Cancellation Island Fiction Podcast Premieres; Soul Incarcerated Podcast Launches About A Penitentiary Band

 Today, we have two new podcasts with unique story hooks surrounding their conception. First, iHeart and Topic Studios present the idea of an island where people are sent after they are canceled. Second, another iHeart podcast in collaboration with A&E is about Edge of Daybreak, a prison soul ensemble, and how their music transcended even the darkest of circumstances.
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Cancellation Island premieres

Topic Studios has partnered with iHeartPodcasts on Cancellation Island, the latest fiction podcast series from John Cameron Mitchell and Michael Cavadias.

The first episode debuted on Sunday, Feb. 9 with new episodes available weekly.

Here's the quirky marketing pitch: "Where do the cancelled people go? Why, Cancellation Island, of course, the hottest celebrity rehab this side of the Bermuda Triangle! Are you social media’s latest villain? Don’t worry! Led by our own resident Karen and her staff of Gen-Z therapists whose motto is: 'What we lack in life experience, we make for in certainty.'”

"Cancellation Island will put you through your paces as you crawl back to society’s good graces. When a notes app apology isn’t enough, book a one-way flight to Cancellation Island!"

Cancellation Island stars Holly Hunter as KAREN, is written by John Cameron Mitchell and Michael Cavadias, directed by John Cameron Mitchell, and produced by Christy Gressman. It is a Topic Studios and iHeartPodcasts production.

John Cameron Mitchell is a boundary pushing writer, director, and actor who first worked with Topic Studios on the revolutionary musical dark-comedy podcast “Anthem: Homunculus,” which was co-created by Bryan Weller and stars Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo, Patti Lupone, Marion Cotillard, and Laurie Anderson.

Michael Cavadias is an actor/writer and performer. His film and television credits include “Wonder Boys,” “All We Had,” “I Remember Nothing,” “Girls,” and “Difficult People.” “Cancellation Island” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts.

Check out Cancellation Island. It's wildly creative and massively entertaining.
 

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Soul Incarcerated Launches

 A&E Network is releasing a documentary to tell the remarkable, true story of Edge of Daybreak, a 1970s penitentiary band who defied the odds and recorded a soul album, from their prison’s visiting room in Richmond, Virginia. The compelling documentary “Edge of Daybreak,” from filmmaker Dawn Porter, premiering later this year, along with Soul Incarcerated, a limited series podcast that launched on February 4 in partnership with iHeartPodcasts.

The podcast chronicles the band's journey—revealing how music became their lifeline, a vehicle for self-expression, and ultimately, a powerful form of liberation.

The documentary, Edge of Daybreak, follows the story of a group of inmates in a maximum-security prison who formed an R&B band called Edge of Daybreak. In a single five-hour session, they recorded eight original songs channeling their passions and visions of freedom. But unfortunately, their album languished and was forgotten for nearly four decades.

After they were released from prison, their music was later rediscovered and one of their songs made it onto the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film "Moonlight." The documentary, airing later this year on A&E explores the heart of the American justice system, the transformative power of creativity, and the profound impact of second chances.

 The Soul Incarcerated podcast is hosted by music journalist Jamie Pietras and co-produced by iHeartPodcasts. Over seven episodes, Pietras provides context to the group’s music and helps the surviving three members navigate their attempt at a comeback more than 40 years later.

With their recent success, the surviving members are reuniting to record another album and revisit the moment when lightning struck. Jamal “Sly” Nubi, Cornelius “Neal” Cade, and Harry “Cupcake” Coleman leave Virginia for the first time to record at the legendary Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, alongside musicians like Ray Parker Jr. Their long-awaited second album, New Horizon, was just recently released and is now available on all digital music platforms here.

Check out Soul Incarcerated for its inspiring story and amazing music.