The six-show slate debuts today with talk-show style podcast “Hello Isaac” hosted by cultural icon Isaac Mizrahi – listen now HERE

Los Angeles, June 12, 2023 – Imagine Entertainment President Justin Wilkes announced today a new slate of shows from their audio division in collaboration with iHeartPodcasts, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally. The robust lineup of shows is the first to emerge from the slate deal formed between Imagine and iHeartMedia. Aligning with Imagine Entertainment’s global reputation in award-winning, premium storytelling, Imagine Audio, headed up by Kara Welker, will release six innovative new podcast series, produced by Nathan Kloke and co-produced by iHeartPodcasts. The slate features familiar voices like a workplace audio comedy from Ron Howard, a punk-rock murder mystery hosted by music anthropologist and director Penelope Spheeris (Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne’s World), as well as compelling new voices like environmental thought leader Chris Turney and writer Davis Miller, a man who overcame childhood bullying through an unlikely friendship with Muhammed Ali. Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Wilkes serve as Executive Producers across the slate. 

“At Imagine Entertainment, our priority has always been telling stories that inspire and empower and we are thrilled to debut our first slate of shows as we expand into the audio space with iHeartMedia,” said Justin Wilkes, President of Imagine Entertainment. 

“We are pleased to announce this compelling slate from iconic names like Ron Howard and Isaac Mizrahi as well as thought-provoking content exposing issues like climate change and the billion dollar sugar industry through a whole new lens,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. “Imagine Entertainment has an outstanding, decades-long reputation for bringing award-winning tv shows, features and documentaries to our screens, and we can’t wait to bring Imagine’s bespoke content to even more audiences in the audio space through iHeartPodcasts.”

The first podcast in the robust lineup of shows, “Hello Isaac” hosted by Isaac Mizrahi, will debut today with new episodes available Mondays each week. Imagine Audio and iHeartPodcasts’ full slate of shows will include:

• “Hello Isaac” — Available Today: Isaac Mizrahi is a jack of all trades – an iconic fashion designer, actor, singer, television presenter and a pretty darned good cook too! Isaac will join experts in their field to learn how their lives - the failures, the success and their process forged them into the experts they are today. Featured Guests in this raw, honest and hilarious interview show include Carson Kressley, Andy Cohen, BenDelaCreme and more. Produced with Awfully Nice. Listen now here.
   
• “Big Sugar” — Launching June 20: “Big Sugar” is a timely story covering an epic legal battle pitting the multi-billion-dollar sugar industry against the migrant laborers who harvest sugarcane, while revealing corporate malfeasance, human rights violations, DC lobbying, nutrition downfalls and the destruction of the environment. Relentless journalists and lawyers uncover a complex network of relationships, policies and transactions involving the highest levels of government and the communities where we live. From Novel and Weekday Fun. Official audio trailer will be available for listeners tomorrow, June 13.
   
• “Employees Only” — Launching July 17: From creator Ron Howard, “Employees Only” is an improvised workplace comedy following employees at a big box store who spend their break discussing, debating and arguing about the day’s news. This podcast is an innovative new approach to a sitcom, with a topical look at the news from every angle and perspective. Produced with Pretty-Fast.
   
• “Unf**king The Future” — Launching August 8: In “Unf**king the Future,” climate scientist and expedition leader Chris Turney takes listeners on an increasingly urgent environmental journey, exploring the scary reality the planet faces today and the common–sense solutions that can be implemented now to save it. Produced with Awfully Nice.
   
• “Peter and the Acid King” — Launching September 18: “Peter and the Acid King” takes listeners on a deep dive through the grimy, chaotic world of the Los Angeles punk scene in the early ’80s and the brutal murder of New Wave Theater TV host, Peter Ivers, the dynamic performer and artist known for bringing punk rock to TV.  Created by Alan Sacks (Du-Beat-E-O, Thrashin, Welcome Back Kotter) and narrated by punk historian and esteemed director Penelope Spheeris (The Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne's World). Featured guests include Jello Biafra, Frank Salerno, and Ron Howard. Produced with Awfully Nice.
   
• “The Tao of Muhammad Ali” — Launching October 3: “The Tao of Muhammad Ali” from Davis Miller and based on his international best-selling book, will start with true story of how The Champ selflessly saved a bullied young boy, the creator himself, Davis Miller, from a paralyzing depression and propelled him to success through his “Tao.” The show will carry listeners through the later years when Davis and Ali are reunited while Ali was in the throes of Parkinson’s, sharing years of The Champ’s wisdom and doctrine, and that which made Ali a role model and guru for millions, including stories from many of the celebrities and people of influence who were deeply impacted and inspired by their time with Ali. Produced with Awfully Nice.

Over the last five years, Imagine has emerged as a force in the unscripted space with their prolific documentary division. Imagine is further expanding on their success in the space with the formation of Imagine Audio. All podcasts in the new slate are distributed by iHeartPodcasts and will be available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.

iHeartMedia’s iHeartPodcast Network is home to more than 800 original podcasts which see more than 374 million downloads each month globally. These podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between – making iHeartPodcasts the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. 

About Imagine Entertainment

Founded by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Imagine Entertainment is an award-winning global entertainment company telling stories that inspire and empower, and creating unforgettable entertainment experiences of all genres across Imagine Features, Imagine Television Studios, Imagine Documentaries, Imagine Kids+Family, Imagine Brands, and Imagine Audio, as well as the award-winning Jax Media and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions.  Imagine’s productions have been honored with more than 60 prestigious awards including 47 Academy Award nominations and 228 Emmy® award nominations. Past productions include the Academy Award Best Picture winner "A Beautiful Mind", as well as Grammy Award Best Film winner "The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years." Recent productions include the critically-acclaimed film "Thirteen Lives" directed by Ron Howard, the hit film "tick, tick…Boom!" directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the critically acclaimed documentaries “Judy Blume Forever”, Sacha Jenkin’s “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues”, Rory Kennedy’s “Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari”, "Lucy & Desi" directed by Amy Poehler (Two-time Emmy winner ) and "We Feed People". Prior films include "Get on Up", “Rush", "Frost/Nixon", "American Gangster", "The Da Vinci Code", "Apollo 13", "8 Mile", "Liar, Liar", “Backdraft", and “Parenthood" to name a few.  Upcoming productions 'The Beanie Bubble", from Kristen Gore and Damian Kulash; “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Reginald Hudlin;, and the animated feature "The Family Treehorn.” Television productions include “Genius: MLK/X” (Disney+); "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" (Hulu); “Swagger" (Apple); Under the Banner of Heaven (FX); and Jax Media’s "Emily in Paris" (Netflix). Documentary productions include the “Crime Scene" anthology series, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, The Times Square Killer and The Texas Killing Fields, all of which reached the top #5 globally on Netflix; "Genius: Aretha" (NatGeo); “Julia"; "Paper & Glue"; "Rebuilding Paradise"; and Jigsaw’s “Tiger" documentary (HBO), to name a few. Additional television productions include Fox’s “Empire”;  the “24" franchise; NatGeo’s “Genius" anthology series; NBC’s “Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights''; Fox’s and Netflix’s "Arrested Development"; and HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon", for which Howard and Grazer won the Emmy® for Outstanding Mini-Series. Grazer and Howard began their collaboration in the early 80’s with the hit comedies ``Night Shift" and “Splash", and continue to run Imagine Entertainment as executive chairmen.