Jed Baker has found his next act, owning and licensing podcasts rather than simply selling them.
The former UTA agent, who had a hand in TV series deals for podcasts like Dr. Death (Peacock) and Shrink Next Door (AppleTV+) during his agency tenure, has launched Starglow Media, an audio network focused explicitly on kids and family content. The latter is expected to include educational programming as well as bedtime stories, adventure, science and kid-friendly news, all with the goal of providing co-listening opportunities for families.
According to Baker, who was featured on Forbes’ “30 Under 30 List” in 2021, kids and family is the fastest-growing genre in audio thanks in part to parental concerns over screen time. He sees audio — both podcasts and audiobooks — as the ideal alternative, and says he intends to launch the “next big franchises, brands and characters” in the audio-first kids’ space. Baker will serve as the company’s founder and CEO, and he’s recruited Pineapple Street Studios’ Agerenesh Ashagre Palmer as his vp operations.
Though he does not yet have kids of his own, Baker notes that his inspiration was the impact that children’s programming had on him when he was a kid himself. “It was an activity that always brought my family closer together and could spark meaningful conversation,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We used to go on a lot of long road trips and would always listen to books on tape, so I wanted to create the new version of what that activity looks like in 2023.”
The initial programming lineup includes Stories Podcast, an already popular story-time show for kids of all ages, as well as its nighttime companion, Stories Podcast Sleep Series. There’s also Who Smarted?, a show that teaches kids about science and history; KidNuz, a weekday-morning current events podcast for kids; and Girl Tales, a weekly pod that offers a feminist on classic fairy tales and fables. Looking ahead, Baker says the company will roll out a slate of new, original fare targeted at 3- to 12-year-olds; the first batch, however, was simply licensed by Starglow, much as Wondery has done with Smartless or Spotify with Call Her Daddy.
UTA is not only representing the new venture but also listed among its financial backers. Other notable investors include Powerhouse Capital, Watertower Ventures, BDMI and K5 along with UTA board members Matt Rice and Peter Benedek, Parcast Founder Max Cutler and Today’s Jenna Bush Hager and her company, Thousand Voices. Starglow Media advisors include Cutler, who was the former head of talk creator content and partnerships at Spotify, as well as Hager, Still Pictures partner Stephen Davis and Snapchat’s Josh Stone.
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August 17, 2023 at 11:00PM
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Former UTA Agent Launches Kids and Family Audio Company With Agency Backing (Exclusive) - Hollywood Reporter
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