Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland Signs Podcast Deal with iHeartRadio

According to The New York Times, Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes has signed a lucrative podcast deal. Rhimes’ production company, Shondaland, has inked a deal to create a new slate of podcasts for iHeartRadio over the next three years.

“Podcasting continues to see tremendous growth and I’m excited to partner with iHeartMedia as Shondaland expands its storytelling journey into this medium which has seemed to usher in a unique sense of boldness, intimacy, and connection,” Rhimes said in a statement. “With iHeartMedia we aim to share stories that are engaging, insightful, and reflect a robust world-view while staying true to the authentic storytelling voice that has become synonymous with Shondaland.”

“Shonda Rhimes is one of the greatest storytellers of our time,” said Conal Byrne, president of the iHeartPodcast Network. “We’re honored that she’s chosen the iHeartPodcast Network to extend her storytelling craft to audio, bringing a massive slate of new original podcasts to the world. With our unparalleled reach across multiple platforms, we can’t wait to introduce the incredibly engaging and brilliant Shondaland podcasts to millions of listeners.”

Shondaland is the pioneering storytelling company founded by award-winning writer and producer Rhimes. The company has produced the television series Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, For The People, and Station 19 for ABC. Through the company’s unprecedented shift to streaming, it is producing content exclusively for Netflix including upcoming series Bridgerton, Inventing Anna, and Notes on Love. In recent years the company has expanded into other divisions including launching the website Shondaland.com, part of the Hearst Digital Networks, and Shondaland Audio, part of the iHeartPodcast Network. The company is rooted in the ideals of creating content that changes culture, changes perceptions, and writes the future.

“Our fans have been dedicated to the Shondaland brand in a big way for many years, and similar to when we launched our website Shondaland.com with Hearst Digital Networks, we definitely see this as a brand extension,” Rhimes said on her website, Shondaland.com. “We know our fans well and we’re hopeful they will continue this journey with us in the audio space. Shondaland has always had a history of sharing compelling stories that reflect the full range of the human experience so we’re confident that the new voices and concepts we’re considering will excite our fans and general podcast listeners.”