Chilling, Dark-Mystery Podcast Marks First-Ever Adapted Podcast Of Stephen King’s Original Short Story, From His Classic 1978 Collection Of Short Stories Night Shift

Garrett Hedlund, Milo Ventimiglia, Herizen F. Gaurdiola, Sydney Sweeney, Ken Marino, Al Madrigal, And Brec Bassinger Set To Star

Los Angeles - July 20, 2021 - Based on the short story by Stephen King, Strawberry Spring, will get its first ever adaptation as a chilling, new scripted podcast. Produced by critically acclaimed podcast production studio giant, Audio Up Media, iHeartMedia, the No. 1 global podcast publisher, and Emmy Award-winning television producer Lee Metzger (NBC’s The Voice), the riveting eight episode series is set to premiere later this summer. Metzger is also setto write and direct the limited series, with an all-star cast that includes actor Garrett Hedlund, Milo Ventimiglia, Herizen F. Gaurdiola, Sydney Sweeney, Ken Marino, and Al Madrigal with more to-be-announced. EMMY Award winner Philip Alberstat is set to produce.

“Strawberry Spring” follows a journalist who hears the name "Springheel Jack" while listening to the radio, rekindling memories of a time when he was a student at New Sharon College and reminding him of when he first heard of the serial killer. The dark mystery quickly unfolds in a hunt for a killer, as our hero will stop at nothing to track down the vicious murderer even If it threatens his own survival.

Jared Gutstadt, Audio Up Media’s Founder and CEO, has a longstanding relationship with Metzger, and the two were searching for a project to work on together. “When Lee mentioned ‘Strawberry Spring,’ I knew immediately it was a winner,” said Gutstadt. “Audio Up prides itself on continually raising the bar within audio entertainment, from working with top Hollywood actors to script creation, all the way to how we approach sound design and music composition. We hope this will be a breakout podcast this fall. I am so beyond excited for Stephen King fans to experience his work in the Audio Up podcast universe."

“Having the opportunity to take this classic story thriller written by the most recognized horror author of all time, Stephen King, and turn it into a scripted podcast for listeners is pretty special,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. “And partnering with Audio Up is the perfect way to do it, given their unique ability to tell complex, great stories in this medium.” “Strawberry Spring” marks the third “audio-blockbuster” collaboration between Audio Up and iHeartMedia.

Added Metzger, “as a lifelong fan of Stephen King, I couldn’t be more excited to work with Jared, Audio Up, and iHeart Media to bring this story to life. I couldn’t ask for a better project for my first scripted podcast.”