Snap Judgment

For 110 days Peter Hammarstedt and his group of ocean vigilantes hunted the most notorious poacher of sea bass on the high seas, known as the Thunder. Their journey turns into an epic chase across 10,000 miles, two seas, and three oceans, through massive ice floors, violent clashes, and storms-tossed seas, where only one ship makes it home.

This story contains explicit language, sensitive listeners please be advised.

Thank you so much to Peter Hammarstedt for sharing your story with us!

Thanks as well to Ian Urbina. We first heard about this story thanks to his reporting. You can find his book, The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, on Knopf, Amazon, or anywhere books are sold. Ian has a great collection of stories and books about the lawless ocean.

Also, BIG thanks to Brick City TV & Mark Benjamin for sharing the audio from their documentary, Ocean Warriors: Chasing the Thunder. You can see a trailer of the film here.

Produced by Nikka Singh, original score by Renzo Gorrio, artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 13 - Episode 20 - Snap Classic

A young woman wakes up in her Beijing dorm room to a call. A strange voice, a man she barely remembers, is asking her a question that will change her destiny. And a doctor hears one of her classical music idols play one of the greatest serenades of all time.

STORIES

Ping

A young woman wakes up in her Beijing dorm room to a call. A strange voice,  a man she barely remembers, is asking her a question that will change her destiny.

Thank you, Wang Ping, for sharing your story with us! Wang Ping is a poet, writer, photographer, performance and multimedia artist. Want to learn more about her? Check out her website.

Produced by Annie Nguyen, original score by Daniel Riera, artwork by Teo Ducot

“Dying to Tchaikovsky”

Family medicine physician Catherine Sonquist Forest listens to one of her classical music idols serenade a dying loved one in the hospital.

This story came to us from The Nocturnists podcast, it was told by Catherine Forest, MD. The Nocturnists are a vibrant community of healthcare workers who are celebrating their humanity through storytelling. They have live performances, a podcast, and so much more. Listen & subscribe now!

Hosted by Emily Silverman

Produced by Emily Silverman and Marina Poole.

Story Development by Adelaide Papazoglou

Sound Engineering by Alberto Hernandez

Assistant Producing by Kirk Klocke

Original theme music by Yosef Munro, additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Season 13 - Episode 19

The story of a chimpanzee and a man whose dream brought disaster to a small American town.

This story details violence against animals. Sensitive listeners, please be advised.

Thank you, Carson Vaughan, for sharing your story with Snap! Read more about Zoo Nebraska in Carson’s book, Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream.

Additional thanks to Patti Ragan from the Center for Great Apes.

Produced by John Fecile and Carson Vaughan, original score by Renzo Gorrio

Additional production by Jesse Dukes and Pat Mesiti-Miller

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Interested in protecting Great Apes? Learn more at the Center for Great Apes

Season 13 – Episode 18 - Snap Classic

Two women, Bates and Stokes, were LPCs at Pontiac Correctional Center outside Chicago. They were popular with their clients. They always had each other’s back. And that... was just the start of their problems. Plus, the story of two men who come face to face one night in the canyonlands of southern Utah.

STORIES

Bates & Stokes

Two women, Bates and Stokes, were LPCs at Pontiac Correctional Center outside Chicago. They were popular with their clients. They always had each other’s back. And that... was just the start of their problems.

This story contains graphic elements and mentions suicide and racism. Please take care while listening.

This story comes to us from WBEZ’s new season of the Motive podcast. This season investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried. Listen and subscribe to Motive now!

Reported by Shannon Heffernan

Produced by Jesse Dukes, Marie Mendoza, and Joe Deceault with story editing from John Fecile, Annie Nguyen, and Nancy Lopez

Special thanks to Adamu Chan

Original Score by Cue Shop and Renzo Gorrio

Artwork by Teo Ducot

The Incident At Poison Spider Mesa

The story of two men who come face to face one night in the canyonlands of southern Utah.

Brody Young is a Utah State Park Ranger and motivational speaker, helping other people figure out how to survive the unsurvivable. To find out more about his story, be sure to check out his website.

Produced by Joe Rosenberg, original score by Leon Morimoto

Season 13 - Episode 17

A plane crash, a mysterious man in a white suit, and a crazy idea to just go with the flow on a journey to the Amazon River. All aboard "The Pink Palace." Your honeymoon starts... now.

