3. Subway to Stardom

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes – MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgments:CBS News/CNET/’It’s official: Twitter Shut Down Vine’Bluezone Corporation/’Cinematic Session – Industrial Samples & Impacts’Artwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddell - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgements:Marcus Johns/ Co VinesMarcus Johns/ InstagramInside 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 DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes – MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive 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 LabsArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive Acknowledgments:Tim & Dee TV/Haliey WelchABC News/‘Meet the Vine Stars Who Turn 6 Seconds of Fame into Big Bucks’Jools LebronBrandon MooreKayla NewmanMarvel Studios/’Black Panther’/Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesValo/’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 DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive 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 Worldwide60 Minutes Overtime/’Social media influencer Logan Paul talks to "60 Minutes”’/CBS NewsSquawk Alley/’Jake Paul Talks Transitioning From Vine Star To Disney Star’/CNBCNetflix Sports/’Jake Paul Wins | Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’/NetflixArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

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 & CreatorMary Goodhart - Producer & CreatorKevyah Cardoso - Narrative & Creative ProducerPatrick Lee - Sound Design & ScoreChris Janes - MixLucy Chisholm Batten - LegalSophie Snelling - Executive ProducerAl Riddel - Head of Factual PodcastsVicky Etchells - Director of PodcastsArchive acknowledgments:CBS Sunday Morning/'From 2005: Four young internet entrepreneurs'/CBS NewsJawed Karim/‘Me at the zoo’/YouTubeChannel 4 News Theme/‘Best Endeavours’/Alan HawkshawChannel 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 ChannelPacificRimVideoPress/’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 ChannelSky 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’/FacebookArtwork acknowledgments:Cathleen DovolisBrandon Moore B BowenNicholas FraserJames MoroskyAva Ryan

Do you remember Vine? The six-second video app that sparked a cultural revolution, launched careers, and laid the foundation for today’s TikTok obsession? In Vine: Six Seconds That Changed the World, comic and host Benedict Townsend takes you deep inside the rise and sudden fall of the internet’s most chaotic, creative playground.Featuring exclusive interviews with Vine creators, tech insiders, and even a co-founder, this investigative series uncovers the shocking truth behind Vine’s mysterious shutdown. Was it just a money issue—or something more sinister? Blackmail, betrayal, profit over art... the real story is wilder than any meme.If you’re a fan of internet culture, digital history, or just want to know why your favourite app disappeared without a trace, this is the podcast for you.🎧 First episodes launching April 23rd.Available on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts.