Gimlet Media LLC is a digital media company and podcast network, focused on producing narrative
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
s and headquartered in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. The company was founded in 2014 by
Alex Blumberg
Alex Blumberg is an American entrepreneur, radio journalist, former producer for public radio and television, best known for his work with ''This American Life'', ''Planet Money'', and '' How to Save a Planet''. He is the co-founder and CEO of th ...
and Matthew Lieber, who serve as the company's
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
and president respectively until Lieber stepped down in 2022. In February 2019, Spotify announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gimlet for $230 million.
History
Gimlet was founded in August 2014 with the launch of its flagship podcast ''
StartUp'' hosted by Alex Blumberg. Originally billed as the American Podcasting Corporation (APC), Blumberg was eventually convinced to change the company's name. After working with
Lexicon Branding, Blumberg and Lieber chose the name Gimlet Media for the venture.
The company raised $1.5 million in
seed funding
Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' su ...
at a $10 million valuation.
After raising most of its initial capital from investment firms
Betaworks,
Lowercase Capital
Lowercase Capital is an American venture capital firm that provided seed and early stage funding for a number of successful startups including Twitter, Twilio, Kickstarter, Uber, Instagram, and Stripe. It raised over $1 billion in capital and ...
, and Knight Enterprise Fund, Gimlet invited the listeners of its shows to help raise the last $200,000 through
equity crowdfunding
Equity crowdfunding is the online offering of private company securities to a group of people for investment and therefore it is a part of the capital markets. Because equity crowdfunding involves investment into a commercial enterprise, it ...
.
[ The company was estimated to bring in $2 million in advertising revenue in 2015. In December 2015, Gimlet closed a ]Series A round
A series A round (also known as series A financing or series A investment) is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exchan ...
of funding that raised $6 million at a $30 million valuation.
In July 2015, Gimlet announced it would add the option to pay for membership, a decision motivated by a desire to diversify revenue streams to include more than advertising. Members were given early access to pilots for new Gimlet shows, a Gimlet T-shirt, and access to the company's Slack channel. Gimlet then hired Blumberg's spouse and former ''Rachel Maddow Show
''The Rachel Maddow Show'' (also abbreviated ''TRMS'') is an American liberal news and opinion television program that airs on MSNBC, running in the 9:00 pm ET timeslot Monday evenings. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained a public p ...
'' producer Nazanin Rafsanjani
Nazanin Rafsanjani is the former head of new show development for Gimlet Media. Previously she was creative director at Gimlet Media and before that, a senior producer for ''The Rachel Maddow Show''.
Rafsanjani was featured in the first season o ...
to explore other ways to diversify the company's revenue. Rafsanjani spearheads Gimlet Creative, a wing of the company that "creates highly produced narrative audio in partnership with brands."
On August 2, 2017, Gimlet announced it closed a $15 million Series B
A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the ...
investment round, led by Stripes Group
Stripes (Stripes, LLC) is a private equity and venture capital firm based in Manhattan, New York, founded in 2008. . Emerson Collective
Emerson Collective is a for-profit corporation focused on education, immigration reform, the environment, media and journalism, and health. Founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, this limited liability company (LLC) uses philanthropy, impact investing, ...
, Graham Holdings
Graham Holdings Company (formerly The Washington Post Company) is a diversified American conglomerate holding company. Headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, and incorporated in Delaware, it was formerly the owner of ''The Washington Pos ...
, Betaworks, and Cross Culture Investors also contributed to the round. In September 2017, British advertising firm WPP announced it was investing $5 million in Gimlet for a minority stake in the company.
On February 6, 2019, Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gimlet for $230 million. In the summer of 2022, Lieber left his role as president but remained an advisor to Spotify.
People
Alex Blumberg, a radio journalist, producer for ''This American Life
''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internation ...
'', and co-founder of ''Planet Money
''Planet Money'' is an American podcast and blog produced by NPR. Using "creative and entertaining" dialogue and narrative, ''Planet Money'' claims to be "The Economy Explained."
History
The podcast was created by Alex Blumberg and Adam Davids ...
'', came up with the idea of a for-profit podcast network after the success of a T-shirt fundraising campaign for ''Planet Money''. He chose to document the foundation of Gimlet in the first season of ''StartUp'', the company's first show.
Gimlet's co-founder, Matthew Lieber, holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management (MIT Sloan or Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, ...
