Apple Podcasts names Chelsea Devantez of Stitcher’s Celebrity Book Club as its first-ever Spotlight selection
New York, NY — Jan. 19, 2020 — Podcast industry leader Stitcher is pleased to announce that comedian and filmmaker Chelsea Devantez of “Celebrity Book Club” has been recognized by Apple Podcasts as its first Spotlight selection. Apple Podcasts Spotlight is a new monthly editorial franchise that elevates singular voices in podcasting to new listeners.
Each week on “Celebrity Book Club,” Chelsea is joined by special guests, from Gabourey Sidibe to Ashley Nicole Black to Lydia Popovitch, to recap and celebrate the memoirs of badass celebrity womxn who have been torn down by tabloids and dissected by social media — all while facing career obstacles, broken relationships, and incredible triumphs. While these types of memoirs are often dismissed as frivolous, “Celebrity Book Club’’ emphasises the importance of telling these stories.
“Apple Podcasts Spotlight helps listeners find some of the world’s best shows by shining a light on creators with singular voices,” said Ben Cave, Global Head of Business for Apple Podcasts. “Chelsea Devantez has created a fun, vibrant space with Celebrity Book Club for listeners to gain new perspectives on the celebrities we thought we knew. We are delighted to recognize Chelsea and Celebrity Book Club as our first Spotlight selection and look forward to introducing creators like Chelsea to listeners each month.”
The idea for the podcast started last February while Chelsea was drunk in a hot tub reading Jessica Simpson’s memoir. Feeling everyone had to know how great her book was, she did what any inebriated person would do and started Instagram recapping as she read. Seeing that her followers were as shocked by the book as she was, she decided they needed to hear about her other favorite memoirs as well.
“Celebrity memoirs have always been my favorite genre, and I’ve read hundreds of them since I was a teenager. What people might not realize is that these books are literal treasures,” explains Chelsea. “They’ve been treated in culture as vapid, but this podcast is here to show that they are stunning, life-changing, and, yes, sometimes trashy, but who doesn’t love trash!? As someone who is proud to come from a trashy childhood, these books give me beauty, depth, healing, shocking gossip, and the hidden side of pop culture history. They push me to better my own life, and help give context for this wild time we’re living through. Because there’s nothing more powerful than when a woman shares her story in her own words.”
Upcoming episodes feature Oscar-nominated writer and producer Emily V. Gordon talking Drew Barrymore’s “Little Girl Lost;” actress Stephanie Beatriz discussing Celine Dion’s memoir “My Story My Dream;” Leighton Meester on Carly Simon’s “Boys in the Trees;” and a special Valentine’s Day episode where Chelsea and TikTok star Rob Anderson read Burt Reynolds’ and Loni Anderson’s competing divorce memoirs.
Listen and subscribe to “Celebrity Book Club” now on Stitcher, apple.co/celebrity-book-club, and anywhere podcasts are available. New episodes are released each Friday.
About Chelsea Devantez
Chelsea Devantez is a comedian, writer, and filmmaker. She recently sold her show, “This is Our Year” to CBS, a story inspired by growing up with her single mom in the Southwest, which she is writing and executive producing. Her award winning short film, “Basic,” which she wrote, directed and starred in, was an official selection of SXSW 2020 and many more. She most recently wrote for Girls5Eva, a new show from Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and Meredith Scardino, both seasons of Liz Meriwether’s Bless this Mess on ABC, Mike Schur and Josh Malmuth’s Abby’s on NBC, Jon Stewart’s HBO Project, The Opposition with Jordan Klepper on Comedy Central, and Mike Meyers’ Gong Show revival.
Chelsea came up in comedy at The Second City (Chicago) where she toured on the road, performed on a cruise ship, and then wrote and performed three revues on The Mainstage. While on The Mainstage the Chicago press said she was “the Michael Jordan of the cast,” “an even more fearless version of Tina Fey who could totally out drink you and kick your ass,” and “part Amy Schumer, part Gilda Radner.” During this time she wrote and directed six TV sizzles, all of which she also starred in because she is a monster.
Chelsea lives in Los Angeles, California. She grew up all over the Southwest but will always call New Mexico home.
Follow Chelsea on Instagram or Twitter @chelseadevantez.
About Stitcher
Stitcher is the best place to listen to, produce and monetize podcasts. The Stitcher app is one of the world’s most popular podcast listening platforms, with a growing network of original content and a premium subscription service. Stitcher is also parent to Midroll, the leading podcast advertising network representing over 300 of the world’s largest podcasts. And, it is home to top-ranked comedy podcast network Earwolf. With offices in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, Midroll was founded in 2010 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of SiriusXM.
Media contacts:
Ron Gaskill, Blake Zidell & Associates, 718–643–9052, ron@blakezidell.com
