The Industrial CapitalistThe Foundry.
Long-form conversations with the operators and financiers of American energy. Each season goes deep on one industry. Season One is the oil patch, told by the people who run it.
How an episode is built.
Every conversation runs about an hour and follows the same three questions. They are simple to ask and hard to answer, which is the point.
The First Machine
Every guest begins with the piece of iron that started the business. What it cost, who lent the money, and what it took to keep it running.
The Number
One figure that defines the enterprise. The first payroll, the purchase price, the invoice that never got paid. We spend real time on it.
Truck Three
The moment the company outgrew its founder, and what had to change in how it was run.
Recorded remotely or on location. Off the record is honored. On the record is edited with care.
Who belongs at the table.
We are looking for people with their names on the loan documents. Three kinds of guest, in particular.
The people who run it
Founders and owners of service companies, rental fleets, fabrication shops, and pipeline and oilfield crews.
The people who fund it
Lenders, investors, and acquirers who finance and buy industrial businesses, and can say what they look for.
The people who sold it
Owners who bought, sold, or handed down a company, and are willing to say what the number was.
For now we are not booking consultants, vendors, or spokespeople. Energy first. Manufacturing, infrastructure, defence, and power will follow.
Every industry has its historians. Few have had them from the inside.
Propose a guest, or a story.
Use this form for yourself, for someone you think we should hear from, or for a story that deserves telling. Every submission is read by the editorial desk. If it fits the season we are building, a producer will be in touch.
There is no fee to appear and we do not sell placements. Submissions are held in confidence and used only to plan the programme.