Vine: Six Seconds That Changed The World

Latest Episodes:

Introducing: Explosive Lies Jan 31, 2026

Show notes

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 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? Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

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 May 07, 2025

Show notes

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 May 07, 2025

Show notes

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) Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

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

5. Do It For The Vine Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

As tensions rise, battle lines are drawn. Creators want money. Leadership want control. Founders turn their back on their biggest stars. And Twitter watches from the sidelines as its $30 million acquisition flounders. Behind the scenes - Benedict and Mary chase down the one person who might know who really pulled the trigger.

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 acknowledgements:

GOFRESH/YouTube/’Jerome jarre and nash grier (mobbed iceland)’

NBC News/ Today/’In wake of layoffs, is Twitter in trouble?’

HQ Trivia Theme/Intermedia Labs

Artwork acknowledgments:

Cathleen Dovolis

Brandon Moore

B Bowen

Nicholas Fraser

James Morosky

Ava Ryan

4. Not Demure Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

As Vine’s influence grew, the seeds of its destruction were being sown. Brands wanted in and things were getting competitive. While most creators experimented and responded organically to engagement, opportunistic newcomers saw Vine as something else: a system to game and they were willing to play dirty to win. Creators soon found themselves falling victim to rampant plagiarism — the digital world’s new 'Grand Theft Auto.'

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:

Tim & Dee TV/Haliey Welch

ABC News/‘Meet the Vine Stars Who Turn 6 Seconds of Fame into Big Bucks’

Jools Lebron

Brandon Moore

Kayla Newman

Marvel Studios/’Black Panther’/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Valo/’I'm Semi I Stay Automatic’

Nicholas Fraser/’Why You Always Lying?’

GOFRESH/YouTube/’Jerome jarre and nash grier (mobbed iceland)’

NBC News/The Today Show/’In wake of layoffs, is Twitter in trouble?’

Artwork acknowledgments:

Cathleen Dovolis

Brandon Moore

B Bowen

Nicholas Fraser

James Morosky

Ava Ryan

3. Subway to Stardom Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

Vine is quickly becoming one of the world’s most downloaded apps, carving out a unique online identity. In this episode, some of Vine’s earliest creators share how luck, form, and strategy determined viral success and how they navigated the uncharted waters of online fame.

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

2. Vine Street Confidential Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

The term “influencer” has entered the mainstream, in large part due to the frat house ecosystem of Viners established by brothers Logan and Jake Paul. In this episode, Benedict and Mary search for one of Vine’s elusive founders, whose idea to simplify mobile video editing transformed modern internet culture. We want to trace Vine back to its very inception, understand who funded it, forged it in fire, and what happened the day Twitter came knocking.

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 acknowledgements:

ABC News/‘Meet the Vine Stars Who Turn 6 Seconds of Fame into Big Bucks’

PacificRimVideoPress/’Vine Famous Jake Paul Interview about Getting Girls, High School, Fave Shoes & More!’

HLN/’Logan Paul: How to be Vine-famous in 6 seconds’/CNN Worldwide

60 Minutes Overtime/’Social media influencer Logan Paul talks to "60 Minutes”’/CBS News

Squawk Alley/’Jake Paul Talks Transitioning From Vine Star To Disney Star’/CNBC

Netflix Sports/’Jake Paul Wins | Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’/Netflix

Artwork acknowledgments:

Cathleen Dovolis

Brandon Moore

B Bowen

Nicholas Fraser

James Morosky

Ava Ryan

1. Who Killed Vine? Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

Launched in 2013 after an early buyout by Twitter, Vine quickly grew into one of the fastest growing platforms on the internet. The app created an entirely new category of online content: short, user-generated videos. It became the home of online creativity, birthed beloved memes and viral trends, and introduced a whole new generation of celebrity: the influencer. So, how did an app that was ten steps ahead die only three years after launch?

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 Sunday Morning/'From 2005: Four young internet entrepreneurs'/CBS News

Jawed Karim/‘Me at the zoo’/YouTube

Channel 4 News Theme/‘Best Endeavours’/Alan Hawkshaw

Channel 4 News/’A year of Vine: the six second videos rivalling Twitter and Instagram’

The Fox News Channel Theme/‘The Five’

FOX 5/’CEO Chris Dessi Discusses Vine on Fox 5’/Brayden Shanks/The Fox News Channel

PacificRimVideoPress/’Vine Famous Jake Paul Interview about Getting Girls, High School, Fave Shoes & More!’

Pop Trigger/’Breaking: Twitter Officially Shutting Down Vine’

FOX 4 Now/’Twitter Kills Vine App’/The Fox News Channel

Sky News/’TikTok to be banned in the US from Sunday, Supreme Court rules’

BBC News/’Donald Trump’s inauguration set to take place’

NBC News/’TikTok is back up again in the U.S. following a shutdown overnight’

Mark Zuckerberg/’Mark Zuckerberg announces the end of Meta's fact-checking program in the United States’/Facebook

Artwork acknowledgments:

Cathleen Dovolis

Brandon Moore

B Bowen

Nicholas Fraser

James Morosky

Ava Ryan

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