Presentation Highlights Include New Projects from Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries, Campside Media, and Marc Smerling’s Truth Media

New Original Series from Somethin’ Else, Neon Hum and More Highlight Expanding Roster of Shows

NEW YORK – May 11, 2022 – Sony Music Entertainment’s (SME) Global Podcast Division today unveiled a robust slate of new podcast titles with some of its leading global creative partners during the 2022 IAB Podcast Upfront. Highlighted by new shows from prolific storytellers such as Adam McKay, Marc Smerling and the team at Campside Media, SME’s upcoming shows highlight the company’s focus on developing both a broad range of new limited-run series and a diverse slate of original content across all of its production partners.

SME, whose 2022 April downloads were nearly 40% higher vs. 2021, continues to partner with best-in-class storytellers, journalists, and creators to deliver premium experiences to passionate audiences. Building on the recent success of hit original series like Chameleon: Wild Boys, Bad Blood: The Final Chapter and The Just Enough Family, SME continues to engage listeners with bingeworthy content and develop loyal audiences with popular franchises and always-on series.

The Company previewed nearly a dozen new titles in today’s Upfront presentation, highlighting two new projects from McKay’s Hyperobject Industries, several upcoming true crime releases from Campside Media and Smerling’s Truth Media, brand new seasons of hit series Smoke Screen and Spectacle from Neon Hum, and the premiere of multiple new titles across all genres from Somethin’ Else. Good Words with Kirk Franklin is also slated to return with a new season featuring top celebrity guests this summer.

“Sony Music has believed in the power of the voice for as long as we’ve existed and we’re proud to work with some of podcasting’s best storytellers to bring their ideas and voices to listeners around the world,” said Steve Ackerman, Executive Vice President and Co-Head, Global Podcasts, Sony Music Entertainment. “From New York to LA to London, our team is uniquely positioned to engage loyal audiences with an expanding roster of shows across all genres and formats.”

Highlights from Sony Music Entertainment’s upcoming podcast slate include:

Bedtime Stories with Adam McKay | Hyperobject Industries
An immersive and lulling auditory experience. Each episode offers an improvised story that takes the listener on a charming if not unessential journey. No two episodes are ever the same; each story is improvised by McKay and stems from one word chosen at random by his producer Harry Nelson.

Defining Diego | Somethin’ Else
Defining Diego explores the rise and fall of international adoption, told through the story of one adoptee and his mom, a journalist who has documented their journey from his earliest steps.

Good Words with Kirk Franklin | Somethin’ Else
Good Words returns for a new season featuring conversations with some of the biggest celebrities across music, TV and entertainment.

Hill Crazy | Truth Media
When your friend is accused of murdering one of Humbolt County’s largest pot growers, what do you do?  Well, you go figure out whether he’s guilty!

Réunion: Shark Attacks in Paradise | Hyperobject Industries
Shark Attacks in Paradise: Réunion Island is an unusual story and cautionary tale about an unexplained surge in shark attacks on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin | Neon Hum
Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin shines a spotlight on Jolyn Noethe, a secretive businesswoman from Iowa who is accused of laundering puppies much like drug money. Investigative reporter Alex Schuman exposes the scheme and an underground part of the industry bringing us the pets we love.

Spectacle: True Crime | Neon Hum
This season of Spectacle delves into the history of true crime — from the cases that shook us to our core, to its passionate audience, and what narratives and stereotypes it reinforces in our culture.

The Evaporated | Campside Media
The Evaporated is an investigative probe into a spree of highly mysterious disappearances across Japan.

The Fringe Network: Alien State | Somethin’ Else
Publicly, the government once called UFOs a “waste of time,” but new evidence and uncovered documents prove that the U.S. government is, and always has been, very interested in the UFO phenomenon. Alien State digs into who the people coming forward with these government secrets truly are.

For more information on all our podcasts, follow @SonyPodcasts on Twitter and Instagram.