Erik Mancha, an Odessa native, is struggling to keep his small business afloat in the wake of the oil crisis in Texas.
Erik Mancha, an Odessa native, is struggling to keep his small business afloat in the wake of the oil crisis in Texas. Courtesy of Erik Mancha
The Weekend Brief podcast for May 9, 2020

When the price of crude plummeted into the negatives, Eric Mancha lost all of his oil contracts and was forced to lay off 70% of his workforce. As an Odessa native, he’s seen his share of booms and busts but says nothing compares to this latest hit.

Mancha recounts the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with an oil price dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia, in the latest weekend edition of The Brief podcast.

 Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Alana Rocha was the director of news partnerships for The Texas Tribune until June 2022. She was previously a multimedia reporter, after working in television and radio news for eight years. Alana covered...

Todd Wiseman was the senior editor for video and multimedia at The Texas Tribune, where he worked from 2010 to 2023. Todd previously worked at the Austin School of Film and Synthetic Pictures and interned...

Justin Dehn was a multimedia producer, focusing on video and audio production, from 2010 to 2023. He’s been shooting and producing news for more than two decades. Justin has been behind the camera for...