, is a former radio producer at WNYC
WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that di ...
, and worked as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (BCG) is an American global management consulting firm founded in 1963 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the Big Three (or MBB, the world’s three largest management consulting firms by rev ...
.
Lydia Polgreen was managing director until she left for ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''.
Shows
Current shows
''Science Vs'' was originally launched and produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC) as part of ABC Radio's First Run digital-first podcast program, before Gimlet announced in October 2015 the podcast was moving to and relaunching on their network in 2016.
''The Pitch'' was originally launched as an independent podcast in July 2015 and joined Gimlet in 2017.
''Story Pirates'' was originally launched independently in October 2013, later joining Gimlet in 2017.
''Science Vs''
In October 2015, it was announced that the podcast ''Science Vs'', hosted by Australian science journalist Wendy Zukerman
Wendy Zukerman is an Australian-American science journalist and podcaster. She is best known as the host of '' Science Vs'', a program that dissects areas of scientific controversy and public confusion.
About
Zukerman was born in the United S ...
, would move to Gimlet Media after previously being produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC) as part of ABC Radio's First Run digital-first podcast program.
The program dissects fad
A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period.
Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short- ...
s that are framed as scientific facts.
''Heavyweight''
In September 2016, Gimlet released the first episode of the podcast ''Heavyweight'' with Jonathan Goldstein. The company describes the format as stories "about journeying back to the moment when everything went wrong".
The show's fourth season debuted on September 4, 2019.
''Crimetown''
''Crimetown,'' a documentary series "centered on organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
" debuted in 2016. The first season focused on organized crime in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
. The show is hosted by Marc Smerling
Marc Smerling is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director. He was nominated for an Oscar for '' Capturing the Friedmans'' in 2003, and co-wrote and produced '' The Jinx'', a six-part HBO documentary on suspected murd ...
and Zac Stuart-Pontier. The two previously worked together on the HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
documentary series '' The Jinx'', and the documentary film ''Catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
''.
Season two of ''Crimetown'', which focuses on police corruption and brutality in 1970s Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, began on October 2, 2018. Unlike season 1, it was released exclusively on Spotify.
''Every Little Thing''
''Every Little Thing'' premiered on April 17, 2017, as the successor to ''Surprisingly Awesome''. In finding a new host in former ''Science Friday
''Science Friday'' (known as ''SciFri'' for short) is a weekly call-in talk show that broadcasts each Friday on public radio stations, distributed by WNYC Studios, and carried on over 400 public radio stations. ''SciFri'' is hosted by award-wi ...
'' producer Flora Lichtman, Gimlet decided that what they were creating was "a whole new thing" and decided to change the show's name to reflect that.
''The Pitch''
In June 2017, it was announced that the podcast ''The Pitch'', hosted by Josh Muccio, would move to Gimlet Media after previously being produced independently.
The program features entrepreneurs in need of venture funding
Venture capital financing is a type of funding by venture capital. It is private equity capital that can be provided at various stages or funding rounds. Common funding rounds include early-stage seed funding in high-potential, growth companies ( ...
as they pitch to a live panel of angel investors, similar to ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's hit TV series ''Shark Tank
''Shark Tank'' is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' returning to ABCInsider TV. Retrieved June 24, 2012 The show i ...
''.
''Mogul''
''Mogul'' is produced by Gimlet in collaboration with Loud Speakers Network
Reginald Joseph Ossé (July 8, 1969 – December 20, 2017), known professionally as Combat Jack, was a Haitian-American hip hop music attorney, executive, journalist, editor and podcaster. He was the former managing editor of ''The Source''. H ...
and premiered on Spotify on April 27, 2017, with a general release via other channels on June 16, 2017. The series is a six-episode documentary podcast that tells the story of Violator's Chris Lighty
Darrel Steven "Chris" Lighty (May 8, 1968 – August 30, 2012) was an American music industry executive. He co-founded Violator, a record label, management and marketing company, which represented hip hop and R&B artists such as Busta Rhymes ...
and his career as a music executive. The last episode of season 1 was on September 28, 2017 and at age 53 on December 20, 2017, host Reggie Ossé passed away."
A second season of ''Mogul'' exploring the growth of Southern Hip-Hop
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memph ...
premiered on September 18, 2019, with new host Brandon Jenkins.
