Audible, the world’s largest producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, has announced that comedian, actor, and writer Kevin Hart and radio and television personality Charlamagne Tha God have entered into a global multi-year, multi-project development, production, and audio licensing deal.
The deal brings together the two creative talents, along with their respective production companies: Charlamagne’s CTHAGOD World Productions, and the comedian’s Hartbeat Productions. The goal is to provide opportunities to Black creatives and the powerful narratives born from their unique perspectives. Hart and Charlamagne will combine their individual artistic skills and cultural fluency to produce impactful, inclusive, and inspiring content from diverse storytellers.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to build meaningful businesses and to create with purpose,” Hart said in a statement. “In this new collaboration with Charlamagne and Audible, we will enable Black voices and storytellers to share our culture in their own words. The power of Black voices is palpable, and I feel a responsibility to help my community broadcast our stories, many that are rich in culture and heritage. We want to create a space where everyone can access content that lifts, inspires, and educates.”
The longform Audible Originals will feature fiction and non-fiction scripted series from emerging and superstar talent that the two principals source, cultivate, and develop. It will also include projects co-written and performed by Hart and Charlamagne, as well as individual programs written and performed separately. The collaboration will create original scripted content that will extend across all aspects of culture, from self-help and comedy to politics, fiction, sports, religion, and more.
“This is a special collaboration. Kevin and I are committed to discovering and amplifying Black talent
who will create content that entertains, informs, empowers, and inspires,” Charlamagne said. “It’s critical for more Black people to unite in business to elevate and provide pathways for other creatives to shine while providing platforms to shape culturally-nuanced storytelling for global audiences. The scripted audio movement is offering creative freedom and is future of storytelling so we’re thrilled to develop projects in this space.”“Kevin Hart and Charlamagne Tha God are two extremely talented forces who have captured the hearts, minds, and ears of millions of fans around the world and whose distinct voices, vision and collective brand equity are uniquely positioned to inspire new listeners to engage with Audible. Audiences everywhere are eager to hear more from them–to laugh with them, to learn from them,” said Rachel Ghiazza, Audible’s executive vice president, head of U.S. content. “Charlamagne’s direct, no-nonsense perspective and Kevin’s hustle, humor, and authenticity are a winning combination; Audible is incredibly excited to join forces with these masterminds to create groundbreaking new originals. Their collaborative and solo scripted audio originals will bring great new entertainment experiences to Audible’s robust pipeline of content.”