Audible Strikes Worldwide Multi-Project Deal with At Will Media
Audible today announced a multi-project slate deal with AT WILL MEDIA, an award winning independently-owned podcast studio.
Known for their scripted and non-fiction podcast originals, AT WILL MEDIA joined forces with Audible to launch their first Audible Original, Sorry Charlie Miller in 2021, starring Zachary Quinto, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Michelle Buteau, Ashley Benson and a full cast. Since the successful debut of this collaboration, a second dynamic project has already been announced, an innovative singing competition series, Breakthrough, which is executive produced by Kick the Habit, headed by Grammy Award-winning and Billboard chart-topping artist/producer duo, The Chainsmokers which is currently in development at Audible. Breakthrough follows a group of aspiring professional singers as they work through a series of challenges, allowing listeners to connect with undiscovered artists intimately and exclusively through their music and voices, as they learn from the industry’s best along the way. At the end of the season, one artist will be crowned the winner.
The third project and first from the slate deal will be KOZ, a scripted podcast that tells the unbelievable true story of Special Agent Darrin Kozlowski, who spent two decades climbing the ranks of the most ruthless biker gangs in America, all while working undercover for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Set to premiere on September 15, 2022, the series uses a unique mix of interviews with the real-life Darrin “Koz” Kozlowski and dramatized reenactments featuring a full cast which includes Taylor Kitsch, Kate Mara, Xander Berkeley and Chris Diamantopoulos. This project is written by Rob Fresco (Ray Donovan), directed by Scott Ellis (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and executive produced by Will Malnati of AT WILL MEDIA, along with Kitsch and Fresco.
Two additional projects are in development at Audible, Untitled News Trivia Show, a fun dive into the week’s news that invites listeners to test their wits against journalists and comedians who are muddling through - just like the rest of us - the onslaught of information and screaming headlines, and Possession, a scripted thriller about a young couple, forced out of their home by a stranger claiming it as his own, who struggle against arcane, Kafkaesque adverse possession charges in a desperate bid to take back their property. Equal parts ghost-story and home-invasion thriller, Possession is a nine-part mystery, written by Matthew Derby (Phreaks) and Brianna Holt, that explores the intersection of class, race, and a housing crisis ready to explode.
Will Malnati, Founder & CEO, “We are so excited to link arms with Audible on this exciting new collaboration. Their successful track record of creating ambitious content of the highest quality and their commitment to giving creators the ability to create couldn’t be more aligned with our philosophy at AT WILL MEDIA.”
“At Audible we strive to create genre and format bending content; breaking the existing templates to develop truly creative projects that tell stories in new and often experimental ways. We are excited to have joined forces with AT WILL MEDIA to bring such a varied slate of new projects to our listeners,” said Pat Shah, Head of Content Acquisition & Development, Audible. “Their creativity knows no bounds and we are excited to bring such imaginative and unique audio storytelling to our listeners. From a never-been-done-before singing competition show to a unique drama series that innovatively mixes actors’ portrayals with real interviews; from comedy to drama and thriller to competition, listeners will be delighted by everything we have to come.”
This deal follows Audible’s recently announced production and development deals with top creatives such as Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s media company; George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures; Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street; Hillman Grad Productions founded by Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani; Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit; Elizabeth Banks; Laura Dern’s Jaywalker Pictures; Kenya Barris’ Khalabo Ink Society; Topic Studios; Treefort Media; Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media; Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Productions; Charlamagne tha God’s CTHAGOD World Productions; and The SpringHill Company, founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Projects produced via this exclusive deal will join a series of best-in-class Audible Originals including recent releases like the #1 New York Times best-selling audio fiction The Sandman from Neil Gaiman, performed by James McAvoy, Kat Dennings, Michael Sheen and a full cast; the highly anticipated sequel The Sandman: Act II; Hot White Heist, a unique scripted comedy from Broadway Video; My Body, My Podcast, an open space for all things sex and sexuality, created and hosted by Elizabeth Banks; Who I Am, from The Who’s Pete Townshed, the latest in the Words + Music franchise; Coupledom with Idris and Sabrina Elba featuring unguarded conversations from some of the world’s most interesting duos; and James Patterson’s The Coldest Case starring Aaron Paul, among many more.
ABOUT AT WILL MEDIA One of the fastest growing independently-owned podcast studios in the U.S., AT WILL MEDIA is an award-winning production company with offices in Manhattan and Los Angeles, founded in 2016 by CEO Will Malnati. It’s diverse slate of non-fiction and scripted originals consist of the Webby Award-winning, and recent winner of Adweek’s Podcast of the Year Award 2022 for ‘Best Pop Culture Podcast,’ Wild Things, an Apple TV+ docu-series exploring the lives of famed magicians Siegfried and Roy, and the Webby Award-nominated scripted series 14 Days with Felicity starring Jordan Klepper and Helene York.
Their production services business boasts partners including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV+, American Express, Southwest Airlines, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Verizon, Ford, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, Morgan Stanley, Bleacher Report, and Viacom/CBS.
