Bob Carrigan: Last News

New, full-cast audio productions of all seven original Harry Potter books will be released on Audible beginning late next year, offering for the first time the full range of character voices, real-world sounds and musical scoring for the recorded stories.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook and podcast division, laid off about 5% of its employees, representing just over 100 staffers. The cutbacks come as other Amazon groups — including Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and Twitch — this week are pink-slipping several hundred workers. Audible CEO Bob Carrigan informed employees of the cuts in an audio memo Thursday.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Audible announced Rachel Ghiazza has been appointed chief content officer, effective immediately. The four-year veteran of the audiobook and podcast platform most recently served as EVP and head of U.S. content. In the expanded role at Audible, Ghiazza will oversee all aspects of content including development, production, operations and business affairs, as well as talent, publisher and partner relations. She will lead the continued globalization of Audible originals as well as grow the company’s library of podcasts and audiobooks. Ghiazza will continue to report to CEO Bob Carrigan. Ghiazza joined Audible in April 2019 as senior vice president of content acquisition and development and was named head of U.S. content in 2020. Prior to Audible, she spent more than five years at Spotify, where she held a variety of roles including leading the global content experiences team. Ghiazza also held senior roles on content teams at Viacom and Yahoo.