iHM, Will Packer to Develop Slate of Original Podcasts

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, March 24, 2021 | 12:26pm CT

iHeartMedia

iHeartMedia and Will Packer Media, led by Hollywood producer Will Packer, have announced a partnership to bring a slate of original scripted and unscripted podcasts to the iHeartPodcast Network. The new partnership builds on the success of the true crime podcast "Fight Night," which launched on the iHeartMedia platform in October, 2020 and was co-produced by Will Packer and Will Packer Productions President James Lopez. "Fight Night" examined one of Atlanta's most infamous armed robberies from the night of Muhammad Ali's historic 1970 return to boxing.

All of the podcasts from Will Packer Media and iHeartMedia will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network. The first project is 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 Will Packer Media President Alix Baudin. "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," added iHeartPodcast Network President Conal Byrne. "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."