New and returning programming for fall/winter 2019 from the Podfund portfolio
Podfund’s portfolio includes nearly a dozen creator-owned and operated companies making innovative, genre-expanding, original podcasts.
This fall’s slate takes us around the world and hearing new sounds in as many ways as you can imagine. Kerning Cultures Network launches two Arabic language shows about our bodies and love, and Fugitive Minds takes us through the life-changing experiences of travel. Osiris Podcasts and DIVE Studios are bringing even more dimensions to music with the launches of five new music-oriented shows.
Three shows are returning with new seasons this fall:
- Pushkin Industries’s Broken Record returns for season three on October 1. In mid-November, half of rap’s most beloved duo — OutKast — the reclusive Andre 3000 talks with Rick Rubin about why he hasn’t released much music in the last 15 years, insecurity, and developing as an artist in Atlanta.
- Domino Sounds’s Raising Rebels returns this November, a podcast about oppressed parents raising free children, hosted Noleca Radway, Executive Director of Brooklyn Free School.
- If These Ovaries Could Talk kicks off season four of their non-traditional family podcast with Matt, a single gay dad by choice of twins. ITOCT won the LGBTQ category of the 2019 People’s Choice Podcast Awards on September 30.
Upcoming releases
Kerning Cultures Network
Premieres on September 12
Stories of exceptional Arabs around the world and their journeys to the top. Al Empire confronts romanticized views of reaching success by celebrating our guests’ wins but also unpacking their challenges. Each episode gets into the intimate, and sometimes uncomfortable questions with icons like Bassem Youssef, the Egyptian satirist; Joy Ajlouny, the cofounder of Fetchr who raised $53 million for her company; and Hamed Sinno, the Lebanese singer/songwriter of Mashrou’ Leila. Language: English
جسدي “My Body”
Premieres November 13
Our longest relationship is the one we have with our bodies. Each episode unfolds like a diary, articulating internal conversations we have with ourselves about facing things like puberty, body art, birth, death, illness, and social pressures. Language: Arabic
(Name TBD) “Love”
Premieres January 6
How does love impact the everyday realities of our lives? Unpacking the seemingly mundane that comes with relationships, each episode features a couple and how they navigate their hearts’ emotions alongside changing gender roles, financial responsibilities, social pressures, mental health, sex, and other aspects of shared life. Language: Arabic
About Kerning Cultures Network:
Kerning Cultures Network is the first venture-funded podcast company in the Middle East. Our podcasts are a digital revival of the region’s longstanding oral storytelling tradition. As children of the Middle East, we’ve grown up with media that doesn’t represent us. So we tell the kinds of stories in which we can actually see ourselves reflected. Because we love stories, and there are so many from our region just waiting to be told. Our current line-up includes both English and Arabic podcasts, across genres, producing quality media that speaks to Arab youth in both languages.
Fugitive Minds
Passport
Premieres the week of November 18
Through the intimate nature of audio we’ll open up the world. It is often said one’s destination isn’t always a place, but a new way of seeing things. The world has never been a more interconnected, interdependent place. And yet, there is still so much we don’t know about each other. Passport is a series that flips that lens — that new way of seeing things — into focus. We travel the world and find the stories, topics, and people that truly illuminate the soul of a place.
Each episode will give you a deep dive into an intricate, detailed story that really gets to the heart of a place. We aren’t just offering up a travelogue-style account of Jeff’s trip to Boise, we’re giving you a story that allows you to understand — a people, a time, an experience. We’ll also tell you about some amazing bites to eat, dig up some hidden gems, and let you inside some pretty exclusive experiences that you can try next time you’re in Helsinki or Jerusalem or London — all via a story that builds empathy and connection. And that’s how you end up with the trip of a lifetime, every episode.
Travel Tales
Premieres December 2019
It’s often said that traveling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller. Travel Tales is all about these life stories. Each episode takes you on a deep dive through one person’s incredible travel tale — through every wrong turn, missed connection, life-changing experience, soul-crushing or dream-making moment, and everything in between.
