ESPN Films' 30 FOR 30 Podcasts to Launch This June

ESPN Films and ESPN Audio's new collaboration, 30 FOR 30 Podcasts, will launch in June 2017, it was announced yesterday at a SXSW panel in Austin, Texas. The series will tell original, high-quality sports stories in the likeness of the acclaimed 30 FOR 30 documentaries, but made exclusively for audio.

Each 30 FOR 30 Podcast episode will explore and report on a new sports story that will be a combination of original interviews and archival sound. Two of the topics that will be featured in the first season of 30 FOR 30 Podcasts will be: "Dan and Dave Revisited," the true story of the massive 1990's marketing campaign around the world's two best decathletes, and "On the Ice," the story of how a group of amateur Brits became the first all-women's team to make it to the North Pole." Both are working titles.

"ESPN Films is continuing to push boundaries in the storytelling space, and we're excited to further evolve the 30 FOR 30 brand," said Libby Geist, vice president and executive producer, ESPN Films and Original Content. "These audio documentaries will break new ground for ESPN while also bringing our signature long-form archival-based approach to the podcasting arena."

The group also announced that the signature 30 FOR 30 theme music is being re-worked for 30 FOR 30 Podcasts by Hrishikesh Hirway, musician, composer and host of the Song Exploder podcast. The inaugural season's episodes will be produced and hosted by Jody Avirgan (also of ESPN's FiveThirtyEight) and a team of in-house producers, with future episodes to be done in collaboration with outside reporters, documentarians, and ESPN talent.

30 for 30 first launched in 2009 with 30 one-hour sports documentaries, and ESPN Films has since aired over 100 sports documentaries including 90-minute and two-hour films, 30 FOR 30 Shorts, spinoffs such as NINE FOR IX and SEC Storied, and the Academy Award-winning documentary "O.J.: Made in America."

Traug Keller, senior vice president, ESPN Audio, added, "Our initial forays into long-form storytelling - Dunkumentaries and Pin Kings - were top quality and smashing successes, thanks to great collaboration across ESPN. There's no doubt the ESPN Films' track record augurs well and 30 FOR 30 Podcasts will be compelling and relevant must-listen content."

The 30 FOR 30 Podcasts series is presented by MINI in partnership with Blue Moon, the Citi® Double Cash card, Delta Airlines, Blue Apron and ZipRecruiter. More information on the series can be found at 30for30podcasts.com.

About ESPN Audio ESPN Radio, the country's largest sports radio network, ESPN DEPORTES Radio, ESPNRadio.com, and ESPN Audio on Demand comprise ESPN Audio.

ESPN Radio, which launched January 1, 1992, provides more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually, reaching 20 million listeners a week on 500 nationwide stations, including more than 375 full-time affiliates and clearance in the top 25 markets. ESPN owns and/or operates stations in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. ESPN Radio programming is also available on SiriusXM and via digital distributors Apple Music, Slacker Radio and TuneIn.

About ESPN Films ESPN Films has been an industry leader in documentary filmmaking since its inception in March 2008, producing more than 100 documentaries that have showcased some of the most compelling stories in sports. The high quality of storytelling, highlighted by the Peabody and Emmy-Award winning 30 FOR 30 series and the Academy-Award winning documentary "O.J.: Made in America" has led to record viewership as well as multiple honors and film festival appearances. Additional projects from ESPN Films over the years have included 30 FOR 30 Shorts, NINE FOR IX and the SEC STORIED series.

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