Fresh Produce Media Signs First Look Deal with Audible
Fresh Produce Media, the audio-first entertainment company specializing in narrative audio series, has signed a first look development and production deal with Audible. Within this collaboration, Fresh Produce will create multiple scripted and documentary audio series across a broad range of Audible verticals, bringing a talent-driven approach to genres spanning arts and entertainment, music storytelling, wellness, true crime, science fiction and more. A double-digit number of projects are already greenlit and currently in production.
The first Audible Original podcast to kick off the collaboration, Punk in Translation: Latinx Origins, was released on March 10th exclusively on Audible. This 8-part audio documentary traces the under-examined Latinx origins of punk music from Los Saicos and ? and the Mysterians –the band formed by Mexican-American children of migrant workers who became the unsung founding fathers of the genre—through contemporary artists like FEA and The Downtown Boys. In addition to being Fresh Produce Media and Audible’s first project release together, the series will also be Audible’s first production simultaneously published in both English and Spanish.
Hosted by Ceci Bastida (of the seminal Latinx punk band Tijuana No!) and produced by Nuria Net (veteran Latinx music journalist, founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Remezcla), the series features interviews ranging from Alice Bag, Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Tony Abarca (Generación Suicida), and Julieta Venegas, John Doe, Clem Burke, and Joan Jett. Through their testimonies and oral history, listeners will travel everywhere from 1960s Peru and the grime of 1970s CBGB (and its secret Latinx roots), to present-day border-town Texas and East LA, both hotbeds of queer Latinx punk activism.
Fresh Produce was founded by entrepreneur Jason Ross, specifically with the vision of creating dramatic, rich, Hollywood-caliber series that defy the standard conventions of audio entertainment today. To execute on that vision, Ross is joined by a best-in-class team of founding partners: Maureen Traynor, operations (former head of business operations at Spotify Studios); Colin Moore, content and development (IFC, AMC, Comcast); and Joe Killian, growth (American Express Unstaged, Radical Media, Momentum Worldwide).
Early creative partners and corporate collaborators include: game1 — a sports-centric content studio founded by prolific Hollywood producer, Basil Iwanyk, and esteemed sports industry executive, Greg Economou; Jagged Films; Gerber Pictures (Billy Gerber); Oso Studios; Omega Institute; and more.
Jason Ross said, “We are thrilled to be working with Audible to develop and produce new and compelling audio-first IP. We share a commitment to production quality and talent-driven storytelling. Together, we are looking forward to pushing the boundaries of audio experiences for years to come. We are also excited about our plans for 2022 and beyond as we scale and expand Fresh Produce Media.”
More projects, and release dates, for Fresh Produce developed and produced Audible Originals to be announced in the coming months.
ABOUT FRESH PRODUCE
Fresh Produce Media is a talent-driven audio entertainment company founded to meet the moment, as new and diverse opportunities for innovation and audiences shape what narrative audio content can be. From historical fiction and documentaries to sports- and music-focused stories, Fresh Produce’s roster of series brings a range of genres - and a consistency of quality - that sets it apart.
Founder Jason Ross built his career in different mediums of audio (from recording and touring, to music live streaming, and starting and successfully exiting a music-focused creative agency) before coming full-circle with Fresh Produce and narrative audio.
Combining his penchant for identifying the next big thing and diving head-first into emerging industries with his audio know-how and passion for storytelling, Ross recruited a team of founding partners to propel narrative audio into the mainstream.
Colin Moore built a career developing great stories and finding the best means of telling them; Maureen Traynor brings cutting-edge understanding of the intersection of audio content and emerging commercial models honed over a career at Spotify; and Joe Killian has spent his Emmy-winning career at the highest levels of music and entertainment finding new ways to identify and shape cultural trends and moments.