Underdog Bet: The Chicano Squad
Premieres late December/early January
In the late ’70s the homicide rate among Houston’s hispanic population skyrocketed, and the Houston Police Department was failing miserably to maintain law and order in these marginalized neighborhoods. Into this dramatic and dire moment step five young cops from the barrio. Five guys facing odds so long they couldn’t be calculated, who no one believed in, who were never supposed to succeed. This is a story that has never been told, about a group of Americans whose heroes are rarely recognized. This is the underdog story of the Chicano Squad.
About Fugitive Minds:
Fugitive Minds is a podcast company specializing in cinematic narrative and travel shows. Every Fugitive project is a deep dive into a story. Sometimes that’s a single episode format filled with fascinating tales from around the world — beer smuggling in Jerusalem, Game of Thrones conflict tourism in Belfast, doomsday prepping in Helsinki. Sometimes that’s a multi-episode arched series that unveils a thrilling story — like the exploits of the greatest conmen the world has ever seen. All Fugitive Minds stories are adventures at the speed of sound.
DIVE Studios
What Would Jamie Do?
Premieres on October 2
WWJD is a new podcast hosted by charismatic K-Pop singer, songwriter, and television host Jamie Park. On this show, Jamie Park gives her listeners advice on what she would do in their sticky situation. Known for her witty humor and fearless personality, Jamie is sure to keep listeners on their toes and coming back for her (overly) honest thoughts.
About DIVE Studios
Founded by a team of music business creatives, DIVE Studios is an English-language podcast network focused on K-pop and Asian culture, and a creative space for artists based in Seoul, South Korea. Within six weeks of launch, their first podcast, K-Pop Daebak with Eric Nam, reached #1 in the music category on Apple Podcasts in 18 different countries. Their second show, The Tablo Podcast, debuted last month and reached #1 in the music category on Apple Podcasts in 22 different countries, quickly amassing a cult following.
Osiris Media
Inside the Musician’s Brain
Premieres October 21
Banjo virtuoso Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters will dive in deeply with artists from bluegrass and beyond. The first episodes feature Paul Hoffman of Greensky Bluegrass, Billy Strings and Sierra Hull.
Let Creativity Flow
Premieres October 28
This three-episode miniseries will tell the story of how technology is affecting the evolution of music collaboration. The series features interviews with experts from Splice, Union Square Ventures, Downtown Music, and members of The Disco Biscuits. It will be hosted and narrated by Amar Sastry.
After Midnight: Phish’s Big Cypress Festival
Premieres November 12
In December 1999, Phish drew 85,000 people to the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in Florida’s Everglades, making their music festival the largest Millennium Eve celebration on earth. As we look back at the festival, 20 years later, we’ll pay tribute to this unique festival — and examine the legacy for Phish and the music world. Hosted and narrated by renowned music journalist Jesse Jarnow, this four-episode series will draw on interviews with members of Phish and its crew, fan memories, and conversations with other people across the music industry.
Jam Just Happened
Premieres December 6
A first of its kind show, Jam Just Happened will bring together the intimacy of a podcast and the uniqueness of a live music experience. Every month, guitarist Scott Metzger (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, WOLF!, Rana) will host a jam session with a different group of high-profile musicians. Recorded in front of a live audience, the show will include audio and podcast components after each event.
David Crosby: In Conversation with Steve Silberman
Premieres December 9
Writer Steve Silberman will be hosting a four-episode series with his good friend David Crosby. As Steve says: “For 50 years, David Crosby has been a major force in music, whether providing shimmering harmonies for the Byrds, transforming pop by turning the Beatles on to Indian music, penning haunting melodies like ‘Guinevere’ for Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, or exploring the outer reaches of folk and jazz-influenced rock for his own Sky Trails, CPR, and Lighthouse bands. I’m thrilled to be able to dig in deeply with one of the seminal architects of modern music to hear his inimitable take on his own famously tumultuous history, play some previously unheard deep cuts, and look ahead to the future of where music and the music industry are going.”
