Business Daily

What links the lightsabre, Scream mask and Wilson the volleyball?

They’re all film props - objects that help bring stories to life on screen. Behind the scenes, they support a whole industry of specialist expertise.

We speak to prop masters about the pressures on budgets and safety, following the death of Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on set by a prop gun.

Produced and presented by Laura Heighton-Ginns

(Image: Harry Potter's glasses on display in June 2021 at Prop Store in California, US. Credit: Getty Images)

RMS Titanic sank on 15 April 1912 claiming the lives of more than 1500 people. Just over 700 survived the disaster.

The events surrounding the sinking of the luxury ocean liner, the identities of those on board, plus the stories of heroism and heartbreak on the night have generated global fascination in the vessel, which continues to this day. And that interest in Titanic has generated huge commercial appeal and revenue - for writers, film and documentary makers, museums and auction houses.

We examine how some mysteries surrounding the doomed ship continue to spawn so many, varied business ventures around the world - and the ethical questions that arise from the continued fascination in the Titanic story.

(Picture: Woman looking down at some binoculars inside a glass case at a Titanic exhibition in Paris, France. Credit: Getty Images)

Presented and produced by Russell Padmore

2023 was a record year of live music, with an all-time high in worldwide ticket sales.

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift’s world tours broke records, however fans trying to get tickets faced big problems.

We hear from musicians, fans and global ticket selling giant Live Nation (of which Ticketmaster is a part) to find out what’s happening, and if it is broken, what is being done to fix it?

Produced and presented by Sam Gruet

(Image: Beyoncé performs onstage during the Renaissance World Tour in October 2023, Kansas City, Missouri. Credit: Getty Images)

The campaign teams supporting Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the race to the White House are expected to spend a total of more than $10 billion.

A journalist with the CBS network, Larry Magid, explains why most of the money will be spent on political advertising on television.

Professor Natasha Lindstaedt, from the University of Essex explains analyses why spending on American political campaigns continues to escalate.

The marketing expert, Allyson Stewart Allen, explains how the creative teams behind the political messages have learned lessons from advertising products like a new brand of drink.

We also hear from Robin Porter, the Head of Political at Loop Me on how the company’s artificial intelligence is helping to target voters, notably in swing states.

Produced and presented by Russell Padmore

(Image: Voters in Santa Monica. Credit: Getty Images)

They’re the 300 dollar subscription fitness bands being worn by a host of celebrity-backers in 2024. But who is the business leader behind the billion-dollar Whoop brand?

The son of an Egyptian migrant to the US, Will Ahmed was always interested in sports. During his college years he started to notice the dangers of doing too much sports training. He describes this as a ‘rabbit hole’ as he began researching sleep and recovery patterns in professional athletes.

This led him to create a fitness tracker company that is a 3.4 billion dollar venture today, attracting famous athlete-investors like Michael Phelps and Cristiano Ronaldo and taking on established names in fitness tech like Apple, Google, Garmin and Fitbit.

We hear how he did it, and what challenges he’s faced along the way.

(Picture: Will Ahmed in his office, wearing a Whoop device. Credit: Whoop)

Presented and produced by Devina Gupta

After protests and political turmoil, we look at the challenges facing the new interim government.

We'll hear from the biggest suppliers to global fast fashion brands and talk to students about their hopes and anxieties.

Plus we have an exclusive interview with the country’s new central bank governor.

Presenter: Nikhil Inamdar

(Image: A garment worker at a sewing machine in Bangladesh)

Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and even Donald Trump have signed up to the manifesting philosophy - the trend in believing that dreams can come true if you envision a positive outcome.

But does it hold the secret to financial and professional success or is it a pseudoscientific fad? And what's behind the meteoric rise of this new-age practice?

From books and podcasts to thousands of creators and videos on social media, Megan Lawton traces the history, investigates the methods and explores the latest wave of this 'positive mindset phenomenon'.

Presented and produced by Megan Lawton

(Picture: Alicia Tghlian runs manifesting platform, Growth for Girlies, from her condo in Toronto, Canada.)

As many countries and cities around the world rally against over tourism, we're in Albania which is investing huge sums in growing its infrastructure to welcome visitors in.

The UN ranks Albania 4th globally for tourism growth and it places top spot in the European list of countries.

Produced and presented by Daniel Rosney

(Image: Aerial view of a crowded sand beach with umbrellas and lots of people at sunset in Ksamil, southern Albania. Credit: Getty Images)

We hear from farmers in Montana, Iowa and Georgia.

What do they want to hear from the presidential candidates ahead of the US election?

Presenter: Ed Butler

(Image: A farmer using a combine in the US. Credit: Getty Images)

It is transfer deadline day for football's most competitive league - the Premier League - when clubs can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club.

In the cut and thrust of football's transfer market are the agents. Among them, Kees Vos - who has been described as one of the most influential figures in world football. As agent to Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, he is said to control the ins and outs of the club.

Matt Lines talks to him about the stories behind the headline transfer sagas and how the industry has changed during his 20 years in the business.

(Photo: Kees Vos. Credit: SEG Entertainment)

Presented/produced by Matt Lines