593. You Can Make a Killing, but Not a L...

He was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and explains why some infinities are bigger than others. If you'd like to see t ... Show More

For decades, teams have tried (and mostly failed) to predict which college quarterbacks will thrive in the pros. Is the science finally catching up? Stephen Dubner speaks with a scout, a psychologist, a data warrior, and a Hall of Fame quarterback who nobody wanted. SOURCES:Scott ... Show More

He started with one small shop in London. He has since resuscitated both Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. He tells Stephen Dubner exactly how he does it. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast ... Show More

There’s a phrase that’s common among those in the theater industry: You can’t make a living, but you can make a killing. Jill Furman is a theatrical producer and winner of multiple Tony awards. She’s part of the team that brought breakout successes “Hamilton” and “In The Height ... Show More

This week, we head to Broadway. Every Broadway show is mounted with incredible risk and very few shows earn back their investments. But there are huge hits and the marketing behind these shows is often bold and outrageous. And sometimes, the marketing is just plain fun.We know yo ... Show More

Get JD's new playbook Social Media Selling Machine here. Today, Jon talks about some of the most successful Broadway shows in history and the people who are really making money on them behind the scenes. Plus, hear an exclusive interview with Adam Levowitz about the challenges an ... Show More

Garth Drabinsky overcomes a sickly childhood to become a world-famous theater producer, bringing big shows like Phantom of the Opera and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to his native Canada. Then he tackles Broadway, always staging shows that were bigger, brighter, a ... Show More

<p>The play, entitled “Steadily She Slows”, has, from a dramatic perspective, turned out to be a dud.</p> <p>It started with such a promising prologue of pandemic, recession, recovery, political upheaval, war and inflation. However, it has since settled into a drawn-out, repetiti ... Show More

<p>Hard work and ingenuity doesn't always go rewarded, but these stories prove otherwise. Their motivations, however, couldn't be less different.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a ... Show More

Five Broadway standouts — nominated for 'The Music Man,' 'Macbeth,' 'How I Learned to Drive,' 'American Buffalo' and 'Take Me Out,' respectively — discuss theater in the time of COVID, the challenges of eight shows a week, stage versus screen acting, exorbitant ticket prices, unr ... Show More

When Billy Joel agreed to let dance legend Twyla Tharp turn his songs into a Broadway musical it seemed like a surefire hit. But in previews, Movin’ Out was panned by the critics. It was soon headed for Broadway and was set to be an expensive and embarrassing failure.So how could ... Show More