:59 - 22 minutes - 456 MBIt's Los Angeles in the mid-2000s and Nina is chasing the LA dream. She falls into sex work and gets caught up in her boyfriend/pimp's latest scheme: robbing banks. A disparate group of sex workers are transformed into a gang of bank robbers named The Starlet Bandits... Narrator: Jurnee Smollett Journalist: Lexi Pandell Audio Editing: Natalia Rodriguez Ford Music, Scoring & Sound-Design: Dominic Gozo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Drive
March 02, 2023 20:00 - 31 minutes - 634 MBIt's 1974, and Richard Molfer has just started his own labor consulting firm and zeroed in on his first client: a hospital in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A union drive is about to start here, the employees are already organizing, and administrators are terrified. But Molfer, a seasoned veteran of hardcore union fights in the mines of Utah, has a plan. He's going to divide and conquer the staff, and make sure Local 1199 never sets foot in that hospital—all for a price, of course. Little does he kn...
Sonya Golden Hand
February 02, 2023 20:41 - 38 minutes - 775 MBWhen the great Russian writer Anton Chekov visits the penal colony on the remote island of Sakhalin in 1890, he is astonished to learn that they’re holding a famous prisoner—Sonya Golden Hand. He finds the legendary con-artist in solitary confinement, her legs clamped in iron chains. Chekhov kneels down beside her on the filthy prison floor. Tell me the story of how you ended up in chains... A fictional story inspired by historical events. Writer: Michael LaPointe Voice: Olga Kurylenko A...
Anthony's Room
October 07, 2022 14:13 - 40 minutes - 810 MBA woman grapples with the mysterious murder of her husband in their Denver home. All the doors were locked from inside, there is no sign of break-in, but her husband lies there, stabbed to death. The murder haunts the house, already a place of mourning after their son Anthony did not return from World War II. As a local detective struggles to pry apart the puzzle of the murder, Helen begins to see a ghost in her dead son's room. The killing isn't over. A fictional story inspired by historic...
Becoming Maeve
September 08, 2022 16:00 - 30 minutes - 610 MBFor Maeve DuVally, coming out as transgender in a corporate America was a journey of self-discovery that required her to hit rock bottom before she came out on top. This is her story. Journalist: Pamela Ryckman Voice: Jamie Clayton Audio Editing: Natalia Rodriguez Music, Scoring & Sound-Design: Dominic Gozo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Joy Boy
March 04, 2022 08:01 - 35 minutes - 65.2 MBNarrated by Steve Buscemi, this is the story of Gosnell Duncan and the silicone dildo. After suffering a work-related accident, Caribbean-born Gosnell Duncan was paralyzed from the waist down. An engineer by trade, and determined not to let his disability come between him and the love of his life, Angela, Gosnell poured his knowledge and energy into crafting a new invention from his Brooklyn basement: the world’s first silicone dildo. His invention was intended for others too; specifically, ...
The Swingin' A's
February 01, 2022 17:00 - 27 minutes - 50.2 MBThe Oakland A's of the early 1970s were the most iconoclastic team in baseball history. Never before had a club so collectively traumatized baseball's establishment with its eccentric behavior and business decisions, not to mention its outlandish facial hair, while simultaneously setting records: five consecutive division titles and three straight championships. Yet despite all the winning, the drama that played out on the field was somehow exceeded by the drama in the clubhouse. There were ...
Electric Prisoner
January 20, 2022 17:00 - 43 minutes - 80.1 MBInspired by the life and work of Leon Theremin, a Russian inventor whose most famous invention was the Theremin –– an instrument that produces otherworldly, haunting music, and which is played seemingly by magic. At the height of the Cold War, Theremin’s passions for music and science drew him into dangerous territory: the price of pursuing his great passions would be to live his life as a spy. A fictional story inspired by historical events. Writer: Michael LaPointe Voice: Gerard Howard...
The Joke
December 07, 2021 01:52 - 24 minutes - 45.8 MBBased on the life of Susanna Madora Salter. Narrated by Elle Fanning. Argonia, Kansas, 1887. Susanna Salter is baking bread when there’s a knock at the door. She learns she’s been nominated for the mayoral elections as a prank by some of the men of the town. After all, what could be funnier than the notion of a female leader? Nobody expected that serious, reserved Susanna would accept the nomination, let alone that she would be elected the first female mayor of the United States. Journ...
Made in Alabama
November 12, 2021 17:53 - 25 minutes - 47.2 MBAlex Latifi, Iranian-born owner of a small parts factory in Alabama, loved by his workers, had been fulfilling military contracts for years, making parts cheaper and better than the competition. When he finds out his secretary has been embezzling money, he fires her. Embittered and vengeful, she tells the FBI that Latifi has been sending classified information to China. As Latifi fights to keep his factory open and his workers employed, a politically aggressive US attorney tries to bring him...
Portrait of a Spy
November 04, 2021 22:03 - 36 minutes - 66.8 MBThe Chevalier d'Eon is a brave army captain, a sparkling dinner companion –– and a spy in King Louis XV's secret service, tasked with planning an invasion of England from within London's highest social circles. But the French government, having no idea that the Chevalier is working for King Louis, plots to assassinate the charismatic diplomat, who only narrowly survives. When the scandal subsides, the Chevalier returns to France with a request: to be recognized as a woman. This is the story ...
