Yahoo News ‘Halloween’ Producer David Thwaites To Head Up TV & Film For Podcast Studio Audio Up
EXCLUSIVE: Audio Up, the podcast studio behind series from the likes of Anthony Anderson and James Ellroy, is ramping up its moves into TV and film.
Courtesy of Bridger Scott
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The company, run by Jared Gutstadt, has hired Halloween and Black Swan producer David Thwaites to head up its nascent moving picture division.
Thwaites has been tasked with helping to create scripted audio series with established writers and oversee the film and TV development and production of its podcast IP.
Audio Up series include sci-fi synth-pop musical Sonic Leap, led by Anderson, The Playboy Interview with Michael Shannon, Midnight at the Sun Diner starring Shea Whigham, Ellroy’s Hollywood Death Trip and Bedtime Stories of the Ingleside Inn with Jason Alexander and Lance Bass as well as Halloween in Hell featuring Machine Gun Kelly and Uncle Drank featuring Dennis Quaid and Gary Busey.
The company has a number of partnerships in this space, including a deal with MGM Studios, which invested $4.5M in the company in 2020, and a film and TV partnership with fledgling management and production firm Range Media Partners.
Hollywood has been snapping up podcast IP to turn into television series and films such as Amazon’s Homecoming and Apple’s The Shrink Next Door with hundreds of other projects in development.
Thwaites has spent time working at Peter Berg and Michael Lombardo’s Film 44, Miramax and Mike Medavoy’s Phoenix Pictures and recently produced John Ridley’s Needle in a Timestack, starring Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Freida Pinto and Orlando Bloom.
“I’m thrilled to join Jared and Audio Up – they are true trailblazers in premium audio storytelling. I couldn’t be more excited to help shape these compelling narratives and to adapt these innovative audio experiences for television, film and beyond,” said Thwaites.
“David’s understanding of the value of IP through his work with established catalogue assets will be truly transformative for Audio Up,” added Audio Up founder and CEO Jared Gutstadt. “Unlike other’s in the space we are building our own media universe with a wide array of IP concepts that come complete with scripts and music attached. In success, we anticipate creating the next Encanto, Star is Born or Nashville. We are making the IP of the future and are excited to put David into our world to supercharge our Audio Up universe for peak streaming buyers.”
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