Business on the Brink

Video game stories keep getting longer and more involved. Is there a point when a video game has too much content, too many quests, and to vast a world? The sidequest burnout is real. Then we create a glitch in The Mushroom Kingdom.

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It's the new year, when we think back fondly on our favorite things and anticipate upcoming geekery. We chat about how we are starting off the new year, talk about future news and futuristic jobs, and discuss how our favorite things don't always hold up to the test of time aka the Goonies Effect.

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There are a ton of properties coming out that are trading on our nostalgia for decades past. And with 2020 being the way it was, who could blame us for loving them? Jonathan and Ariel explore when nostalgia works and when it's a crutch.

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The pandemic threw a monkey wrench into movie studio plans. We look at which movies have been delayed, which one is coming out earlier than expected, and how streaming is causing an existential crisis for movie theaters.

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It's the final episode of Business on the Brink (at least for now). Ariel and Jonathan give a behind the scenes look on how the show came to be and how they put together each episode.

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In late 2019, a travel company in the UK went belly-up overnight, stranding thousands of people who were in the middle of a vacation. Find out about the history of Thomas Cook and how its demise was no holiday.

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This pizza pizza chain made its name with ready-made pizzas for a super low price. But a change in marketing contributed to plunging sales. What happened to Little Caesar?

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Pixar got its start as a division of Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic before splitting off under the guidance of none other than Steve Jobs of Apple fame. How did this company known for building specialty computer systems become a juggernaut in the computer animation industry?

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Bed Bath & Beyond has been through its share of ups and downs over its nearly 50 years of history. How many ups and downs? Well, the CEO of the company changed between the time this show was recorded and when it was published! Mary Winston has stepped aside for Mark Tritton.

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Just after the turn of the 20th century, a man named Isaac Jacob Collins built a glassware factory. A century (and several owners) later, Anchor Hocking has become a name brand in glass products.

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A little alien who wanted to phone home proved to be a big win for a candy product from Hershey's and it launched an era of product placement in film. But what's the story behind the name Reese's anyway?

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Once one of the top personal computer companies in North America, the company Commodore had a major fall. What happened?

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Sometimes, all you have to do to avoid the brink of disaster is to pivot and turn your mistakes into opportunities. This episode is dedicated to three such stories.

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Where else can you go when you need a desk that doubles as a Ping Pong table? No where! You go to SkyMall Magazine, and you like it! But what sent the once omnipresent magazine of the skies into a free fall?

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We're going back to the days of colorful Trapper Keepers for this one! Lisa Frank is a person and a company, known mostly for colorful designs on school supplies. But for every shiny rainbow, there's a dark cloud. 

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Formed in the wake of a tornado, the story behind Best Buy has plenty of twist(er)s. How did this retail chain survive the digital age when so many other box stores went under?

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It once dominated the communications and broadcasting industries in the United States, but by 1986 it would be reduced to a name brand. What the heck happened with RCA?

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Normally, the US government swoops in to bust up monopolies. But after World War I, it did the opposite. How did RCA come to be?

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A side hustle for a creamery turned into a major business, but after climbing the top of the pickle heap Vlasic found itself in trouble. What happened?

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