Nick Witters: Last News

Selena Kuznikov Variety and Canva are hosting their joint Executive Interview Studio in Cannes, with conversations taking place from June 18 to June 20 at the Canva Villa. Tuesday’s studio conversations included one with host and creator of “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories” John Allen (MrBallen), partner and co-head of UTA creators Oren Rosenbaum, CEO of Ballen Studios Nick Witters and Wondery head of global marketing Blad Norman. The grooup discussed the rise of podcasting and brand building.

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh from two seasons of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Rodney Barnes is moving to a slightly different court.

EXCLUSIVE: Ballen Studios, founded by former Navy Seal turned breakout podcaster MrBallen, is staffing up.

EXCLUSIVE: MrBallen, otherwise known as John Allen, the former Navy SEAL turned breakout podcaster behind Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories, has launched his own management company.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor True-crime podcaster John Allen — better known to fans as MrBallen — is bringing his show exclusively to Amazon Music. Starting Nov. 1, Amazon Music will be the exclusive home to all new and existing episodes of the “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories.” Amazon Music also inked a first-look deal with Ballen Studios, the content company Allen recently formed, for all new content spanning film, TV, games, consumer packaged goods, audio content and more. “The Strange, Dark and Mysterious community is the only reason I have the platform that I do today,” MrBallen, who has more than 9 million follows on social media, said in a statement. “I will always be dedicated to bringing them the best, and continually raising the bar with the art of storytelling. Working with Amazon Music allows us to do just that… We’re just getting started.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor In today’s podcast news roundup, Katy Perry’s retrospective about Elizabeth Taylor as “the original influencer” is set to hit next month; Remi Adeleke gets a two-series podcast deal with Tenderfoot TV; John Allen (aka MrBallen) hires Nick Witters as CEO of Ballen Studios and signs with UTA; and more. “Elizabeth the First,” a 10-episode podcast series narrated by Katy Perry, will premiere on Monday, Oct. 3. The series comes from Imperative Entertainment, House of Taylor, which oversees the late actor’s estate, and Perry’s Kitty Purry Productions. “Elizabeth the First” will be available on all major podcast platforms and the Imperative Entertainment Premium Channel on Apple Podcast Subscriptions. Originally, it was slated to debut this spring.)

EXCLUSIVE: MrBallen, otherwise known as John Allen, a former Navy Seal turned breakout podcaster, has launched his own content studio.