iHeart Podcasts That Are Ear Worthy: Historical Records & Radio Ambulante

I'm a big fan of Questlove, and an enthusiastic supporter of podcasts that focus on diverse communities that define and enrich the U.S. That being said, iHeart should be proud of these two podcasts.
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Historical Records podcast spotlights under-celebrated historical heroes

Historical Records is a new podcast that blends hip-hop and history, debuted its trailer on September 19 and launched officially on September 27. The project, conceived by Story Pirates’ Benjamin Salka and Lee Overtree; co-executive produced by Story Pirates Studios, Questlove’s Two One Five Entertainment, and Johnathan Glickman, CEO of Miramax; and co-produced and distributed by iHeartPodcasts.

"We are excited to announce 'Historical Records,' a project born from the collaboration between Story Pirates Studios, Questlove, Jonathan Glickman, and iHeart," said Benjamin Salka, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Story Pirates, and Co-Executive Producer of Historical Records. "This new podcast series melds history with hip-hop, energizing each narrative with our collective creativity and insight. The vision and guidance from Miramax’s Jonathan Glickman, coupled with the creative and musical contributions from Questlove's Two One Five, have been crucial in making history resonate with today's audience through the power of music and storytelling."

Hosted by Story Pirates alumni and Broadway actress Nimene Wureh (“Our Town,” Fall 2024), Historical Records will feature the trailblazing stories of under-celebrated historical heroes from the past in fields such as social change, science, sports, and the arts, reimagined into original hip-hop tracks. Each episode pairs these unique songs with distinct historical narratives. Following each song, an insightful discussion will take place between a curious kid (ages 8-14) interested in the topic and a modern-day notable figure in that field, intertwining musicality with history in a way that’s educational, entertaining, and engaging for kids and grownups alike.

"Integrating historical storytelling with the universal language of music opens up a dynamic way to empower young people," said Lee Overtree, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Story Pirates, and Co-Executive Producer of Historical Records. “By focusing on under-celebrated heroes such as Ida Tarbell, Josh Gibson, Keith Haring, and Bill Russell, we aim to cultivate a deep sense of possibility, inspiring listeners to think big and to blaze bold new paths, just like the changemakers before them.”

Special guests for the podcast include modern-day notable figures such as Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; Jalen Rose, a former professional basketball player and Co-Founder of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit, Michigan; Roxane Gay, author of the New York Times bestseller "Bad Feminist"; Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and Emmy Award-winning journalist for CNN; Shepard Fairey, a contemporary artist and Founder of OBEY, among many others. These guests will help bring the stories of these under-celebrated historical heroes to life, connecting the past with the present. New episodes will be released every Friday.

Story Pirates is an award-winning company best known for the Story Pirates Podcast, which has over 90 million downloads globally, highlighting its mission to elevate the ideas, interests, and perspectives of kids. The popular Story Pirates Podcast takes stories submitted by kids and turns them into sketch comedy and songs with help from celebrity guests like Kristen Bell, John Oliver, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Seth Meyers, Bowen Yang, and others.

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 Radio Ambulante comes to My Cultura podcast network

iHeartMedia and Radio Ambulante Studios (RAS), a pioneering Spanish-language podcast production company that tells the stories of Latin America and Latino communities around the world, have announced a deal that will bring Radio Ambulante and its full slate of shows to iHeart’s My Cultura Podcast Network.

As part of the deal, Radio Ambulante Studios’ flagship, award-winning podcast Radio Ambulante along with its groundbreaking weekly news show El Hilo and its anthology docuseries Central will now be distributed by iHeartPodcasts as part of My Cultura, iHeartMedia’s podcast network dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and stories. Under the new partnership, the two companies will also develop and co-produce a minimum of two new shows over the next two years.

Celebrating the launch of its 14th season in late September, Radio Ambulante has covered stories of love and migration, of youth and politics, of the environment and families in extraordinary circumstances across Latin America, sharing with listeners more than 260 episodes produced in more than 20 countries. It is heralded as the most ambitious narrative-journalistic podcast in Latin America, offering a sound portrait of the continent and anywhere Spanish is spoken. For the past eight years Radio Ambulante, the studio’s flagship podcast, was distributed by NPR.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this new stage in the development of Radio Ambulante Studios,” said RAS Executive Producer and host, Daniel Alarcón. “iHeart and My Cultura will put our three podcasts in front of potentially enormous audiences and allow our journalism to have an even greater impact for Latino and Spanish-speaking audiences everywhere.”

Radio Ambulante Studios is a pioneering Spanish-language podcast production company that tells the stories of Latin America and Latino communities around the world. Founded in 2011, its mission is to achieve a greater understanding of these communities through well-told, rigorously reported, and expertly produced audio journalism, offering the audience a nuanced portrait of a complex and vital region.

“We are so honored to embark on this new journey with Radio Ambulante Studios,” said Gisselle Bances, Head of My Cultura for iHeartMedia. “They have created remarkable, top-quality Spanish content that time-and-time again delivers such remarkable stories, allowing our community to learn more about Latin America. We are excited to join forces and help expand the reach of these stores, and others, through the My Cultura Podcast Network.”

iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Podcast Network was announced in May 2021. The network is home to hit podcasts including Connections with Eva Longoria; Princess of South Beach starring Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) and Sheryl Rubio (Casa de las Flores); Wrestling with Freddie with Freddie Prinze, Jr. and many more.

The Radio Ambulante slate and all shows on The My Cultura Podcast Network are distributed by iHeartPodcasts.