True Crime Podcast

The iHeartRadio Original scripted podcast series for teens debuts October 29 with two episodes

NEW YORK – October 15, 2018 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 commercial podcast publisher globally with more than 20,000 podcasts available on its platform, and Einhorn’s Epic Productions (“EEP”), an entertainment creative house that builds heroic franchise intellectual property, today gave a first look into Lethal Lit, an iHeartRadio Original scripted mystery podcast, with the release of the official trailer. Lethal Lit will debut October 29 with two episodes and subsequent episodes will air each Monday. Listeners can hear the official trailer here.

Lethal Lit is a six-episode scripted podcast that follows teen detective Tig Torres as she returns to her small hometown of Hollow Falls where her aunt was framed as a serial killer ten years ago. Tig explores the mystery of the Lit Killer murders, each based on a murder from classic literature, and documents her findings on her own true crime podcast. But as she gets closer to the truth, the killings begin all over again — with her as the final target.

“We announced the debut of Lethal Lit back in May and we can’t wait to see how this unique podcast is received when it’s released on October 29th,” said Chris Peterson, Executive Vice President of Podcasting at iHeartMedia. “There’s never been a more exciting time for podcasting than now and I speak for the entire team when I say we are absolutely delighted and energized by the potential and opportunity in this space. Lethal Lit introduces a new podcast format and audience for us, and it’s just the beginning of our larger effort to expand and diversify the types of shows iHeartRadio will offer.”

Rebecca Soler will play the lead role of Tig Torres — a strong, smart, independent Cuban-American teen detective who is fascinated by classic literature and true crime. Additional voices to be played by JB Blanc, Matt Gumley, Paul Guyet, Jennifer Jiles, Rachel Oremland, Alba Ponce de Leon, Luke Slattery and Shelly Shenoy. Heather Einhorn, Adam Staffaroni, Alex Segura and Monica Gallagher co-created the series with each episode written by Segura and Gallagher; directed by JB Blanc; and produced by Einhorn, Staffaroni and Aroop Sanakkayala for EEP, Segura and Gallagher, and Sandy Smallens and Chris Peterson for iHeartMedia.

“Creating Lethal Lit has been an amazing experience” said Heather Einhorn, CEO of EEP, “The young adult podcast audience has been largely overlooked, so we’re especially excited to bring a strong, female heroic character to life in this exciting new format.” 

iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s all-in-one digital music, podcast, on demand and live streaming radio service, is partnered with all major podcast publishers ranging from NPR and WNYC to ESPN and Gimlet.  iHeartMedia also recently acquired Stuff Media, LLC, the leading for-profit publisher of entertaining and informative podcast content, which includes the HowStuffWorks podcasting business. With iHeartRadio, listeners can enjoy their music and podcasts side-by-side across more than 250 unique platforms including in-car, in-home, on wearables, across gaming consoles and more – making their favorite audio content available everywhere they are, on the devices they use most. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to podcasts on your favorite device.

Lethal Lit is part of the iHeartRadio Podcast Network.

New Season to Launch as “Monster: The Zodiac Killer”

“Monster: The Zodiac Killer” to join the iHeartRadio Podcast Network with first episode to premiere exclusively on broadcast radio nationwide before available anywhere else

NEW YORK AND ATLANTA – September 5, 2018 – iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America which also has a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, today announced a partnership with the teams behind popular podcast Atlanta Monster — HowStuffWorks,  the largest for-profit podcasting company in the world and Tenderfoot TV, a hub for content creators and storytellers — to launch season two as Monster: The Zodiac Killer and continue tackling high-profile cases in subsequent seasons. 

Emerging from its debut season as 2018’s breakout hit with more than 30 million downloads, season two will be released in early January 2019, with trailers running through December. Under this agreement, the podcast will officially join the iHeartRadio Podcast Network, and iHeartMedia will become the primary distribution partner for all Atlanta Monster and Monster: The Zodiac Killer episodes. The partnership also includes plans for additional seasons to come.