''Uncivil''
Hosted by journalists Jack Hitt
Jack Hitt is an American author. He has been a contributing editor to '' Harper's'', ''The New York Times Magazine'', ''This American Life'', and the now-defunct magazine '' Lingua Franca''. His work has appeared in such publications as ''Outsi ...
and Chenjerai Kumanyika, ''Uncivil'' confronts the official version of the Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
with previously-untold stories about covert operations, corruption, resistance, mutiny, counterfeiting, and more, looking to trace their effect to the modern political climate. The show debuted on October 4, 2017.
''Uncivil'''s premiere episode "The Raid" won a 2017 Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
for News, Radio, Podcast, and Public Service Programming. This is the first Peabody award for Gimlet Media.
''Story Pirates''
Hosted by the Story Pirates
Story Pirates is an arts education organization based in New York City and Los Angeles. Originally known as the Striking Viking Story Pirates, the group collects written works from students and youth and adapts these stories for the stage. Kid-wr ...
performance group, ''Story Pirates'' takes original stories submitted from kids and turns them into comedy shows. The Story Pirates crew includes actors, comedians, improvisers and musicians on a rotating basis. The show debuted on November 20, 2017.
''Chompers''
Hosted by Rachel Ward, ''Chompers'' is a twice daily show designed to help kids develop good tooth brushing habits. The show is designed to help kids brushing for the full two minutes that dentists recommend by integrating jokes, riddles, stories, fun facts, silly songs and more. ''Chompers'' is the first Gimlet-produced podcast that is directly integrated into an Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa, also known simply as Alexa, is a virtual assistant technology largely based on a Polish speech synthesiser named Ivona, bought by Amazon in 2013. It was first used in the Amazon Echo smart speaker and the Echo Dot, Echo Studio and ...
Skill. The show debuted on March 1, 2018.
''Without Fail''
Billed as Gimlet's first interview show, ''Without Fail'' features CEO Alex Blumberg interviewing new guests in each episode. Each episode includes a guest who has taken a big professional risk, with the interview discussing why and how that risk came to be. The first season debuted on October 1, 2018. Guests on the show include Sophia Amoruso
Sophia Christina Amoruso (born April 20, 1984) is an American businesswoman. Amoruso was born in San Diego, California, and moved to Sacramento, California, after High school, soon after relocating to San Francisco. Amoruso founded Nasty Gal, a wo ...
, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Mason
Andrew D. Mason (born 1981) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is the founder and former CEO of Groupon, a Chicago-based website offering users discounts on local businesses and scholarships. He is also the founder and CEO of Desc ...
.
''Conviction''
On February 4, 2019, Gimlet released the first season of its investigative true crime series ''Conviction.'' All seven episodes of the season were released together. Intended to focus on a new story each season, the first release is hosted by Saki Knafo and covers reporting he did involving a series of NYPD
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
officers and some of the people they arrested. The first season was released in partnership with ''The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...
'' and Type Investigations.
''Motherhood Sessions''
In April 2019, Gimlet released ''Motherhood Sessions'', a show about the challenges and new experiences for mothers. The show is hosted by Alexandra Sacks, a psychiatrist who specializes in reproduction and family life. The show's topics include dealing with divorce, careers, a financial strain for new or expecting mothers.
''The Two Princes''
Gimlet released ''The Two Princes'', described as a "LGBTQ fantasy project", on June 4, 2019. The scripted series was created by Kevin Christopher Snipes, directed by Mimi O'Donnell, and features characters voiced by Noah Galvin
Noah Egidi Galvin (born May 6, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Dr. Asher Wolke in the TV series '' The Good Doctor'', Kenny O'Neal in the ABC sitcom ''The Real O'Neals'' and later taking over the titular ro ...
, Ari'el Stachel, Christine Baranski
Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress. She is a 15-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom ''Cybill'' ...
, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo ( fa, شهره آغداشلو, ; née Vaziri-Tabar (); 11 May 1952) is an Iranian and American actress. Following numerous starring roles on the stage, she made her film debut in ''Chess of the Wind'' (1976). Her next two film ...
, Samira Wiley
Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Poussey Washington in the Netflix comedy-drama series '' Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019) and as Moira in the Hulu dystopian dr ...
, and Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor.
He is known for playing Kevin Walker in '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in ''The Americans'' (2013–2018), for which he received two Golden Globe Awar ...
.
''The Journal.''
In June 2019, Gimlet released The Journal., a business podcast in coproduction with The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
.
