EXCLUSIVE: Media veterans Jeff Bewkes, Howard Stringer and Jeremy Fox have launched Thoroughbred Studios. Their fledgling business has galloped to an overall deal with iHeartPodcasts and scored a second-season order for its first project, a BBC audio drama about the CIA.
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Thoroughbred’s USP will be creating drama based on monumental events from modern U.S. history. One of the first out of the gate will be a moon-landing podcast for iHeart from 24 producer Stephen Kronish. Another project will be on the Vietnam War.
The focus will be on dramas that delve into hidden truths behind events of the American Century, a period taken as starting in the middle of the 20 th century. The iHeartPodcasts deal is for a minimum of four podcasts over the next two years.
The Thoroughbred set-up sees Bewkes serve as chair, Fox as CEO and Stringer as executive producer. The trio have held several of the top jobs in media: Stringer was the president and CEO of Sony Corp, Bewkes was CEO and ultimately chairman of Time Warner, and Fox has run various production companies and the global TV distribution business DRG.
Central Intelligence , Thoroughbred’s first commission for the BBC in the UK, will tell the insider story of the CIA and star Kim Cattrall, Ed Harris and Johnny Flynn. It was created by Fox and Greg Haddrick, who wrote acclaimed Australian crime drama Underbelly .
The BBC announced the series last week and Deadline understands the pubcaster has already ordered a second season before the first one drops later this year. Thoroughbred retains the TV adaptation rights, and the BBC has an option to become involved in any subsequent series, which is standard procedure with its audio commissions.
Fox and Stringer were both part of Atrium – a drama commissioning club of sorts for international telcos. It had a prestige slate, but as telcos largely moved away from original drama plans, Atrium disbanded. It had, however, generated scripts by that point. Fox now has some of those projects, which will be reworked for the Thoroughbred slate.
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Stringer lived in New York for 50 years and told Deadline about his first-hand take on seminal moments in U.S. history. “I was a drafted GI embedded in the Vietnam War, and as a CBS network producer and executive, I sat at Walter Cronkite’s desk during the moon landing, interviewed Presidents Johnson, Clinton, Obama and Vice President Rockefeller during West Bank negotiations,” he said. “I lived the American Century with passion and optimism.”
Bewkes told Deadline that as history buffs, the Thoroughbred project ticked the boxes for the powerhouse trio. “We have this shared interest in historical drama and the three of us thought, ‘Let’s make some podcasts,'” he said. “There’s a space for historical drama with great talent and from big-name writers. In some cases, there are facts about events that were not revealed in the first draft of history and when you put these pieces together you start to see a different picture.”
Given the experience of the Thoroughbred principals, TV and film based on the audio series could follow, although that’s not essential. “It’s a great form in itself — these aren’t promos for television,” Bewkes said. “But if there is interest in turning these into TV or movies, we are open to that.”
Fox agreed that the focus on delivering top-notch podcasts is the first priority, but with audio fertile proving ground for IP, there could be a TV component down the track. Asked about the mid- to long-term ambition for Thoroughbred, he said: “I would like to think that within two years, we will have made the four audio series for iHeart, we will have made two or three seasons of the CIA project for the BBC, and maybe one of these has found its way back into TV.”
The U.S. shows will be distributed by iHeartPodcasts and available on the iHeartRadio app and other podcast platforms.
“Partnering with the right people is key when developing captivating new storylines,” said Will Pearson, President of iHeartPodcasts. “We’re thrilled to have the deep media expertise and proven creative success that Jeff, Sir Howard and Jeremy bring to Thoroughbred Studios and this amazing show slate. iHeartPodcasts is committed to telling the kinds of stories that resonate with listeners and push beyond our perceptions of what we think we know — this partnership will do just that.”
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