Atlanta Monster host, director and award-winning documentary filmmaker Payne Lindsey will serve as an executive producer on Monster: The Zodiac Killer, in addition to lending his creative voice on the podcast throughout upcoming seasons. Tenderfoot TV and HowStuffWorks will continue to co-produce the series with Tenderfoot TV President Donald Albright and HowStuffWorks Head of New Initiatives Jason Hoch also serving as Executive Producers. Season two will explore The Zodiac Killer, a serial killer connected to a string of murders in California in the 1960s and 1970s whose identity, to this day, still remains unknown.

“It’s evident that our listeners across the country continue to have a huge appetite for true crime programs -- stories involving real people and actual real crimes.  Monster: The Zodiac Killer is not just about exploring the crime, it’s about the people and communities around the crime,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio and iHeartMedia Networks Group. “Atlanta Monstertold a powerful story that delved deep into the societal context and cultural significance of the events that took place. This is true crime flipped on its head, and we know season two will be even more captivating and compelling than the first.  We are excited about this partnership and being able to introduce this program to our hundreds of millions of listeners.”

The first episode is set to premiere January 3, 2019 exclusively on iHeartRadio’s broadcast radio stations across the country. A digital roll-out of the full season will follow the broadcast premiere and will be available on iHeartRadio. UTA brokered the deal on behalf of HowStuffWorks and TenderfootTV.

“iHeartMedia has extraordinary reach and the ability to engage millions upon millions of listeners via its vast network of broadcast radio stations and its highly engaged digital user base,” said Conal Byrne, President and CEO of HowStuffWorks. “This partnership is an immense opportunity to accelerate the growth of our listenership and expose the next phase of Atlanta Monster to an entirely new audience, thirsty for true crime.”

“With Atlanta Monster, we really tried to explore and understand all the layers of what was an integral and transformative time in not just the city’s history, but the nation’s history,” said host, co-creator and Tenderfoot TV Co-Founder Payne Lindsey. “I think the success of the podcast proved that listeners want more of these true crime stories where we are dissecting not only harrowing, oftentimes tragic, events, but the complex people involved in them. The new season examines the narrative around one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, and we believe that our partnership with iHeartMedia will allow us to bring this fascinating story to a massive audience that only iHeart can provide.”

iHeartMedia is the No. 1 commercial radio podcaster in the U.S. and the largest publisher of podcasts in the country, featuring more than 750 original shows on the iHeartRadio Podcast Network. With iHeartRadio, listeners can enjoy their music and podcasts across more than 250 unique device platforms including in-car, in-home, on wearables, across gaming consoles and more – making their favorite audio content available everywhere they are, on the devices they use most. Visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to Atlanta Monster on your favorite device now.

About HowStuffWorks

HowStuffWorks is the leading for-profit publisher of entertaining and informative podcast content. With more than 30 brands, including Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Atlanta Monster and Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities, the HowStuffWorks team reaches a highly engaged fan base across multiple platforms and distribution partners and has amassed a library of more than 10,000 podcast episodes and driving more than 1 billion downloads to date. With this expansive and award-winning collection of audio podcasts, HowStuffWorks is ranked #2 in global downloads and streams. The company, founded in 1998, is headquartered in Atlanta and also operates studios and teams out of Los Angeles and New York. 

About Tenderfoot TV

Founded by Atlanta director and independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright, Tenderfoot TV is a hub for content creators and storytellers. The company launched in August 2016 with the release of the viral true crime podcast “Up and Vanished” and has since created podcasts including the number one hit podcast “Atlanta Monster” and “Sworn.” Together these podcasts amass over 235 million downloads in total, with “Up and Vanished” making up 200 million of those downloads and “Atlanta Monster” and “Sworn” cultivating the remaining 35 million downloads. Additionally, Tenderfoot will transition into the television space with Up and Vanished, as it is now in development with Propagate as a docu-series for Oxygen. Tenderfoot strives to tell compelling stories that connect with the audience, delivering those stories in an entertaining fashion that keeps the audience engaged. No rules. No creative restrictions.