What We Do

As co-founder of the digital freight marketplace Transfix, Drew McElroy is obsessed with logistics. He takes us on a deep dive into the connection between trucking's wasteful ways and life as we know it.

Hailed by comedian John Cleese as a master of creative thinking psychology, Guy Claxton revolutionized business and entertainment with his book Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind. He's now using his research and methods to create better thinkers in elementary and middle schools.

As the illustrator of the American version of the Harry Potter series, Mary GrandPre was sworn to secrecy. She even had to keep unpublished copies of the books under lock and key—literally.

From quitting alcohol to his complicated relationship with fame, Garrison Keillor shares wonderful stories and insights from his time as an author and legendary host of A Prairie Home Companion.

As rapper Hot Karl, Jensen Karp set off on an unexpected journey from hip hop enthusiast to taking a wild ride toward rap fame. Along the way, he ate salmon dinners with record label big wigs, struggled with a mental disorder, and loaned 300 dollars to Kanye West. But when his hip-hop career slips from his fingers, he must find a new path in life—and to his 300 dollars.

As a voice actor for films, television shows, video games, promotions, and audio books, chances are you've heard Iké Amadi's voice. Stepping into the shoes of a character, Iké transforms into the likes of heroes and villains with the touch of a true pro. But for some actors, helping tell great stories can come at a deadly price.

Tony Hale has an award-winning history of playing loveable, comedic characters, including Forky from Toy Story 4. But if we peel back the surface, we’ll find layer after layer of depth to his characters—and to the art of bringing them to life.

As a former FBI hostage negotiator, Gary’s utilized countless tactics to save lives—including using the smell of food to take back a jail overrun by inmates.

As a National Geographic photographer and conservationist, Joel Sartore created the Photo Ark—a decades-long project to photograph every living species in zoos and wildlife reserves worldwide. With every snapshot, Joel hopes to raise awareness and prevent further animal extinction. But is it too little too late?

As the author of the bible for video game speedrunning, Eric Kozial takes us into an international phenomenon that centers around a highly engaged and loving community of gamers on a quest for mastery.

Humans and animals have a deep-rooted connection far beyond pet and master—a fact Christopher McDougall learns after rescuing a donkey named Sherman from a hoarder. By becoming running partners, Christopher nurses Sherman back to health and makes a lifelong friend in the process.

As the creator and host of Sports Science, John uncovers the science behind the world’s greatest athletes. Along the way he’s found some incredible statistics—and a common psychological secret.

Comedy is a puzzle. In the documentary It Started As a Joke, comedian Eugene Mirman navigates friendships, fatherhood, and his toughest puzzle yet: Finding humor in his wife Katie’s battle with cancer.

Everyone loves classical music, they just don’t know it yet. As a composer, teacher, and the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Zander has made his life’s goal to open people’s eyes to their love for their classical music and its deep connection with the human experience.

Outdated first responder technology has real-world implications in how evidence is processed and prosecuted. As the co-founder of startup Mark43, Matt Polega and his team are determined to overhaul tech in the public safety industry. It may seem like a niche field, but it’s far from it. They’ve raised over $77 million in funding from pretty big names, including Ashton Kutcher, Goldman Sachs, and Jeff Bezos. Their ever-evolving tech is now used in over 70 agencies nationwide, with many more to come. But what does it mean for the future of first responders and the victims they’re sworn to help?

Stand-up comedy is an art of rejection. For years, Duncan Trussell honed his craft, soaking up awkward audience silences and blistering critiques until something magical happened: he discovered himself on stage. Through difficult lessons (and a psychedelic cow), Duncan takes us on the wild and trippy ride from his drug addict landlord in LA to conceiving The Midnight Gospel on Netflix alongside Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward.

One of Jane Seymour’s most famous roles—Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman—started from a need to get out of 9 million dollars of debt. Tapping into wisdom from her mother, Jane persevered to create an international icon, use her success to spread her mother’s advice through the Open Hearts Foundation and (hopefully) bring Dr. Quinn’s story to a new generation.

