The Octus Download

The mailbag is officially open. Jason Sanjana & Kevin Eckhardt hand the episode over to listeners for the first-ever Octus Download mailbag, starting with Bankruptcy 101: (02:40) Does filing for bankruptcy mean a company is actually going out of business? (04:44) When billions of dollars of debt disappear, who actually loses that money? (07:15) What does “restructuring” really mean? And (10:41) why can’t a bankrupt company just sell everything it owns and pay everyone back?

Then things get more personal. At (13:47) Jason and Kevin pick the bankruptcy cases they’ll never forget, (17:47) choose the one case they’d use to explain bankruptcy to someone who knows absolutely nothing about finance, and (24:11) tackle the favorite bankruptcy of the year, wrong answers only.

At (27:53) the credit talk stops and Culture Mail opens, with TV takes, Emmy opinions, movie recommendations (35:03) Producer Tanya Mail puts the hosts on the spot about things cut from the show, rabbit holes they still want to go down and the takes they know will start an argument.

And then, (37:29) Hate Mail arrives. At (38:07) U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan joins the fun with a message for Kevin, a concern about his future source material and one very specific job offer. Finally, at (41:36) Jason and Kevin close the first mailbag and invite listeners to send the next round of questions, complaints and bad takes to podcasts@octus.com.

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Hosted by Jason Sanjana & Kevin Eckhardt
Produced and Edited by Tanya Hubbard
A Production of The Octus Podcast Network
  • (00:06) - Cold open and the mailbag is live
  • (00:44) - Jason reads the compliance read
  • (02:31) - Does bankruptcy mean going out of business
  • (04:11) - Who loses the money when debt gets wiped
  • (07:07) - What restructuring actually moves around
  • (10:47) - Why not just sell everything and pay everyone
  • (13:57) - The case Kevin will never forget
  • (15:55) - The Shreveport riverboat casino buffet
  • (17:53) - One case to teach someone finance
  • (24:14) - Favorite bankruptcy of the year, wrong answers only
  • (27:53) - Culture Mail opens
  • (34:57) - Producer Mail with Tanya Hubbard
  • (37:28) - Hate Mail and a letter from Judge Kaplan
  • (42:33) - Wrap and close

Creators and Guests

Host
Jason Sanjana
"Jason Sanjana is Senior Vice President and Head of Legal Analysis for the Americas at Octus, and co-host of The Octus Download. He runs legal analysis for the Americas, including U.S. bankruptcy coverage, and joined the company in 2013 as its first legal analyst. On The Octus Download, Jason covers distressed debt, litigation, and the debt markets generally, and explains them like a normal person would. He is happiest when his passions, like skiing and 90s pop culture, run into distressed debt and bankruptcy. Before Octus, Jason was an associate in the restructuring, insolvency, and workouts group at Latham & Watkins. He holds a J.D. from New York University and a B.A. in economics and international relations from Tufts University. Outside work, Jason lives in Miami, where he spends time with his family and his weekends cycling around southern Miami-Dade County, dodging some of the most creative drivers in South Florida.
Host
Kevin Eckhardt
Kevin is Senior Director and Deputy Managing Editor at Octus, where he covers in-court and out-of-court restructurings and distressed situations across the Americas. Kevin also co-hosts The Octus Download and writes Octus' monthly Americas Court Opinion Review, where he discusses the latest developments in bankruptcy courts with a touch of whimsy, a ton of sarcasm and a few YouTube links. He joined Octus in 2019 after nearly two decades advising clients on complex claims, SEC receiverships, and distressed situations, from Madoff to the Icelandic bank failures. He has a nose for the messy cases and a low tolerance for ""independent"" directors and backstop goodies. He holds a J.D. from the University of Florida and a B.A. in journalism from Syracuse University, which together explain a lot. Kevin grew up in Miami and now lives in New York with his wife and four dogs. He is a lifelong fan of sports and British panel shows."
Producer
Tanya Hubbard
Tanya Hubbard is Director of Podcasts and Social Media at Octus. She built the Octus Podcast Network from the ground up, runs social strategy and oversees production across two studios, one in New York and one in London. Her team took ownership of the company's podcast and social channels, rebuilt them and changed how Octus tells its stories. She came to Octus from CBS Sports, where she spent more than three years running the SportsLine division. Before that she spent three years at The Ringer leading preproduction for NBA Desktop. She's won two Emmys, one for NBA Desktop and one for her work with the TNT crew in Atlanta. Earlier in her career she produced Fair Game for Fox Sports, worked on Mostly Football for Yahoo and Complex and spent two years freelance editing highlights for Comcast SportsNet. After 17 years making shows people choose to watch, she runs the Octus studios with that same show business discipline. Tanya holds a broadcast journalism degree from Temple University and is based in New York. She helped start two employee resource groups at Octus, OWN for women and SERG for sustainability, and still helps lead OWN. Outside work she volunteers at VillageCare supporting elderly residents, is a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters and spends her downtime with her dog, Lady.

What is The Octus Download?

The Octus Download delivers bold, unfiltered conversations that break down complex financial markets while connecting them to the world we actually live in. Hosted by Jason Sanjana & Kevin Eckhardt, this bi-weekly podcast cuts through the noise with insightful analysis, expert interviews, and just the right amount of personality. Each episode explores major trends in credit markets, dives deep into corporate finance, unpacks financial chaos, and examines how these developments impact both Wall Street and Main Street. But we don’t stop at the numbers we also explore the cultural forces shaping business decisions and the occasional bizarre intersections of finance with everyday life. Whether you’re tracking market movements, curious about investment strategies, or just want smart financial conversation with some pop culture thrown in, The Octus Download delivers market intelligence that’s both valuable and entertaining. Join us every other week as we connect the dots between money, markets, and modern life one episode at a time.