‘Radiolab’ Podcast Producer WNYC Studios Eyes TV & Film Adaptations After Signing With UTA

Peter White
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: WNYC Studios, the audio company behind series including Radiolab and Dolly Parton’s America, is looking to move into the world of film and TV after signing with UTA.

The agency will work with the company to bolster its strategic partnerships and take its IP to market, including for TV and film.

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WNYC Studios was one of the earliest adopters of podcasting and is also behind series such as On the Media, Death, Sex & Money, The New Yorker Radio Hour, and The United States of Anxiety.

Dolly Parton’s America, which is hosted by Jad Abumrad and reported by Shima Oliaee, was a breakout hit that asked the question – in this intensely divided moment, why can everyone agree that Dolly Parton is one of America’s great icons.

The Vanishing of Harry Pace was another hit for the company. The series told the story of Pace, who founded the country’s first Black-owned record label, Black Swan Records and was also a a lawyer who worked to desegregate Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood in the 1930s but spent the later years trying to erase his former identity and re-establish himself as a white man.

Other recent series that could potentially have a second life on the screen include Radiolab’s Mixtape, which explored the impact of cassette tapes on everything from music to politics, and More Perfect, Radiolab’s first ever spin-off series that examined some of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most significant rulings and the impact they had inside and outside of the court. More Perfect will be resuming production in 2023.

Elsewhere, Dead End, the debut production of WNYC Studios’ new documentary unit devoted to non-fiction long form audio storytelling, tells the tale of the unsolved 2014 murders of prominent political couple John and Joyce Sheridan. The project taps into the studios’ expertise as a local news provider and uses serialized storytelling to uncover corruption at the highest levels in New Jersey politics.

“We’re thrilled to partner with UTA on TV and film adaptations,” said Andrew Golis, Chief Content Officer, WNYC. “WNYC Studios is the home of some of the most creative and ambitious storytellers of our time. Their stories entertain and inform millions of listeners around the world, and this partnership with UTA will allow those essential stories to travel even further to new mediums and new platforms.”

“WNYC is known for its premium content, and we look forward to introducing their award-winning stories to an even larger audience across new verticals,” said UTA Partner and Head of Audio, Oren Rosenbaum. “We are excited to work alongside the incredible team at WNYC.”

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