Millions of listeners tune in every month to hear about creature sightings rooted in myth, or documented proof of a conman who killed to collect insurance payouts—then buried his victims in the walls of his mansion. It’s these dark, forgotten corners of history Aaron Mahnke explores on his mega-hit podcast, Lore. But the show was one click away from never happening.

Nicknamed "organized crime's worst nightmare," Elie Honig earned his stripes through the prosecution of John Gotti Jr and other major mafia players. Venture into the seedy details of three of Elie’s most notorious cases, where murder solves problems and justice isn't always black and white.

Every year, college students spend $2.5 billion on Calculus 1. And 40% of those students fail. Are college intro courses destined to be expensive and boring? Aaron Rasmussen doesn't think so. As co-founder of Masterclass and the founder of Outlier.org, he's setting out to revolutionize higher education. And it all starts with a touch of curiosity.

Lisa's consistent can-do attitude and warm smile are infectious. When she talks about running, her eyes glow and she wraps you up in her stories of struggle and triumph. But when she sets out to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, she experiences challenges the likes of which she never could have imagined. Can she complete the journey and possibly capture a world record? Or are the odds too stacked against her?

As the author of the internationally bestselling ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events,’ Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) has a curiosity for the peculiar. And a long history with libraries. Take a dive into his love for poetry, hear hilarious stories from his time on set with Netflix, and learn why the disappearance of libraries may just make us all a little dumber.

As co-director of LEGO Movie 2, Trisha had a major role in creating a film that melded the worlds of stop animation and computer animation. But it took a lot of hard work, and a lucky encounter, to rise up from still photography to working on Robot Chicken and beyond.

As a voice actor, Bob makes characters come alive. From Porky Pig to countless smaller supporting roles, and from radio ads to dubbing over Leonardo DiCaprio, Bob is always taking on new challenges. But it took a long time to get to where he is today. Using actual audio from his youth (including an unsolicited call he made to voice acting legend Mel Blanc), explore Bob's journey to making his childhood dream come true: becoming the voice of Porky Pig.

Having conducted the largest survey of sexual desires ever in America, Justin shares inside details of the study and some of his most interesting findings. In the end, the truth is we're all weird. And that's totally normal.

As a licensed professional counselor, Joy Parrish has heard everything. And there's a simple truth behind it all: It's hard being a human. When not helping others progress on their mental health journeys, Joy co-hosts the popular CrossFit, health, and lifestyle podcast Girls Gone WOD.

As the director of Abducted in Plain Sight (the documentary that took Netflix and the world by storm), Skye takes us behind the scenes of filming and how the documentary has created international awareness for child abuse.

Jake the Mortician - As a mortician, 25-year-old Jake works a job most of us will need, but few of us know anything about by the time we actually ‘need’ his services personally. With compassion and a touch of humor, Jake shares his experiences with life, death, and everything in the middle.

Meet Jon. He's a Special Olympics powerlifter with zero fear. And a lot of that can be attributed to his parents, who put Jon in positions where he can fail, cultivating independence and helping Jon live his best life.

300 years ago, a ship carrying treasures worth 17 billion dollars sank off the coast of Columbia. In 2015, a group set out to find it. That group included oceanographic engineer Jeff Kaeli, one of five team members from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Having dreamed of discovering a shipwreck since he was a kid, Jeff was hopeful that the advanced technology at their fingertips would help them uncover a piece of long-lost history. But after being missing for 300 years, the chances they'd find the ship weren't in their favor.

After finding success with his first novel—including a Hollywood movie deal before the book was even released—Warm Bodies series author Isaac Marion is faced with the challenge of where to go next, all the while fighting to break free of industry stereotypes.

In episode one of What We Do, Doug Fraser talks to Glenn Steinbaum - You may not know his name, but you've definitely heard his voice. As a voice-over actor for movie trailers, Glenn's heard by millions of people around the world. But what may seem like the easiest job in the world is anything but EASY.

Meet the people behind the most intriguing passions, hobbies, and jobs around the world. Each of our stories has the power to shape us all.