Lemonada Media is an American podcast network.
The company was founded in 2019 by Jessica Cordova Kramer and
Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
In 2019, Lemonada Media debuted their first podcast, ''Last Day''.
As of 2022, Lemonada has launched more than 20 podcasts.
History
In 2018, Cordova Kramer and Wittels Wachs met after discovering they had each lost a brother to accidental overdoses.
Cordova Kramer reached out to Wittels Wachs after hearing her in an interview. Wittels Wachs initially said no to a podcast partnership with Cordova Cramer but later changed her mind.
In 2019, they launched Lemonada Media and their first podcast, ''Last Day'' which explores the final days of people who have died to opioids, suicide, and gun violence.
The company set out to make the hard things in life a little easier for listeners to cope with.
The company's name refers to the adage "turning lemons into lemonade."
''Last Day'' is Lemonada Media's flagship podcast. The first season focused on the opioid epidemic. The first episode covered the last days of Cordova Kramer's brother prior to his fatal overdose.
The second season of ''Last Day'' focused on suicide
and was sponsored by
The Jed Foundation
The Jed Foundation (JED) is a non-profit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults in the United States.
JED partners with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance m ...
, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention.
In 2019, Lemonada Media debuted two additional podcasts, ''Good Kids'' and ''As Me with Sinéad''. In April 2020, ''In the Bubble'' hosted by
Andy Slavitt debuted. In March 2022, Lemonada Media had more than 20 original shows. These include ''The Cost of Care, The Untold Story: Policing'' and ''Good Sex''.
In 2020, Lemonada show ''In the Bubble'' won the "Favorite Shows" award of
Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts (known as simply Podcasts in Apple operating systems) is an audio streaming service and media player application developed by Apple Inc. for playing podcasts. Apple began supporting podcasts with iTunes 4.9 released in June 200 ...
"Shows of the Year". ''Last day'' also won
iHeartRadio's Podcast Award for Best Wellness and Fitness Podcast.
Lemonada shows received an average of two million listens in each month of 2020.
Lemonada partnered with Neighborhood Villages in late 2020, an organization that advocates for policy reform for early childhood education and care, to create ''No One Is Coming to Save Us'' hosted by former ABC news correspondent Gloria Riviera.
The podcast discusses the U.S. childcare system.
Kristin Bell has made guest appearances.
In 2021, Lemonada added 10 podcasts to its network including, ''Written Off'' and ''Believe Her''. ''Believe Her'' debuted at the top of the podcast ratings charts.
They launched, BEING Studios, a new division to develop a new audio genre called Audio Reality, a cross of reality programming and podcasting.
Their debut show, ''BEING Trans'' was executive produced by Kasey Barrett who has previously worked on ''
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian–Jenner blended family, airing between 2007 and 2021. Its prem ...
'', ''
The Real World'', and ''
Born This Way.'' Wittels Wachs stated that creating ''Being Trans'' was intended to build the empathy.
The second season of BEING studios features senior citizens and is called ''BEING Golden.''
In 2022, ''Add to Cart'' won the iHeartRadio Podcast Award for Best Beauty and Fashion Podcast.
Lemonada has a global presence with its two shows in Europe: ''As Me with Sinéad'' (Ireland) and ''In Giro Con Fra'' (Italy).
Organization
Jessica Cordova Kramer is the company's CEO. She previously served as the executive producer of ''
Pod Save the People
''Pod Save the People'' is an American political podcast produced and distributed by Crooked Media and hosted by organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson with weekly appearances by Samuel Sinyangwe, Clint Smith (writer), Clint Smith, and Brittany Pa ...
''. Stephanie Wittels Wachs is the company's chief creative officer. She previously published the book: ''Everything is Horrible and Wonderful''.
In 2020, the company reported $1.5 million in revenue.
In 2021, they reported nearly $5 million in revenue.
In January 2022, Lemonada Media announced they had secured $8 million in Series A funding and had 43 full-time employees.
Podcasts
Lemonada has plans to expand the number of shows to more than 30 in 2022.
''After 1954''
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Brown v Board of Education that the segregation of white and Black students was unconstitutional. The ''After 1954'' podcast, hosted by Aimée Eubanks Davis, explores this historic event and its unintended consequence–the firing of approximately 38,000 Black teachers in the Southern states.
Davis also explores the importance of Black educators as key figures in the lives of Black children.
''Add to Cart''
''Add to Cart'' is co-hosted by journalist SuChin Pak and writer, comedian, and director Kulap Vilaysack. Their podcast focuses on shopping and consumerism, exploring trending products and discussing whether those products are worth the cost.
''As Me with Sinéad''
''As Me'' is hosted by teacher, fashion enthusiast, and disability activist Sinéad Burke. Burke has also given a TED Talk on design accessibility, and was a guest speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Burke has a suite of high-profile guests on her podcast including Victoria Beckham and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Burke has also made a guest appearance on Lemonada Media's podcast ''Good Kids.''
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://lemonadamedia.com/
Podcasting companies
American companies established in 2019