IHEARTMEDIA GREENLIGHTS COLLAB’S “STORYTIME” PODCAST FOR FOUR MORE SEASONS
With 165M total followers, creators Spencer X, Culture Crash, DreaKnowsBest and more share entertaining and bizarre stories; bonus features added
iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcasting publisher globally, along with leading digital talent network and brand agency Collab, announced today that their Storytime podcast series has been greenlit for an incredible and unprecedented four more seasons. Featuring top creators from TikTok and YouTube, Storytime is the first podcast series to launch from iHeartMedia and Collab’s joint venture, a partnership that unites Collab’s roster of digital talent with iHeartMedia’s unparalleled podcasting expertise to co-produce an exciting new slate of podcasts.
Storytime features many of the most watched and loved digital content stars in a new format, wherein they will share their own interesting, bizarre and sometimes scary stories. New this season, Storytime will add listener-created content as a bonus feature. The added features will supplement the in-depth discussions between host Will McFadden, Collab’s Chief Creative Officer, and guests Spencer X, Culture Crash, DreaKnowsBest, Alex Meyers and more. Storytime has also added new bonus episodes to season one showcasing interesting stories submitted from listeners around the world. Storytime is available now on iHeartRadio and all major podcast platforms.
For many young listeners, today’s digital content stars are the biggest celebrities. “This series will take the energy, excitement and originality of these digital personalities and deliver it in one of the most loved, fastest growing mediums”, said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. We’ve worked closely with Collab to develop a show that taps into the talent listeners love and brings a fresh new side of those personalities and their incredible stories to podcasting. We are excited to continue to bring Storytime for several more seasons.
“We could not be more excited to partner with iHeartMedia to bring this massive opportunity to Collab’s talent, in addition to many other amazing creators from around the world. Podcasts have become the next big frontier for Creators, so it was natural to partner with the largest podcast company in the world, to not only bring that opportunity to our talent, but supercharge it”, says Eric Jacks, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Producer of the podcast.
About the Storytime series, Collab Chief Creative Officer and series host Will McFadden said: “Who doesn’t love a good story?! Each episode of Storytime features beloved creators from YouTube, TikTok, Reddit and beyond sharing their most hilarious, horrifying and cringe inducing stories. The audience gets a rare view into the lives of some of the most watched, most loved creators on the planet. For example, when the MacFarlands’ told their story about getting rejected for Family Feud in Episode 8. That’s an incredible story you can’t hear anywhere else!”.
The initial 33 batch of creators signed have a combined social following of over 165 million fans. This list includes the following:
Spencer X (54.7M), Jon Klaasen (18M), Penguinz0 (12.2M), Daily Dose of Internet (11.5M), Elyssa Klaasen (10.2M), DreaKnowsBest (5.5M), Marlon Webb (4.2M), Eric Artell (4M), Tabbes (3.5M), BeerBongJohn (3.4M), Brady Smith (3M), GrannyCoy Bundy (2.7M), Lonnie Marts (2.7M), Zack Lugo (2.7M), Alex Meyers (2.5M), The McFarlands (2.4M), Matt & Abby Howard (2.4M), The Kaplan Twins (2M), Scrubs (1.6M), Wansee Entertainment (1.2M), The Human Fountains (1.1M), HeyParis (1.1M), Jason Horton (979K), Olivia Cara (712K), Jessica Lesaca (650K), Liya Hizkias (458K), Goblin (399K), Corey & Russ (383K), Culture Crash (209K), Zac Clejan (207K), Nyra Williams (66K), and Sin Cindy (34K).
Storytime is distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network which is home to more than 750 original podcasts with over 253 million downloads each month. iHeartRadio Original Podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime and everything in between making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world.
About Collab:
Collab is the most watched independent digital entertainment network, generating 25 Billion views every month across digital platforms. Founded in 2012, Collab has become a leader in building digital Creator careers. Collab is the number one TikTok Creator network and a top ten provider of content on YouTube.
About iHeartMedia, Inc.
iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 250 million people each month. It is number one in broadcast and streaming radio as well as podcasting and audio ad tech and includes three segments: The iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group; the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group; and the Audio and Media Services Group.
