Will Packer Media partners with iHeartMedia for new podcasts

Will Packer Media is entering a formal and longer-range partnership to create a slate of scripted and unscripted podcasts for iHeart. iHeartRadio is currently the biggest U.S. podcast network as measured by Podtrac, and it contains 545 shows as of the February Top Podcast Publishers ranker by Podtrac. iHeart claims 253-million downloads per month. (Podtrac measured 223-million in February.)

Will  Packer is a Hollywood producer. James Lopez is his production partner in the Fight Night podcast, a true crime show which was placed in iHeartRadio in 2020.

Will Packer Media fashions its products for what it calls a New American Mainstream audience.

The first spawn of this new arrangement will be an urban drama scripted series centered in present-day Oakland, California. It is set to launch in the second quarter of 2021.

“We are excited to partner with iHeartMedia to provide innovative and entertaining content to the fast-growing podcast space,” said Alix Baudin, President of Will Packer Media. “Bringing captivating audio stories to diverse audiences allows us to expand our focus across different media platforms.”

“Will Packer is one of the most groundbreaking storytellers working today and he and his team are exactly the kind of innovative partners we love to support long-term in the podcast medium,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network. “He has such an incredible track record across film, television and digital media – and we cannot wait to see what sort of stories he creates for the more than 100MM Americans now listening to podcasts every month.”

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Brad Hill