Gimlet Media
Gimlet Media, Inc. is a digital media company and podcast network, focused on producing narrative podcasts, headquartered in Brooklyn, New York and is a subsidiary of Swedish music streaming provider Spotify. The company was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, who serve as the company's CEO and president respectively. 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, 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 at a $10 million valuation. After raising most of its initial capital from investment firms Betaworks, Lowercase Capital, and Knight Enterprise Fund, Gimlet invited the listeners of its shows to help raise the last $200,000 through equity crowdfunding. The company was estimated to bring in $2 million in advertising revenue in 2015. In December 2015, Gimlet closed a Series A round 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 producer Nazanin Rafsanjani 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 investment round, led by Stripes Group. Emerson Collective, Graham Holdings, 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 announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gimlet for $230 million.
People
Alex Blumberg, a radio journalist, producer for This American Life, and co-founder of Planet Money, 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, is a former radio producer at WNYC, and worked as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group.
Shows
Current shows
Science Vs was originally launched and produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 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.
''StartUp''
StartUp's 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 as well as a Gerald Loeb Award 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 founder Dov Charney, venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton, a church plant 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.
''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 PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman. 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 reported that Richard Linklater 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. as John Brinkley, and will be produced by Annapurna Pictures and Team Downey. 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.
''Science Vs''
In October 2015, it was announced that the podcast Science Vs, hosted by Australian science journalist Wendy Zukerman, would move to Gimlet Media after previously being produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as part of ABC Radio's First Run digital-first podcast program.The program dissects fads 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" debuted in 2016. The first season focused on organized crime in Providence, Rhode Island. The show is hosted by Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier. The two previously worked together on the HBO documentary series The Jinx, and the documentary film Catfish.Season two of Crimetown, which focuses on police corruption and brutality in 1970s Detroit, Michigan, 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 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 as they pitch to a live panel of angel investors, similar to ABC's hit TV series Shark Tank.
''Mogul''
Mogul is produced by Gimlet in collaboration with Loud Speakers Network 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 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 premiered on September 18, 2019 with new host Brandon Jenkins.
''Uncivil''
Hosted by journalists Jack Hitt and Chenjerai Kumanyika, Uncivil confronts the official version of the Civil War 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
''Story Pirates''
Hosted by the Story Pirates 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 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, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Mason.''The Cut on Tuesdays''
A co-production with New York Magazine, The Cut on Tuesdays features journalist Molly Fischer discussing current events including politics, fashion, and pop culture. The show is intended to be "the premier destination for dynamic conversations about issues that matter to women". The show debuted on October 16, 2018.''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 officers and some of the people they arrested. The first season was released in partnership with The New York Times Magazine 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, Ari'el Stachel, Christine Baranski, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Samira Wiley, and Matthew Rhys.The Journal.
In June 2019, Gimlet released The Journal., a business podcast in coproduction with The Wall Street Journal.
''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.Limited run shows
The following series were launched as a limited number of episodes.| Title | Host | Genre | No. of episodes | First episode | Last Episode |
| Homecoming | Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer | Radio drama | 12 | November 16, 2016 | August 23, 2017* |
| Sandra | Alia Shawkat, Kristen Wiig | Radio drama | 7 | April 18, 2018 | April 18, 2018** |
| The Habitat | Lynn Levy | Documentary | 7 | April 18, 2018 | April 18, 2018** |
| We Came To Win | Nando Vila | Documentary | 10 | April 25, 2018 | June 15, 2018 |
| The Horror of Dolores Roach | Daphne Rubin-Vega, Bobby Cannavale | Radio drama | 13 | October 17, 2018 | October 16, 2019** |
| The Clearing | Josh Dean, April Balascio | True Crime Documentary | 8 | July 18, 2019 | August 29, 2019 |
- 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''
In December 2016, Universal Cable Productions purchased the rights to produce Homecoming as a TV series. Amazon gave the show a two-season order. In July 2017, Variety reported that Julia Roberts was set to star in the series, replacing Keener's role from the podcast. The show's first season, starring Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Shea Whigham, Alex Karpovsky, and Sissy Spacek, premiered on Amazon Video on November 2, 2018. Sam Esmail, who created Mr. Robot, 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, who lands a job at the company that makes Sandra, 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 Mission crew isolated in the HI-SEAS habitat 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 and the FIFA World Cup. 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 as Dolores Roach and Bobby Cannavale as an old friend she reunites with. Other voices include Abigail Spencer, David Zayas, John Douglas Thompson, Margaret Cho, and Richard Kind. 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 progress in partnership with Amazon and Blumhouse Productions.
The Clearing
Hosted by Josh Dean, The Clearing explores April Balascio father, serial murderer 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.
Canceled shows
The following shows premiered as ongoing series. Each was eventually cancelled on the network.| Title | Host | Genre | Debut | Last Episode |
| Mystery Show | Starlee Kine | Mystery | May 22, 2015 | July 31, 2015 |
| Sampler | Brittany Luse | Podcasts | January 20, 2016 | October 17, 2016 |
| Undone | Pat Walters | Documentary | November 14, 2016 | January 23, 2017 |
| Surprisingly Awesome | Adam Davidson and Adam McKay Rachel Ward | Documentary | November 3, 2015 | April 12, 2017* |
| Twice Removed | A. J. Jacobs | Genealogy | December 16, 2016 | June 16, 2017 |
| The Nod | Brittany Luse & Eric Eddings | Culture | July 17, 2017 | Jan 20, 2020 |
- 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.
''Mystery Show''
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. 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, Ted Allen of the Food Network and writer Dan Savage. On June 16, 2017, Gimlet announced that no new episodes would be produced beyond a series finale released that same day.''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 also entitled "The Nod".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
- DTR, with Tinder
- The Venture, with Virgin Atlantic
- .future, with Microsoft
- The Secret to Victory, with Gatorade
- Why We Eat What We Eat, with Blue Apron
- Fortune Favors the Bold with MasterCard
- Flipping the Game with Reebok
- Casting Call with Squarespace
- Pick Me Up with Lyft
- Earning Curve with Interac
- Wireframe with Adobe
- Dress Codes with New Balance