Thank you, Holly Fitzgerald, for sharing your story with us! Read more about Holly’s epic romance in her memoir, Ruthless River.

Produced by Nikka Singh, original score by Renzo Gorrio, artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 13 - Episode 16 - Snap Classic

The story behind the story of Glynn Washington… on life growing up in an apocalyptic cult like you’ve never heard before. Snap Judgment presents, “The World Tomorrow," from Love & Radio with Nick van der Kolk.

Love & Radio features in-depth, otherworldly-produced interviews with an eclectic range of subjects, from the seedy to the sublime. It’s hosted by Nick van der Kolk who is a Snap Alum! Listen & subscribe to Love & Radio on your favorite podcast player… you won’t regret it.

If you haven't already, be sure to also check out The Secrets Hotline podcast from Love & Radio. Share your secret and read others on Instagram.

Produced by Nick van der Kolk, Andrew Gill, Nicki Stein & Phil Dmochowski. Contributing Editor: Steven Jackson

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 13 - Episode 15

It's the roar of the crowd, on the edge of your seat, in that pivotal moment in history. Is it the Iran Hostage Crisis in Tehran or the 1955 World Series in Brooklyn? For one man, Press Attaché Barry Rosen, it's both. And a Houma man can't be bothered by anyone… except for his best friend, Brown the dog.

STORIES

Field of Dreams

It's the roar of the crowd, on the edge of your seat, in that pivotal moment in history. Is it the Iran Hostage Crisis in Tehran or the 1955 World Series in Brooklyn? For one man, Press Attaché Barry Rosen, it's both.

This story recounts experiences of violence and torture. Sensitive listeners, please be advised.

Original score by Dirk Schwarzhoff with additional music by Bo Walsh, produced by Bo Walsh

Sherlock Hound

Kirby Verret’s grandpa was a Houma Indian who just wanted to hunt and be free on the Louisiana bayou. He couldn’t be bothered by anyone...except for his best friend, Brown the dog.

Produced by Stephanie Foo

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 13 - Episode 14

There’s something special about the small town of Montrose, surrounded by the majestic mountains and quiet mesas of western Colorado. One night, an explosion in the night sky brings townspeople out to search for something more. Something bigger. Something out of this world.

Special thanks to Brendan Borrell for his original reporting in Montrose and Delta, Colorado.

You can read more about the continuing fallout between Steve Curry and Blaine Reed in his article in The Verge.  Additional thanks to Blaine and his brother Blake Reed, Ryan Brown, Zillamay at Mountain of the West, Paul Paladino, Dave Lehman, and Duane Renfrow.

Produced by Shaina Shealy & Jazmi­n Aguilera, original score by Renzo Gorrio

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Narcocorrido superstar Chalino Sánchez sings to a sold-out crowd for the first time in Sinaloa. It's the best night of his career until someone hands him a note. His face turns pale and his smile slowly disappears. That night, after the show, Chalino will be executed. But who killed him and why? We begin a journey to understand Chalino's life and impact on him, and the theories behind his unsolved murder on him. This incredible story comes to us from our friends at Sonoro Media and Futuro Studios.

This episode contains graphic language, scenes of violence, and drug use that are not suitable for all audiences, discretion is advised.

“Ídolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sánchez,” is an 8-episode podcast that examines the extraordinary life of the Mexican singer-songwriter and attempts to unravel the mystery of his unsolved murder. Hosted by Erick Galindo in English and Alejandro Mendoza in Spanish. You can listen in English or Spanish on any podcast platform!

Season 13 - Episode 12 - Spotlight

When record store owner Jeff Bubeck buys an old record collection out of an abandoned storage unit, he has no idea what he’s stumbled across. Jeff learns the collection once belonged to the late great J Dilla, one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time. Along with the thousands of LPs from Dilla’s personal collection, there is something else that is uncovered, something huge.

Producer Pat Mesiti-Miller talks with Jeff Bubeck and Dilla’s mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey.

Learn more about the J Dilla Foundation. Want to hear some of the music from the recovered tapes? Go listen to: The Lost Scrolls, Vol. 1 - EP J Dilla.

Produced by Pat Mesiti-Miller, artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 13 - Episode 11 - Snap Classic