NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Audio entertainment company Serial Box today announced that it is becoming Realm, expanding beyond its roots as a destination for immersive audio fiction into a globally distributed podcast network for the world’s most engaged fans. Exclusively focused on fiction, Realm enters the podcast arena with a strong track record of creating and producing compelling original series as well as building stories around beloved characters and franchises. Among the shows launching this month as free podcasts are Orphan Black: The Next Chapter written by Malka Older and starring Tatiana Maslany, Beatrix Greene written by New York Times best-selling writer Rachel Hawkins, and Memory Lane written by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars). New titles from its extensive catalog will be released every month.
The newly rebranded Realm builds upon Serial Box’s success, having achieved 1.3 million listeners across 120 countries, millions of episodes listened to from a catalogue of more than a thousand hours of wholly-owned premium audio content. Realm has numerous projects in development for Film/TV.
Realm will continue to collaborate with the world’s best-selling writers and award-winning talent, including George Takei, William Jackson Harper, and John Carpenter, in addition to Maslany, to create expansive and immersive shows featuring diverse voices, characters and stories. Realm’s podcasts uniquely feature an array of production styles depending on the story, some with full casts, others with single voice narration, all with rich soundscapes, sound effects and original music. Realm is the only audio content creator for fiction that delivers the richness of novels with the immersive qualities of a podcast.
“Our new name better communicates that our Realm delivers stories that are truly a portal to another world–a place where all are welcome,” said Realm co-founder and CEO Molly Barton. “Fiction podcasts are a small but growing sector in the podcast world – only 5% of podcasts available today are fiction – so we’re particularly excited to bring world class storytelling to podcast listeners everywhere.”
In addition to free, ad-supported podcast distribution, Realm shows are available through the Realm Unlimited subscription, on Realm.fm and in the Realm apps. The subscription features ad-free, early access to the complete library of Realm Originals, access to bonus content, community perks, and a dual-format experience in Realm’s proprietary Flow Reader (simultaneous audio + text). Marvel and DC Comics audiobook series produced by Realm will continue to be available for purchase a la carte with special discounts for Realm Unlimited members.
Realm shows launching across all podcast platforms include:
- ORPHAN BLACK: THE NEXT CHAPTER – The official continuation of Orphan Black picks up the story eight years in the future and features many of the same characters. Since their victory, the sestras–Sarah, Alison, Cosima, and those they love, have been free to live quiet, anonymous lives. Everything changes when the sestras discover that there are more clones out there. Written by Malka Older, Madeline Ashby, Mishell Baker, Heli Kennedy, E.C. Myers, and Lindsay Smith. Narrated by Tatiana Maslany.
- MEMORY LANE – Desperate for answers about her father’s identity, Alex Bryant agrees to participate in an experimental procedure to receive her mother’s memories. But when the memories reveal a repressed secret, Alex and her mother must outrun someone who’d like to bury the family’s past for good. Written by Sara Shepard and Ellen Goodlett. Available April 21, 2021. Narrated by Emily Woo-Zeller, Lianne Marie Dobbs and Elliot Schiff and also features Chris Ciulla, Sheree Wichard, and Tiana Camacho.
- GODS & LIES – An investigator with a damaged reputation reluctantly teams up with a disgraced son of a Goddess to solve the murder of a mortal. Created and written by Elizabeth Vail. Narrated by Cary Hite and Sarah Mollo-Christensen.
- CTRL-ALT-DESTROY – Starring Firefly‘s Summer Glau, a video game designer discovers that the game she created has been stolen as part of a top secret project–and might be the only thing keeping the world from plunging into war. Written by Andrea Phillips, Maurice Broaddus, Jacqueline Koyanagi, and E.C. Myers. Narrated by Firefly star Summer Glau.
- MACHINA – Two rival tech companies compete for the chance to bring AI to Mars in this workplace drama full of corporate espionage, high-stakes science, and yes, robot dogs. Created by Fran Wilde. Written by Fran Wilde, Malka Older, and Curtis C. Chen, with Martha Wells. Narrated by Natalie Naudus.
- BEATRIX GREENE – Written by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, this historical horror follows Beatrix Greene who makes her living from fake seances. Financial freedom for a single woman in Victorian England is hard to come by, so when notorious scientist James Walker makes her a well-paid proposition– prove that ghosts are real, once and for all– she can’t resist the temptation. Written by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Shecter. Narrated by Shiromi Arserio and Alister Austin.
- THE TRIANGLE – The mysticism and intrigue of the Bermuda Triangle has just turned personal for Admiral David Segarra: his former ship, the USS Wasp, has gone missing in the area without a trace. Created by Dan Koboldt. Written by Dan Koboldt, Mindy McGinnis, and Sylvia Spruck Wrigley. Narrated by Neil Hellegers.
Realm logos and show artwork can be found HERE.
About Realm:
Realm is an audio entertainment company that creates original fiction podcasts and audiobook series, including official continuations of popular franchises. Based in New York, LA and beyond, Realm collaborates with bestselling and award-winning talent from film/tv, animation, publishing, and gaming to create expansive, diverse, and immersive shows.
Realm was co-founded by former Penguin Random House executive Molly Barton and former Obama Administration Dept of Justice lawyer Julian Yap. Realm shows are available as podcasts everywhere, and on the Realm app, awarded “Best of the Year” by Apple.
Follow Realm for updates on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information, please visit https://www.realm.fm/.