In today’s podcast news roundup, “No Time to Die” official podcast featuring Daniel Craig and more debuts; Spotify launches incubator program for Latino podcast creators; Meghan Trainor sets a new podcast series on motherhood and mental health; Chance the Rapper explains why “Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong”; and more.
DATES
The first two episodes of “No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast” are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms. Each episode of the six-part series focuses on a different aspect of the James Bond universe, from characters to locations and music to action. Hosted by James King, the podcast features exclusive interviews with Daniel Craig — who discusses landing the iconic 007 role and his final outing as the world’s favorite secret agent — as well as fellow cast members Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Jeffrey Wright and Naomie Harris; director Cary Joji Fukunaga; producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli; and Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, who are behind the film’s title theme. Also featured on “No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast” will be key behind-the-scenes crew including the franchise’s longstanding casting director, Debbie McWilliams, and special effects supervisor Chris Corbould. Listeners also will get an exclusive first listen to some of the “No Time To Die” score from Hans Zimmer by Decca Records. The podcast is produced by Somethin’ Else in association with MGM Studios, Universal Pictures International, United Artists Releasing and EON Productions. “No Time to Die” is scheduled to hit theaters Oct. 8.
Fandango’s Rotten Tomatoes celebrates the one-year anniversary of podcast “Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong” with special guest Chance the Rapper. After years of the artist calling out Rotten Tomatoes over Tomatometer scores that have rubbed him the wrong way, Chance the Rapper speaks his mind with Rotten Tomatoes editors themselves in the Sept. 9 episode of “Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong.” The rapper talks with Mark Ellis about his love for Andy Samberg and Hot Rod, his repulsion with Bulworth, spills backstage stories from his times on “Saturday Night Live,” and shares his controversial opinion about “The Godfather” movies. Plus, he goes behind the scenes of his new documentary concert film “Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring World.”
Meghan Trainor announced her new podcast, “Workin’ On It,” which she will co-host alongside her brother and best friend, Ryan Trainor. The podcast will premiere on Sept. 15. The duo will take on a new topic each week, share their stories and bring listeners into the conversation. Co-produced by Cloud10 Media and iHeartMedia, the pair will tackle topics such as becoming a new mom, navigating Hollywood, mental health, and everything in between. “Workin’ On It,” distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network, will be available on all major podcast streaming platforms. Listen to the trailer at this link.
Three Uncanny Four Productions, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, on Thursday (Sept. 9) premiered “The Just Enough Family,” a podcast hosted by New Yorker writer and bestselling author Ariel Levy. The eight-episode series tells the true story of the Steinberg family — who once thought of themselves as “The Jewish Kennedys” — through the memories of successful fashion designer and retail pioneer brand builder Liz Lange and other members of the family, who speak on the record for the first time about the clan’s stunning rise and fall. The first two episodes are available now with new episodes releasing every Thursday on major podcast platforms.
Preet Bharara’s Cafe Studios, part of Vox Media, on Wednesday (Sept. 8) premiered “Up Against the Mob.” Hosted by CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, the series promises to peel back the curtain on the real-life stories of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations, with “unprecedented” access to the people who lived them. The show’s first season will focus on the Italian mafia, telling the true stories of the characters who made up this world including mobsters-turned-cooperators, cops and undercover agents, defense lawyers, prosecutors, experts, journalists and more. Honig spent 14 years as a federal and state prosecutor in New York and New Jersey, taking down more than 100 mobsters. Listen to the trailer at this link.
“It Was Said: Sports,” a new documentary podcast franchise from Cadence13’s C13Originals and Jon Meacham’s Shining City Audio podcast studio, premiered Wednesday (Sept. 8). Narrated by former NBA star Doc Rivers, the six-episode series features some of the most important and inspirational sports speeches throughout history, including from the likes of Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King and Hank Aaron. Rivers, Meacham and a range of guests — including Michael Strahan, Urban Meyer and Al Michaels — will offer insight, firsthand perspective and analysis into each speech’s origins, the orator, the context of the times they were given, and why they are still relevant today. “It Was Said: Sports” was created, directed and produced by C13Originals and written by Meacham.