''Motherhacker''
In November 2019, Gimlet released ''Motherhacker.'' The scripted series is written by Sandi Farkas and executive produced and directed by Amanda Lipitz. The series focuses on Bridget, a stay at home mother with a husband in rehab, who begins vishing
Voice phishing, or vishing, is the use of telephony (often Voice over IP telephony) to conduct phishing attacks.
Landline telephone services have traditionally been trustworthy; terminated in physical locations known to the telephone company, and ...
over the phone for a sketchy identity theft company to make ends meet. The show released it's highly anticipated season two June 2021.
''The Scaredy Cats Horror Show''
In May 2020, ''Reply All'' co-hosts launched a new podcast where an avowed horror film fan, Alex Goldman, screens a scary movie for his cohost PJ Vogt, a noted "scaredy cat", with the desire to learn if someone can learn to enjoy fear.
''Resistance''
In October 2020, Gimlet released ''Resistance,'' with Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr. as its host. According to Gimlet, it is "a show about refusing to accept things as they are. Stories from the front lines of the movement for Black lives, told by the generation fighting for change."
Limited run shows
The following series were launched as a limited number of episodes.
* Season 1 of ''Homecoming'' ran weekly from November 16 to December 21, 2016. Season 2 began on July 19 and wrapped up on August 23, 2017.
** All episodes of ''Sandra'', ''The Habitat'', and ''The Horror of Dolores Roach'' were each released as complete series on the same day to promote binge listening.
''Homecoming''
''Homecoming'', announced in November 2016, is Gimlet's first fictional podcast. It is a psychological thriller starring Catherine Keener
Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Acad ...
, David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom '' Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Prime ...
, and Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gene ...
. Season two began on July 19, 2017, and ran for six episodes.
In December 2016, Universal Cable Productions
Universal Content Productions (UCP) is an American television production company operating within the Universal Studio Group division of NBCUniversal.
History Universal Cable Productions
In July 2008, Universal Cable Productions was split off ...
purchased the rights to produce ''Homecoming'' as a TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
. Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
gave the show a two-season order. In July 2017, Variety reported that Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and thr ...
was set to star in the series, replacing Keener's role from the podcast. The show's first season, starring Roberts, Bobby Cannavale
Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in ''Third Watch'', ''Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in ''Will & Grace'', which wo ...
, Stephan James, Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham Jr. (born January 5, 1969) is an American actor best known for portraying Elias "Eli" Thompson in the drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also appeared in the first season of ''True Detective'' and the third season of ' ...
, Alex Karpovsky
Alexander Karpovsky (born September 23, 1975)Rick PorterAlex Karpovsky - Apple TV ''Apple TV'' is an American director, actor, screenwriter, producer and film editor. He is best known for playing Ray Ploshansky on the HBO comedy-drama series ''Gi ...
, and Sissy Spacek
Mary Elizabeth Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four Briti ...
, premiered on Amazon Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pri ...
on November 2, 2018. Sam Esmail
Sam Esmail (born September 17, 1977) is an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter who runs the production company Esmail Corp. He is best known as the creator, writer and director of the award-winning USA Network televi ...
, who created ''Mr. Robot
''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression and dissociati ...
'', produced and directed the show. The podcast's original staff, including Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, as well as other Gimlet staff members, assisted in writing and producing the show. A second season of the TV series premiered on May 22, 2020, following a new story inspired by the podcast but going into a new direction.
''Sandra''
''Sandra'' is Gimlet's second fictional podcast. The show follows the character Helen (voiced by Alia Shawkat
Alia Martine Shawkat ( ; ar, عليا مارتين شوكت; born April 18, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' The Old Man'', '' State of Grace'', Maeby Fünke in the Fox/Netflix television sitcom ''Arrested Develop ...
), who lands a job at the company that makes Sandra (voiced by Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...
), a popular Artificial Intelligence product. "But working behind the curtain isn't quite the escape from reality that Helen expected." ''Sandra'' debuted on April 18, 2018.
''The Habitat''
Hosted by Lynn Levy, ''The Habitat'' follows the crew of a simulated Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
Mission crew isolated in the HI-SEAS
The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) is an analog habitat for human spaceflight to Mars currently operated by the International MoonBase Alliance. HI-SEAS is located in an isolated position on the slopes of the Mauna L ...