About Osiris Media:
Osiris Media creates deeper connections for music fans, by creating and curating music and culture podcasts and experiences, and helping like-minded advertisers get in front of engaged customers. Started in 2018 by Phish lead songwriter Tom Marshall and Phish uber-fan RJ Bee, Osiris’s shows focus on music and culture, from podcasts featuring high-profile musicians (including shows led by Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers and Jon Barber of The Disco Biscuits) to explorations of specific bands and genres.
Domino Sound
Season 2 premieres in November
Raising Rebels is a parenting podcast featuring courageous conversations with real parents. Parenting can be so lonely. Our work is to encourage children to be fully themselves in a society that doesn’t always celebrate them. This season, we tackle everything from sexuality and race, to co-parenting and money, all with the goal of liberating our children.
As Executive Director of Brooklyn Free School and host of the Raising Rebels podcast, Noleca Radway helps parents, children and marginalized people tell their story within a social justice context. She considers the ability to make connections between people, philosophies, and dimensions her personal superpower, and attributes it to being a Bronx-raised, first-generation Black Jamaican wife, mother, teacher, educator, and Octavia Butler fan.
About Domino Sound:
Domino Sound is a woman-owned, Brooklyn-based podcast studio that aims to bring equity to the world of podcasting by promoting acceptance, inclusion, and awareness through authentic storytelling. Led by Alexandra DiPalma (formerly Brand Studio Director at Stitcher) and Kenya Anderson (who hails from the TV and film world), Domino produces both original shows and branded podcasts, and provides production services to clients. Their slate includes Food 4 Thot, Akimbo with Seth Godin, Raising Rebels, and Scream, Queen!.
If These Ovaries Could Talk
Season 4 premieres on September 23
Season four is packed with new stories like a single gay dad by choice of twins, a transgender man who gave birth to four kids, and an episode with honest talk about body image after childbirth. We’ll also have new guests from listeners, to lawyers, to folks who were featured in mainstream media for the way they created their family.
About If These Ovaries Could Talk:
If These Ovaries Could Talk is a podcast where two lesbians chat about making babies and non-traditional families. Each episode highlights LGBTQ families, lifting them up, normalizing them for the rest of the world to see as well as acknowledging that we’re just like other parents who are trying not to yell at our kids when they refuse to put their shoes on and we’re 25 minutes late for school. Prominent guests such as Judy Gold, Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls, Staceyann Chin, Ophira Eisenberg and Bravo TV’s The Abbys. In the past year, ITOCT has been featured on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, selected as Editor’s Choice on Stitcher and Castbox.fm, and won the LGBTQ category for the People’s Choice Podcast Awards.
Pushkin Industries
Cautionary Tales
Premieres November 15
Economist Tim Harford (Financial Times; 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy) gives life lessons through unexpected — and sometimes horrifying — stories in psychology, business, and history with reenactments by our cast of Cautionary Tales Players.
Food Actually with Tamar Adler
Premieres November 1 exclusively on Luminary
Food Actually with Tamar Adler looks at common topics in food — recipe instructions; wine; junk food; entertaining — in a new light. We are bombarded with constant information about our food, but there’s always something we’ve overlooked. And it turns out, it’s usually something that matters.
Broken Record
Season 3 premieres October 1
The new season includes interviews with Andre 3000, Jack White and the Raconteurs, Brittany Howard, and Wyclef Jean. For generations of music lovers, the liner notes on albums were a central part of the way music was heard. You bought an album and it came with an accompanying narrative: a digression, an aside, a backstory — maybe even an invented history.
We intuitively understood that great music required not just listening but conversation between the artist and the audience, and the audience and the rest of the world. Broken Record is a podcast that restarts those conversations — in a world without liner notes — for a new audience of music lovers.
