Warner Bros. to present original scripted entertainment podcasts

Warner Bros. Digital Networks, a division of Burbank, California-headquartered Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as WB), one of the “Big Five” major American movie studios, has announced that it will manage the business and strategy areas of original scripted drama or comedy podcasts produced by new company Rainy Day Podcasts.

Rainy Day has been formed by Jagged Films partners Mick Jagger & Victoria Pearman (“Shine a Light,” “Get on Up,” “Vinyl,” “Enigma”), producer Steve Bing (“The Polar Express,” “Marley,” “Neil Young: Heart of Gold,” “Shine a Light”) and Oscar-nominated writer Josh Olson (“A History of Violence”).

Two more WB divisions will be involved.

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution will be in charge of distribution and sales of the finished podcasts and Warner Bros. Television Group’s digital unit Blue Ribbon Content will supervise the creative relationship.

Jagger, Pearman, Bing and Olson said in a joint statement, “Everything starts with the word. We’re very excited to be working with Warner Bros. to create an environment where the best writers are free to pursue their passion projects with maximum creative freedom.”

Under the partnership, Rainy Day will be producing a lineup of up to seven new podcast series deriving from original intellectual property. The projects may also include, but are not limited to, talk/discussion, non-fiction/docuseries podcasts and more.

The new podcast company has also set initial production deals with acclaimed writer/producer Zack Stentz (“Thor,” “X-Men: First Class,” “The Flash” TV series), screenwriter John Brancato (“The Game,” “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”) and Peabody and Independent Spirit Award–winning filmmaker Allison Anders (“Grace of My Heart,” “Gas Food Lodging”).

“Storytelling is at the core of everything we do at Warner Bros., and we look forward to expanding that mission to the world of original narrative podcasts,” said Robert Steele, senior vice president, Business Strategy and Operations, Warner Bros. Digital Networks. “We are extremely excited about this partnership with the Rainy Day team, a talented group of storytellers with an incredible track record of creating projects of the highest quality across multiple platforms.”