{"podcast":{"title":"The Hidden Third","slug":"the-hidden-third-7538391","podcast_index_feed_id":7538391,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ROOSTER9417367138","website_url":"https://marianavanzeller.me/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/dcfbbf74-9fac-11f0-8877-4fa940d82a6e/image/f5b2b20cb475ccf4247036ec84dfa83d.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Mariana van Zeller","episode_count":40,"summary":"From Emmy and Peabody Award–winning journalist Mariana van Zeller comes THE HIDDEN THIRD, a weekly dive into the underground markets that quietly power a third of the global economy. Every episode Mariana sits down with people who know these worlds firsthand - the hustlers, smugglers, scammers, kingpins, and those trying to shut them down. The series reveals how they function, why they endure, and the profound ways they impact us all. New episodes drop every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. The Hidden Third is a co-production of Muck Media and The Roost Podcast Network.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-08T16:20:00.731987+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391"},"episode":{"title":"From The Kink Machine: The Secret Power Behind Porn","slug":"from-the-kink-machine-the-secret-power-behind-porn","published_at":"2026-02-13T20:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391/from-the-kink-machine-the-secret-power-behind-porn","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/mgln.ai/e/94/claritaspod.com/measure/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/pfx.vpixl.com/j0JIg/traffic.megaphone.fm/ROOSTER5968808165.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/mgln.ai/e/94/claritaspod.com/measure/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/pfx.vpixl.com/j0JIg/traffic.megaphone.fm/ROOSTER5968808165.mp3","summary":"On The Hidden Third, we explore the underground worlds and shadowy figures that drive much of the global economy—so today I’m excited to share an excerpt from a new audiobook about one of our culture’s most taboo, most-watched, and least-understood industries: porn. It’s the most watched business in the world. And the least understood. Streamed by millions every day, porn is everywhere. It shapes our culture, our relationships, and even technology. Yet, nobody seems to know who really controls the business. The power brokers tend to lurk in the shadows, while their performers remain quite literally exposed. In the new audiobook The Kink Machine: The Hidden Business of Adult Entertainment, from Pushkin Industries and the Financial Times, Financial Times journalists Patricia Nilsson and Alex Barker start digging into the porn industry and following where the money flows. Their reporting uncovers a shadowy power structure that includes billionaires, tech geniuses, and the most powerful finance companies in the world. A gripping exposé of how power operates behind the most taboo corner of the internet, Nilsson and Barker unravel a story about control, influence, and an industry with staggering cultural reach that no one really wants to talk about—until now. Here’s a preview of The Kink Machine. If you like what you hear, get The Kink Machine on Audible, Spotify, Pushkin.fm, or wherever you get audiobooks. https://bio.to/KMHidden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"On The Hidden Third, we explore the underground worlds and shadowy figures that drive much of the global economy—so today I’m excited to share an excerpt…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1996,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-hidden-third-7538391/episodes/from-the-kink-machine-the-secret-power-behind-porn/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391/from-the-kink-machine-the-secret-power-behind-porn.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}