The 'Selma' director and her associates at Array will produce both scripted and unscripted original audio programming as part of the multi-year partnership with the streaming platform.
- January 22, 2021
AceShowbiz - "Selma" director Ava DuVernay has landed a huge Spotify deal for a series of new podcasts.
The writer and producer has signed with officials at the streaming platform's audio series collective, Gimlet, to develop projects with themes of social and racial justice - like the ones she and associates at her company, Array, create to complement her more mainstream Hollywood ventures.
"Recognizing the undeniable power of voice and sound, I'm thrilled to extend ARRAY's storytelling into the realm of podcasts," Ava shared in a statement. "The opportunity to work with Lydia Polgreen and her passionate team drew us to Spotify as a home for our audio narratives and we couldn't be more excited to begin this new creative journey."
DuVernay and her Array team will produce both scripted and unscripted original audio programming as part of the multi-year partnership, and Gimlet's managing director, Polgreen, is "excited" to have snagged the influential industry leader as a collaborator.
"Ava DuVernay and her team at ARRAY are at the forefront of telling powerful stories about the most pressing issues of our time," she said. "We're so excited to bring their passion for lifting up forgotten and neglected voices to life in audio."
Each of the new podcasts will be available to listeners for no charge. The first project as part of the new deal has yet to be announced.
In addition to DuVernay, Spotify has signed exclusive deals with Barack and Michelle Obama, Joe Rogan, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as secured new shows from Kim Kardashian.
