Eleven Part Long-Form Investigative Series on Mysterious Death of Ferguson Protestor
NowThis’ First Foray into Social Justice-Focused True Crime Content
NEW YORK – June 14, 2021 – NowThis, the no.1 most-watched mobile news brand globally [Tubular Labs, June 2020], announced the release of its second long-form podcast series, produced with podcasting start-up Double Asterisk and iHeartMedia. After the Uprising is an 11-part investigation into the mysterious death of Danyé Jones, a prominent activist in Ferguson, MO, also produced in association with non-fiction media company True Stories. The first episode launches on June 15, with new episodes airing every Tuesday on iHeartRadio and available everywhere podcasts are heard.
“NowThis is thrilled to deepen its partnership with iHeartRadio and deliver another compelling podcast series that breaks down some of the most pressing and relevant issues of the day,” said NowThis Chief Content Officer Tina Exarhos. “NowThis is committed to covering important social justice stories, and we look forward to bringing audiences this powerful story about one family’s fight for justice and accountability in the birthplace of the Black Lives Matter movement.”
When 24-year-old activist Danyé Jones was found dead in 2018, police declared it a suicide. But his Ferguson frontline activist mother Melissa grabbed headlines with her viral post alleging her son had in fact died by lynching. Who was right? Starting only six weeks after Danyé died, journalists John Duffy and Ray Nowosielski spent two and a half years working with his mother, family members, close friends and many in the activist community to follow the trail and find out what exactly happened to him. After the Uprising is the result, an investigative podcast series that documents every shocking twist and turn in the investigation. The take-away: almost seven years after the Black Lives Matter movement was launched from this community, something is still terribly wrong in North County.
After the Uprising marks the continued expansion of NowThis’ podcast offerings, following the successful political biography show Who Is?, short-form daily news podcast NowThis Brief, and the family-oriented news podcast NowThis Kids. With high-profile guests like former Senator Harry Reid, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer, Who Is? (also in partnership with iHeartMedia) is regularly featured on Apple and Spotify politics and civic-engagement focused playlists, geared towards informing audiences on the power players and issues driving our national political discourse. The long-form political biography podcast has racked up millions of downloads and has been nominated for Digiday’s Best Podcast of the Year.
After the Uprising is distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network. Listen to After the Uprising on iHeartRadio and follow the podcast to be alerted when new episodes are available.
About NowThis
NowThis is the #1 mobile news brand in the U.S. [Nielsen DCR, June 2020]. They have a singular mission: to make news engaging and relevant for young adults by humanizing our complicated world. By providing insightful context from a youth perspective, NowThis has revolutionized how news is consumed today. Launched in 2012, NowThis’ entertaining, inspiring and informative videos are created for a mobile generation and receive over 2.6 billion monthly views [platform analytics, June 2020]. In December 2016, NowThis joined forces with Thrillist, The Dodo and Seeker to form Group Nine Media -- the #1 video publisher on mobile in the U.S. [Nielsen DCR, June 2020].
About Double Asterisk
Double Asterisk is the midwest-based investigative media company of John Duffy and Ray Nowosielski. Duffy’s Who Is Rich Blee? was an early investigative true crime podcast that garnered headlines in 2011 for exposing an alleged human rights abuser still working in the CIA, detailed in his 2018 book The Watchdogs Didn’t Bark. Nowosielski directed on the Emmy-nom 3rd season of VICE on HBO and was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy for Tricky Dick & the Man in Black, a Netflix Original about Johnny Cash, for which he was a producer. Rounding out the team is producer Dave Cassidy, a Peabody winner and multi-Emmy nominee.