The eight-part series launches July 18, 2024
Listen to the official trailer HERE
LOS ANGELES and ATLANTA – July 11, 2024 – School of Humans and iHeartPodcasts, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, today announced “Tom Slick: Mystery Hunter” – an action-packed series that will take listeners on a thrilling ride – based on the untold, mostly true tale of explorer, scientific legend and alleged spy, Tom Slick, the most interesting man you’ve never heard of.
This eight-episode series will chronicle the larger than life adventures of Tom Slick (Owen Wilson) in his steadfast pursuit of the unknown, culminating to his greatest and most mystifying expedition: his 1958 hunt for the Yeti.
Tom Slick’s epic story will be told through hidden tapes found by his granddaughter, Liv Slick, (Schuyler Fisk) buried in her mother, Claire Slick’s (Sissy Spacek) attic. As they listen together, they will uncover unbelievable stories inspired by actual events from Tom Slick’s life, which include the kidnapping of his stepfather by the infamous bank robber Machine Gun Kelly, a covert OSS operation (predecessor to the CIA) to stop a Nazi spy ring in Latin America, and his relentless hunt for the elusive Yeti.
What is a climactic tale of a legendary man is also, for Liv, the discovery of a grandfather whose life was largely shrouded in mystery… until now.
“Tom Slick: Mystery Hunter” is told through the dynamic, fast-paced writing of Jeb Stuart (Die Hard, Vikings: Valhalla) and Caroline Slaughter (Astray, LAMB). Slaughter also directed and cast the podcast, with production support from producer and assistant director, Emilia Brock (Sanctum Unmasked, Let’s Start a Coup!). The podcast’s rich, immersive soundscape and score were crafted by sound designer and composer, Jesse Nighswonger (Unreformed, Queen Havoc).
“Tom Slick: Mystery Hunter” debuts today, Thursday, July 18th, 2024, and will be available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. “Tom Slick: Mystery Hunter” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts.
FACTS BEHIND THE SERIES
DISCLAIMER: This podcast is based on the true story of explorer, inventor, visionary and science pioneer, Tom Slick. Some of the story elements, names and characters have been altered for dramatic purposes.
Still, many of the overarching story elements are based on real life. Below, are some examples:
- In 1933 Tom Slick’s stepfather, Charles Urschel, was viciously abducted at gunpoint in front of his family by Machine Gun Kelly. When Urschel was eventually rescued by Hoover’s FBI, the trial became one of the most highly publicized in history and put the infamous bank robber behind bars.
- During WWII Nazi spy networks operated throughout South America. Tom Slick joined the War Department in 1941 and was assigned to Chile, though it’s shrouded in mystery what he was doing there. Classified documents are slowly being released by the government about that time. It was a rumor among family that he was involved in covert operations.
- Tom Slick embarked on multiple Yeti hunts in the Himalayas, but his most publicized is a 1958 expedition that led to his cohort, Peter Byrne (‘BUD’ in the podcast), stealing the thumb off a sacred Yeti Paw hidden in the Pangboche Monastery. The finger made its way to London hidden in a film canister in the actor Jimmy Stewart’s suitcase.
About Owen Wilson
Owen Wilson is one of contemporary cinema’s most successful actors, having earned great acclaim for his memorable turns in mainstream and independent films.
Most recently Wilson starred in both seasons of the critically acclaimed hit series Loki on Disney+. Additionally, he starred opposite an ensemble of talent including Jamie Lee Curtis, LaKeith Stanfield and Tiffany Haddish in Disney’s Haunted Mansion. In Paint Wilson plays Carl Nargle, a beloved veteran painter who teaches the craft on a local public television show.
Wilson’s string of box office successes includes Midnight in Paris; Father Figures; Wonder with Julia Roberts; Lost in London with Woody Harrelson; Marry Me with Jennifer Lopez, Marley & Me with Jennifer Aniston; the Night At The Museum franchise; the Meet The Parents franchise;
the smash hit comedy Wedding Crashers; the romantic comedy You, Me And Dupree; and as the voice of Lightning McQueen in Disney’s Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3.
Wilson has collaborated with director Wes Anderson eight times, including the Academy Award® nominated The Grand Budapest Hotel; The Darjeeling Limited; The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; The Royal Tenenbaums, for which he and Anderson were nominated for an Academy Award® and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay; Rushmore, which Wilson co-wrote and co-executive produced; and Bottle Rocket, which Wilson starred in and co-wrote. Wilson lent his voice to Anderson’s Academy Award®-nominated animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox.
About School of Humans Audio Holdings, Inc.
School of Humans is a multi-platform production company producing series for television (Dirty Jobs, Six Degrees with Mike Rowe, Stuff You Should Know). The company launched its audio division with the hit true crime podcast HELL AND GONE. The perennial top ten podcast is now a weekly show, with over 16 million downloads to date. School of Humans Audio boasts a slate of successful non-fiction titles distributed under a multi-year deal with iHeartMedia. Among them, Peabody-nominated UNREFORMED: The Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children (winner of an Ambie, IWPA, and two SIGNAL People’s Choice Awards & #1 History podcast on Apple and Spotify); ASTRAY (debuted at #15 on national podcast charts); SANCTUM UNMASKED (IWPA winner), and RACKET (A Vulture “Best New True Crime Podcasts” pick). School of Humans’ first scripted podcast, Sisters of The Underground starring Dania Ramirez (X-Men, Sweet Tooth) and Judy Reyes (Succession, Scrubs) was produced in conjunction with My Cultura and Eva Longoria.