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
on the Hawaiian islands for a full year. The series documents the six person crew of HI-SEAS IV "from the moment they set foot in their habitat, communicating with them through audio diaries that detail their discoveries, their frustrations, and their evolving and devolving relationships with each other." ''The Habitat'' debuted on April 18, 2018.
''We Came to Win''
Hosted by Nando Vila, ''We Came to Win'' is Gimlet's first sports podcast. The show focuses on world of soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
and the FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
. It debuted on April 25, 2018.
''The Horror of Dolores Roach''
A scripted fiction horror podcast, ''The Horror of Dolores Roach'' follows the titular character after her release from prison as she attempts to reintegrate to her old neighborhood. The show stars Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical ''Rent'' and Lucy in the Off-Broadway play ''J ...
as Dolores Roach and Bobby Cannavale as an old friend she reunites with. Other voices include Abigail Spencer
Abigail Leigh Spencer (born August 4, 1981) is an American actress. She began her career playing Rebecca Tyree on the ABC daytime television soap opera ''All My Children'' (1999–2001) before going on to star in the Lifetime crime drama series, ...
, David Zayas
David Zayas (born August 15, 1962) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is best known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series '' Dexter'' and Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama series '' Oz''.
Early life
Zayas was born in Ponce, Puer ...
, John Douglas Thompson
John Douglas Thompson (born 1964) is an English Americans, English-American actor. He is a Tony Awards, Tony Award nominee and the recipient of two Drama Desk Awards, two Obie Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Lucille Lortel Awards, Lu ...
, Margaret Cho
Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...
, and Richard Kind
Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...
. The first season consists of eight episodes, and was first released on October 17, 2018, and a second season was released on October 16, 2019.
A television adaptation is in works in partnership with Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
and Blumhouse Productions
Blumhouse Productions (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH) is an American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum.
It is known mainly for producing horror films, such as '' Paranormal Activity'', '' Insid ...
. The project had given a series order in February 2022, with Justina Machado
Justina Milagros Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress, known for her roles as Penelope Alvarez on the Netflix and Pop TV sitcom '' One Day at a Time'', Darci Factor in The CW dramedy ''Jane the Virgin'', Vanessa Diaz on the H ...
will star.
''The Clearing''
Hosted by Josh Dean, ''The Clearing'' explores April Balascio father, serial murderer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
Edward Wayne Edwards, and investigates her father's history and potential additional unsolved crimes he may have committed. The Clearing is a coproduction with Pineapple Street Media
Pineapple Street Studios (formerly Pineapple Street Media) is a podcast studio based in Brooklyn, New York. In August 2019, it was acquired by Entercom (now Audacy, Inc.). Pineapple's work includes multi-episode narratives, investigative journal ...
.
Canceled shows
The following shows premiered as ongoing series. Each was eventually cancelled on the network.
* After hiring Flora Lichtman to be the new host of ''Surprisingly Awesome'', Gimlet staff decided to relaunch the show under the name ''Every Little Thing''.
''Reply All''
On November 24, 2014, Gimlet's second show, ''Reply All'', made its debut. Billed as "a show about the internet", ''Reply All'' is hosted by Alex Goldman and Emmanuel Dzotsi and formerly by PJ Vogt
''Reply All'' is an American podcast from Gimlet Media that ran from 2014 to 2022, featuring stories about how people shape the internet, and how the internet shapes people. It was created by P. J. Vogt and Alex Goldman, who were the show' ...
. Vogt and Goldman previously worked on WNYC's '' On The Media'' before creating and hosting the technology and culture podcast ''TLDR''.
In February 2017, Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
reported that Richard Linklater
Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...
will direct a movie based on the ''Reply All'' episode "Man of the People". The film, which as of August 2017, remains untitled, will star Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...
as John Brinkley, and will be produced by Annapurna Pictures
Annapurna Pictures is an independent American media company founded by Megan Ellison in 2011, that specializes in film production, live theatre production, television through its Annapurna Television division, and video game publishing through i ...
and Team Downey
Team Downey is an American film production company founded by Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey that produces films using television properties. David Gambino is the president of production. Team Downey was based at Warner Bros. since its fou ...
. In addition to Linklater and Downey, three members of the ''Reply All'' team are signed on as co-producers, including PJ Vogt, Tim Howard, and Chris Giliberti.
In October 2020, Emmanuel Dzotsi joined as the third co-host.
