Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.
113 episodes transcribedPicture day is an annual tradition for American families — and, for the companies that take the photos, a lucrative one. Zachary Crockett smiles for t...
They're not always the nicest places to go — but for their owners, portable toilets are a lucrative revenue stream. Zachary Crockett lifts the lid. SO...
You can be a top model and still not get recognized on the street — as long as you keep your cuticles healthy and your moons white. Zachary Crockett p...
A watercolor of a harbor? A black-and-white photo of a pile of rocks? Some hotels are trying to do better. Zachary Crockett unpacks. SOURCES:Melanie K...
Before beef ends up at your favorite steakhouse, it passes through the hands of a trained specialist with an encyclopedic knowledge of bovine anatomy....
How did a little green nut become a billion-dollar product, lauded by celebrities in Super Bowl ads? Zachary Crockett cracks open the story. SOURCES:S...
Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zachary Crockett tugs at the thread. SOURCES:Myagmarj...
Americans throw away 320 million books every year. How do some of them find a second life? Zachary Crockett is just browsing. SOURCE:Francisco Hernan...
The tradition of sending cards to loved ones was in decline — until it was rescued by a new generation. But millennials have their own ideas about wha...
It’s unreactive, lighter than air, and surprisingly important to the global economy. Zachary Crockett goes up an octave. SOURCES:Sophia Hayes, profess...
How did Florida International University’s new football stadium come to be named after the rapper and singer Pitbull? Adrian Ma and Wailin Wong of The...
Mannequins may be made out of plastic or fiberglass, but for retailers they’re pure gold. Zachary Crockett strikes a pose. SOURCES:Stacie Bornn, vice...
Incarcerated people grow crops, fight wildfires, and manufacture everything from motor oil to prescription glasses — often for pennies per hour. Zacha...
It takes millions of giant green placards to make America navigable. Where do they come from — and who pays the bill? Zachary Crockett takes the exit....
When a zoo needs an elephant, or finds itself with three surplus penguins, it doesn’t buy or sell the animals — it asks around. Zachary Crockett rattl...
Tow-truck drivers: roadside rescuers or car confiscators? Zachary Crockett gets hooked. SOURCES:Bill Giorgis, president of Mike’s Wrecker Service.Max...
Why are these 300-year-old instruments still coveted by violinists today? And how do working musicians get their hands on multimillion-dollar antiques...
Casinos think they can stop skilled gamblers from eking out a tiny edge at blackjack. Is that a losing bet? Zachary Crockett doubles down. SOURCES:"Be...
Making money in the stock image business requires a sharp eye for trends, a very specific type of model, and a race against A.I. Zachary Crockett take...