Kyra Breslin, granddaughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin, is launching original true-crime podcast series “Finding Lauren.” Set to debut Sept. 20, the five-episode series takes an inside look at the ongoing investigation of missing Indiana University student Lauren Spierer, who vanished in June 2011 after a night out partying with a group of friends. Each episode is based on Breslin’s personal experience attending Indiana University at the time of Spierer’s disappearance and features interviews with other students, media clips and expert source interviews. “Finding Lauren” is independently produced by One Fourteen Productions, written and hosted by Kyra Breslin and edited by J. Cody Spellman, with original music and sound design by Monte Weber.
SLATES
WarnerMedia’s Rooster Teeth announced its fall 2021 podcast lineup featuring programming that includes new partners who have recently joined the Roost Podcast Network, which comprises more than 100 podcasts across audio and video. The new podcasts will be free to stream across a range of audio and video platforms including Rooster Teeth apps, Amazon/Audible, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and iHeartRadio. Shows on the new slate include:
- “Big Mood,” a comedy podcast hosted by internet personalities Gina Darling, Nikki Limo, Tiffany Del Real and Jessica Caldwell;
- “Peer to Peer,” hosted by Agent 00 and Legend of Winning (LOW) about internet culture and sports;
- “Neebscast,” Neebs Gaming’s long-running podcast exploring life, love and the pursuit of gaming;
- “Slice & Dice,” a Rooster Teeth original cooking competition show in which cooks are approached by adventurers from across the planes of fantasy and sci-fi to create unique and wondrous dishes;
- “Face Jam: Secret Menu,” in which hosts Michael and Jordan venture out to tackle what’s not on the menu and discover the real goods behind the counter;
- “Team 150,” a scripted anthology podcast in partnership with WarnerMedia’s Team 150 featuring standalone stories directed by up-and-coming filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented voices; and
- “Beneath,” a scripted series in which a group of scientists and treasure hunters risk their lives to explore the sunken Titanic — only to discover a hideous force haunting the wreckage.
GREENLIGHTS
NPR announced an interview podcast with sports personality and former NBA player Jay Williams. The first episode of the currently untitled weekly show will drop in December. In each episode, Williams will go deep with icons from the worlds of sports, entertainment and pop culture to see if he can get at the strategies and mindsets people need to grow empires out of their personalities. In 2003, Williams had a career-ending motorcycle accident, leading him down a path of pursuing sobriety, self-reinvention as an author, an NBA analyst and one of ESPN’s top personalities. The podcast will be executive produced by Jay Williams, Karen Kinney and Yolanda Sangweni. Senior supervising producer will be Rachel Neel.
Adonde Media, the multilingual and international podcast production company behind the Duolingo and TED en Español Spanish-language podcasts, announced a partnership with Hrishikesh Hirway, host and creator of “Song Exploder,” to produce and distribute “Canción Exploder” — the first spinoff of his music podcast for Spanish-speaking audiences. Planned for release in early 2022, “Canción Exploder” will join “Song Exploder” on PRX’s Radiotopia podcast network.
INITIATIVES
Spotify debuted the newest extension of its podcast accelerator program, Sound Up Latinx, continuing its mission to raise up and inspire the next generation of podcasters through education and support. The program is designed to directly address the disparities present in the podcasting community: According to Spotify, 56% of the U.S. Latino population have listened to a podcast, yet Hispanic podcast creators still face deep underrepresentation. Sound Up Latinx will be divided into two parts. It kicks off with a virtual training program in later this fall running over the course of four weeks before 10 participants (shortlisted by Spotify) will learn and cultivate the skills to create a podcast via live courses, recorded lessons and more. The 10 participants will pitch and submit a podcast trailer and proposal for the opportunity to be selected as a finalist to attend the subsequent Sound Up sessions in 2022. More info is available at this link.