About Pushkin Industries:
Pushkin Industries is an audio production company founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg that is dedicated to creating premium content in a collaborative environment. Our shows include Gladwell’s Revisionist History, Michael Lewis’s Against the Rules, Laurie Santos’ The Happiness Lab, and Broken Record, in which hosts Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam interview some of the biggest names in music. We partner with some of the most interesting creative minds in the world to produce podcasts that will inspire curiosity and incite joy. Pushkin is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the podcasting business, and, like our namesake Alexander Pushkin, endlessly innovating.
Upcoming notable episodes
Dreamer Comics
Episode highlights: David Avallone and Lance Roger Axt
Release dates: October 2019
Dreamer Comics Podcast tells the story behind your favorite comic and its the journey from idea to page, all the way to TV and film. In an upcoming interview, David Avallone talks about bringing old pulp legends to new light in Dynamite’s Elvira Mistress of the Darkness, Bettie Page Unbound, Green Hornet, Doc Savage and The Shadow. In his interview, Lance Roger Axt talks about what it takes to plan production of some of the most iconic comics and bring an audio drama to life in EC Comics: The Vault of Horror.
About Dreamer Comics:
Dreamer Comics is a weekly podcast where host Omar Spahi interviews comic book creators, including writers, pencillers, inkers, colorists, letterers, editors, and executives, to understand the stories behind the images. Omar is a serial entrepreneur, comic book writer and publisher, and film producer.
Unmistakable Creative
Episode highlight: Why Stillness is the Key to a Happier and More Rewarding Life with Ryan Holiday
Release date: October 2
The Unmistakable Creative features insanely interesting people who are good at unusual things. Guest on the show have included authors, artists, entrepreneurs, presidential candidates, and a variety of people from every walk of life. In his third appearance on Unmistakable Creative,
author Ryan Holiday shares a “simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media.” By seeking stillness we find our way to meaning, contentment and excellence.
About Unmistakable Creative:
Our listeners say, “If TEDTalks met Oprah you’d have Unmistakable Creative.” Eliminate the feeling of being stuck in your life, blocked in your creativity, and discover higher levels of meaning and purpose in your life and career. Listen to deeply personal, insightful, and thought-provoking stories from the world’s leading thinkers and doers including best-selling authors, artists, peak performance psychologists, happiness researchers, entrepreneurs, startup founders, artists, venture capitalists, and even former bank robbers. Former guests have included Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Justine Musk, Scott Adams, Rob Bell, David Heinemeier Hansson, Elle Luna, Jordan Harbinger, Brett Mckay, and Simon Sinek.
The NewsWorthy
In addition to providing relevant, timely news updates in just minutes each weekday, The NewsWorthy also shares short interviews about a different news topic every Thursday. In October, you’ll learn about important changes and requirements coming soon to all air travel. In November, you’ll hear from the CEO of ShopRunner about how online shopping and fast shipping is impacting both stores and consumers. In December, you can leave the doom-and-gloom behind as you hear about the best ‘good news’ stories of the year.
About The NewsWorthy:
Award-winning broadcast journalist Erica Mandy is on a mission to help people enjoy staying informed. After more than a decade as a TV news reporter, she quit her job at CBS Los Angeles and launched the daily news podcast, The NewsWorthy. It provides all the day’s news in less than 10 minutes in a quick, unbiased and less depressing way — in what she calls “fast, fair and fun.”
About Podfund
Podfund provides startup and growth capital, resources, and expertise for emerging podcast creators. Launched in May 2019, Podfund is led by CEO Jake Shapiro and General Manager Nicola Korzenko, in partnership with RadioPublic PBC — the leading platform for podcast marketing, engagement, and monetization. Podfund is backed by Bloomberg Beta, Zelkova Ventures, TechNexus, Pascal Levy-Garboua, and Weave Capital.