In February 2021, former Gimlet producer Eric Eddings revealed in a Twitter thread that Vogt and ''Reply All'' producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni had opposed staff unionization efforts and contributed to a "toxic culture" at the show, particularly for staffers of color. Vogt apologized and has permanently left the show. Pinnamaneni has apologized and is on hiatus with the show. Both Goldman and Dzotsi left the show in 2022, and a final regular episode was released on June 23.
''Mystery Show''
''Mystery Show'', Gimlet's third show, was launched on May 22, 2015. The show featured host Starlee Kine
Starlee Kine (born April 8, 1975) is an American public radio producer and writer. She was the creator and host of the podcast ''Mystery Show'', which was done in production with Gimlet Media. Her work has been featured on ''This American Life'' ...
solving mysteries that could not be solved by using the Internet, brought to her by listeners and friends. The mysteries tended to deal with missing objects, people, or other day-to-day questions.
The final episode of ''Mystery Show's'' first season was released in July 2015. On October 6, 2016, Alex Blumberg announced on an episode of ''StartUp'' that ''Mystery Show'' had been canceled.
''Sampler''
In January 2016, Gimlet launched the podcast ''Sampler'', hosted by Brittany Luse, which, according to the producers, was "devoted to bringing you the best moments from the world of podcasting" by presenting excerpts from other, non-Gimlet podcasts and interviewing their makers. On October 17, 2016, Blumberg and Luse announced on the ''Sampler'' season finale that the podcast had been canceled.
''Undone''
In November 2016, Gimlet described their new documentary series ''Undone'' as a show about "the things that happened when you weren't looking." It was hosted by Pat Walters, who'd previously been a producer for ''Radiolab
''Radiolab'' is a radio program produced by WNYC, a public radio station in New York City, and broadcast on public radio stations in the United States. The show is nationally syndicated and is available as a podcast. Live shows were first off ...
''. For the show's season finale, Walters announced that ''Undone'' would not be returning for another season.
''Surprisingly Awesome''
Gimlet launched ''Surprisingly Awesome,'' originally featuring Adam Davidson and Adam McKay, on November 3, 2015. Producer Rachel Ward filled in for Davidson or McKay throughout season 1 when one or both were unavailable. On October 5, 2016, Ward announced at the beginning of season 1 episode 22 that Davidson and McKay had left the podcast. In episode 23 on January 19, 2017, Ward announced that she would be moving on to another Gimlet project and the show was then replaced by Flora Lichtman's ''Every Little Thing''.
The premise of the show was to take seemingly uninteresting topics and, by exploring their stories, show that they are actually of interest.
''Twice Removed''
''Twice Removed'' was Gimlet's first family history podcast, which aimed to prove "we're one big family." The show was announced on December 5, with the first season debuting on December 16, 2016. Featured individuals included Abbi Jacobson of ''Broad City
''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web series ...
'', Ted Allen
Edward Reese Allen (born May 20, 1965) is an American author and television personality. He was the food and wine connoisseur on the Bravo network's television program '' Queer Eye'', and has been the host of the TV cooking competition series ' ...
of the Food Network
Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...
and writer Dan Savage
Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964) is an American author, media pundit, journalist, and LGBT community activist. He writes ''Savage Love'', an internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column. In 2010, Savage and his husba ...
. On June 16, 2017, Gimlet announced that no new episodes would be produced beyond a series finale released that same day.
''StartUp''
''StartUps first episode aired on September 5, 2014, and was hosted by Alex Blumberg. Through documentary-style storytelling, the podcast shares Blumberg's experience building Gimlet Media from an idea through to a startup business. In episode 12 of season 1, Blumberg announced his new co-host, Lisa Chow. The podcast has won a Gracie Award
The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contr ...
as well as a Gerald Loeb Award
The Gerald Loeb Award, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was estab ...
for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.
While the initial podcast subject of the development of Gimlet Media is routinely addressed, subsequent seasons have featured an array of different startups and business personalities, including American Apparel
American Apparel Inc. is an online-only retailer and former brick-and-mortar stores operator based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Canadian businessman Dov Charney in 1989, it was a vertically integrated company that ranked as one of the ...
founder Dov Charney
Dov Charney (born January 31, 1969) is a Canadian entrepreneur and clothing manufacturer. He is the founder of American Apparel, which was one of the largest garment manufacturers in the United States until its bankruptcy in 2015. Charney subse ...
, venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton
Arlan Hamilton is an investor and the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital. In May 2020, Hamilton released her first book from Penguin Random House entitled '' It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest ...
