Brian Grazer & Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment Announce Lineup for Their iHeartPodcasts

 There's a general rule in the entertainment business that success in one field does not guarantee success in another. Anyone remember pop star Brittany Spears's foray into acting? Or pop diva Mariah Carey as a thespian? How about model/spokesperson Tyra Banks as a singer? Or William Shatner with his spoken word "musical" album decades ago?

 It's difficult to invade another medium and be successful. It takes talent, an understanding of that medium, and a thoughtful business strategy.

So the announcement that Imagine Entertainment, makers of Apollo 13, Liar, Liar, The DaVinci Code and the TV show Parenthood among many other films and shows, should be a positive development for Imagine and podcasting. 

Only the local tarot card reader in your local strip mall and Matt Belloni from The Town podcast can predict the future accurately on this announcement.

So Imagine Entertainment President Justin Wilkes just announced a new slate of shows from their audio division in collaboration with iHeartPodcasts. The robust lineup of shows is the first to emerge from the slate deal formed between Imagine and iHeartMedia.

Imagine Audio, headed up by Kara Welker, will release six innovative new podcast series, produced by Nathan Kloke and co-produced by iHeartPodcasts. The slate features familiar voices like a workplace audio comedy from Ron Howard, a punk-rock murder mystery hosted by music anthropologist, and director Penelope Spheeris (Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne’s World), as well as compelling new voices like environmental thought leader Chris Turney and writer Davis Miller, a man who overcame childhood bullying through an unlikely friendship with Muhammed Ali. Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Wilkes serve as Executive Producers across the slate. 

“At Imagine Entertainment, our priority has always been telling stories that inspire and empower, and we are thrilled to debut our first slate of shows as we expand into the audio space with iHeartMedia,” said Justin Wilkes, President of Imagine Entertainment. 

“We are pleased to announce this compelling slate from iconic names like Ron Howard and Isaac Mizrahi as well as thought-provoking content exposing issues like climate change and the billion dollar sugar industry through a whole new lens,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. “Imagine Entertainment has an outstanding, decades-long reputation for bringing award-winning TV shows, features and documentaries to our screens, and we can’t wait to bring Imagine’s bespoke content to even more audiences in the audio space through iHeartPodcasts.”

The first podcast in this aggressive lineup of shows, Hello Isaac hosted by Isaac Mizrahi, has just debuted with new episodes available Mondays each week. Imagine Audio and iHeartPodcasts’ full slate of shows will include:

• Hello Isaac — Available now: Isaac Mizrahi is a jack of all trades – an iconic fashion designer, actor, singer, television presenter, and a pretty darned good cook too! Isaac Mizrahi will join experts in their field to learn how their lives - the failures, the success and their process forged them into the experts they are today. Featured guests in this raw interview show include Carson Kressley, Andy Cohen, BenDelaCreme and more. Produced with Awfully Nice. Listen now here. Please don't wear cargo pants while listening.
  
  
• Big Sugar — Launching June 20: Big Sugar is a timely story covering an epic legal battle pitting the multi-billion-dollar sugar industry against the migrant laborers who harvest sugarcane, while revealing corporate malfeasance, human rights violations, DC lobbying, nutrition downfalls and the destruction of the environment. Relentless journalists and lawyers uncover a complex network of relationships, policies, and transactions involving the highest levels of government and the communities where we live. From Novel and Weekday Fun. The official audio trailer is available now. The bitter side of sweet.
  
  
• Employees Only — Launching July 17: From creator Ron Howard, Employees Only is an improvised workplace comedy following employees at a big box store who spend their break discussing, debating, and arguing about the day’s news. This podcast is an innovative new approach to a sitcom, with a topical look at the news from every angle and perspective. Produced with Pretty-Fast. Sounds like Superstore meets CNN.
  
  
• Unf**king The Future — Launching August 8: In Unf**king the Future, climate scientist and expedition leader Chris Turney takes listeners on an increasingly urgent environmental journey, exploring the scary reality the planet faces today, and the common–sense solutions that can be implemented now to save it. Produced with Awfully Nice. Climate change deniers beware!
  
  
• Peter and the Acid King — Launching September 18: Peter and the Acid King takes listeners on a deep dive through the grimy, chaotic world of the Los Angeles punk scene in the early ’80s and the brutal murder of New Wave Theater TV host, Peter Ivers, the dynamic performer and artist known for bringing punk rock to TV.  Created by Alan Sacks (Du-Beat-E-O, Thrashin, Welcome Back Kotter) and narrated by punk historian and esteemed director Penelope Spheeris (The Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne's World). Featured guests include Jello Biafra, Frank Salerno, and Ron Howard. Produced with Awfully Nice. Forensic Files meets the Sex Pistols.
  
  
• The Tao of Muhammad Ali — Launching October 3: The Tao of Muhammad Ali from Davis Miller and based on his international best-selling book, will start with the true story of how The Champ selflessly saved a bullied young boy, the creator himself, Davis Miller, from a paralyzing depression and propelled him to success through his “Tao.”
  
  The show will carry listeners through the later years when Davis and Ali are reunited while Ali was in the throes of Parkinson’s, sharing years of The Champ’s wisdom and doctrine, which made Ali a role model and guru for millions, including stories from many of the celebrities and people of influence who were deeply impacted and inspired by their time with Ali. Produced with Awfully Nice. Something unique.
  

 Over the last five years, Imagine has emerged as a force in the unscripted space with their prolific documentary division. Imagine is further expanding on their success in the space with the formation of Imagine Audio.

 

See below if you'd like to read more about Imagine Entertainment.

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About Imagine Entertainment

 Imagine’s productions have been honored with more than 60 prestigious awards, including 47 Academy Award nominations and 228 Emmy® award nominations. Past productions include the Academy Award Best Picture winner "A Beautiful Mind", as well as Grammy Award Best Film winner "The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years." Recent productions include the critically-acclaimed film "Thirteen Lives" directed by Ron Howard, the hit film "tick, tick…Boom!" directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the critically acclaimed documentaries “Judy Blume Forever”, Sacha Jenkin’s “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues”, Rory Kennedy’s “Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari”, "Lucy & Desi" directed by Amy Poehler (Two-time Emmy winner ) and "We Feed People". Prior films include "Get on Up", “Rush", "Frost/Nixon", "American Gangster", "The Da Vinci Code", "Apollo 13", "8 Mile", "Liar, Liar", “Backdraft", and “Parenthood" to name a few.  Upcoming productions 'The Beanie Bubble", from Kristen Gore and Damian Kulash; “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Reginald Hudlin;, and the animated feature "The Family Treehorn.” Television productions include “Genius: MLK/X” (Disney+); "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" (Hulu); “Swagger" (Apple); Under the Banner of Heaven (FX); and Jax Media’s "Emily in Paris" (Netflix). Documentary productions include the “Crime Scene" anthology series, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, The Times Square Killer and The Texas Killing Fields, all of which reached the top #5 globally on Netflix; "Genius: Aretha" (NatGeo); “Julia"; "Paper & Glue"; "Rebuilding Paradise"; and Jigsaw’s “Tiger" documentary (HBO), to name a few. Additional television productions include Fox’s “Empire”;  the “24" franchise; NatGeo’s “Genius" anthology series; NBC’s “Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights''; Fox’s and Netflix’s "Arrested Development"; and HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon", for which Howard and Grazer won the Emmy® for Outstanding Mini-Series. Grazer and Howard began their collaboration in the early 80’s with the hit comedies ``Night Shift" and “Splash", and continue to run Imagine Entertainment as executive chairmen.