Dear Diane
October 14, 2021 16:00 - 41 minutes - 95.3 MBCrime writer Diane Fanning was working on her first non-fiction book, spending time visiting and writing to a serial killer on death row. When Diane saw a case on the TV show 20/20 about a mother who was convicted of brutally murdering her 10-year-old son, she wrote about it in a letter to the convict. His letter back chilled her to the bone. He knew details about the case that only one person could have known... Journalist: Nile Cappello Narration: Maggie Robinson Katz Audio: Diane Hope...
The Battle of Bamber Bridge
October 12, 2021 16:00 - 28 minutes - 51.8 MB1943. While World War II rages, a different kind of battle takes over a British village in Lancashire where US troops are stationed. Throughout their service, Black American troops had faced daily bigotry and racism from their own countrymen. One night, the tension erupts into violence and the sleepy, unremarkable village of Bamber Bridge becomes a battleground between two Americas. This story contains explicit language and racial slurs. Listener discretion is advised. Inspired by true eve...
Chighali
September 28, 2021 16:00 - 23 minutes - 53.4 MBCamels, sand storms, scorpions, and sand dunes towering like buildings—these are amongst Sidi’s first ever memories. Raised in a nomadic tribe on the far edge of the Sahara desert, Sidi doesn’t have a father like the other kids. He dreams of meeting him, even after his mom explains he’s gone away to heaven, a journey from which he won’t return. When Sidi discovers that many years ago a foreign documentary crew had visited the tribe, he sets out on a quest to recover this lost footage and see...
White Widow
September 23, 2021 16:00 - 36 minutes - 66.4 MBA deep-dive into Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of one of London’s 7/7 bombers and a notorious wanted criminal in the UK. A white woman from a nondescript town, Lewthwaite became the poster girl for radical Islam in the UK and garnered the reputation of being one of the most deadly terrorists in the world. As the tabloids grew greedy for sensational stories, the White Widow became their favorite villain and – perhaps – their favorite creation. Journalists: Alexandra Bradford & Samira Shackl...
Blood & Wine
August 26, 2021 16:00 - 33 minutes - 61.5 MBAs tensions over South Africa’s white-owned farmland escalate, Midas Wanana and other Black residents take matters into their own hands, creating a new settlement on the edge of a white-owned vineyard. They call the settlement Azania, a precolonial name for South Africa. When the white farmer, Stefan Smit, is murdered in his own home, the finger is immediately pointed at the Black occupiers and tension in Azania reaches a boiling point, ultimately costing Wanana his life. But something isn’t...
Night Walk
August 24, 2021 15:00 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBWhen brutal murders in the community push the Reverend to his limits, he knows he needs to reach the people at the heart of the violence. But as he walks the streets by night, his own son is out on those same streets, immersed in gang life and drug dealing, earning the nickname Little Killer. While the Reverend advocates for peace among drug addicts and gang members, the person he wants to save the most is the one who feels furthest out of reach: his son. Journalist: Danny Gold Voice: Mar...
May Peleg Approves of You
August 06, 2021 22:25 - 30 minutes - 42.2 MBThis story contains potentially triggering subjects, including suicide, homophobia, physical violence, and misgendering. In 2015, an exceptional trial took place in Jerusalem. The body of transgender activist and beloved community leader May Peleg was held in police custody. May’s request was that her ashes be divided in two: one half scattered into the sea, the other at the roots of an Illawarra Flame tree, a fiery red tree with both male and female blossoms. Meanwhile, her mother petition...
The Living Goddess
July 15, 2021 16:31 - 29 minutes - 54.9 MBThe Living Goddess follows Rashmila, who at four years old was taken from her family to become a goddess. She grew up in a palace, dressed always in red, believing she could heal the people who came to worship her. At twelve years old, her world turned upside down: she was cast out from the palace. It was time to become a mortal again. Journalist: Ada Petriczko Voice: Sohm Kapila Audio: Lauren Aurora Hutchinson & Charlie Brandon-King Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...
The Prince of F***ing Darkness
June 17, 2021 14:36 - 45 minutes - 42 MBLawyer, fraudster, and king of the party, Scott Rothstein had a gift––he could tell anyone’s price. He used this gift to transform those around him into “players” in an incredibly lucrative game… transforming his law firm into a giant Ponzi scheme. With a cast of dirty cops, acquiescing employees, and thieving businessmen, Rothstein set the stage for the largest Ponzi scheme in Florida history and fourth-largest worldwide. Reported by: Bob Norman & Rich Stout Voice: Matt Addis Audio: Char...
Guarding Saddam
May 11, 2021 18:50 - 53 minutes - 49 MBThis is the never before told story of the relationship between a prisoner—the ex-President of Iraq—and a young American soldier from Kansas City. Journalist: Michael Weiss Audio: Ben Adair for Western Sound & Charlie Brandon-King Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Conductor
May 06, 2021 14:19 - 29 minutes - 40.6 MBWhen the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan, playing an instrument could be punished by death, and yet Negin finds herself as conductor of all-female orchestra, stepping into a power she didn’t know she had. Journalist: Sahar Zand Audio: Saskia Edwards Additional Music: Subat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Introducing Paperless
April 30, 2021 20:19 - 2 minutes - 4.66 MBCinematic true stories from the world’s best journalists. Ground-breaking investigations, gripping narrative histories and touching personal triumphs. This is long-form audio journalism done differently — this is Paperless, an audio magazine from Vespucci. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.