, a church plant
Church planting is a term referring to the process (mostly in Protestant frameworks) that results in a new local Christian congregation being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, worship center or ...
applying business practices to the non profit sector, and the rise of Success Academy Charter Schools among others.
The final season of Startup covered the process of Gimlet's acquisition by Spotify and the podcast formally concluded with its final regular episode on October 18, 2019.
'' Alex, Inc.'', a TV sitcom based on Blumberg, ''StartUp'', and Gimlet Media, debuted on ABC on March 28, 2018.
''The Nod''
''The Nod'' was a culture podcast designed to "gleefully explore all the beautiful, complicated dimensions of Black life." Anchored by ''Mogul'' producer Eric Eddings and former ''Sampler'' host Brittany Luse, ''The Nod'' premiered in July 2017, supplanting their former self-produced ''For Colored Nerds'' podcast. ''The Nod'' ended in early 2020 due to Eddings and Luse moving to a new daily short form show on Quibi
Quibi ( ) was a short-lived American short-form streaming platform that generated content for viewing on mobile devices. It was founded in Los Angeles in August 2018 as NewTV by Jeffrey Katzenberg and was led by Meg Whitman, its CEO. The servic ...
also entitled "''The Nod''".
''The Cut on Tuesdays''
A co-production with ''New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...
'', ''The Cut on Tuesdays'' featured journalist Molly Fischer discussing current events including politics, fashion, and pop culture. The show was intended to be "the premier destination for dynamic conversations about issues that matter to women". The show debuted on October 16, 2018, and ended in December 2019.
Gimlet Creative
In 2016, Gimlet launched Gimlet Creative, the company's branded podcast division. Gimlet Creative works with sponsors to create podcasts that are then released under Gimlet Creative's channel, with a clear distinction drawn to separate from the company's editorial and journalism shows. This team is headed by creative director Nazanin Rafsanjani. Branded podcasts from Gimlet Creative include:
* ''Open for Business'', with eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
* ''DTR'', with Tinder
Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder i ...
* ''The Venture'', with Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and w ...
* ''.future'' (pronounced "dot future"), with Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
* ''The Secret to Victory,'' with Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develop ...
* ''Why We Eat What We Eat'', with Blue Apron
Blue Apron Inc. is an American ingredient-and-recipe meal kit company headquartered in New York City, operating its services exclusively in the United States. It offers weekly boxes containing ingredients, which also includes suggested recipes th ...
* ''Fortune Favors the Bold'' with MasterCard
*''Flipping the Game'' with Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
*''Casting Call'' with Squarespace
Squarespace, Inc. is an American website building and hosting company which is based in New York City, USA. It provides software as a service for website building and hosting, and allows users to use pre-built website templates and drag-and-drop ...
*''Pick Me Up'' with Lyft
Lyft, Inc. offers mobility as a service, ride-hailing, vehicles for hire, motorized scooters, a bicycle-sharing system, rental cars, and food delivery in the United States and select cities in Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dyn ...
*''Earning Curve'' with Interac
Interac is a Canadian interbank network that links financial institutions and other enterprises for the purpose of exchanging electronic financial transactions. Interac serves as the Canadian debit card system and the predominant funds transf ...
*''Wireframe'' with Adobe
Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...
*''Dress Codes'' with New Balance
New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...
In addition to individual shows, Gimlet Creative also produces the ads featured on other Gimlet podcasts.
Gimlet Pictures
Gimlet Pictures was created in 2017 as a new business group of Gimlet Media, specifically focusing on adaptation of Gimlet's Podcast content into Television, Movies, and other visual platforms. The explosive growth of podcasts as a medium has created opportunities to adapt and license that content for other platforms.
GimletFest
In 2018, Gimlet announced their creation of a festival, called GimletFest. The first annual GimletFest took place on June 16–17 in Brooklyn, New York, and featured live podcast shows and panels with podcast hosts.
See also
*List of podcasting companies
This is a list of notable companies, networks, and organizations which are primarily known for the production and distribution of podcasts in both audio and video format. Although the accessibility of the medium means that many media, news, and ra ...
References
External links
*
Gimlet Creative
{{Spotify
2014 establishments in New York City
2019 mergers and acquisitions
Companies based in Brooklyn
Podcasting companies
American companies established in 2014
Mass media companies established in 2014
American subsidiaries of foreign companies
Spotify