Audible today announced a global multi-year, multi-project development, production, and audio licensing deal with comedian, actor and writer Kevin Hart and radio and television personality Charlamagne Tha God, one of the most influential and authoritative voices in media.
The innovative collaboration joins two superstar talents and their production companies: Charlamagne’s CTHAGOD World Productions, and Kevin’s Hartbeat Productions around the common goal of giving rise to Black creatives and the powerful narratives born from their unique perspectives. Kevin and Charlamagne will combine their individual artistic skills and cultural fluency to produce impactful, inclusive and inspiring content from diverse storytellers.
The slate of episodic long-form Audible Originals will feature fiction and non-fiction scripted series from both emerging and high wattage superstar talent that the two entertainment giants personally source, cultivate, and develop. It will also include projects co-written and performed by Kevin and Charlamagne, as well as programs written and performed separately. The talented duo will create inspiring original scripted content across all aspects of culture, from self-help and comedy to politics, fiction, sports, religion, and more. Details on upcoming projects produced via this collaboration will be announced in the coming months.
“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 EVP, Head of US 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.”
“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.”
This announcement follows the debut of Kevin Hart’s recent bestselling Audible Original, The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success, the follow-up to his New York Times best-selling memoir, I Can’t Make This Up. It also comes after the 2017 release of Charlamagne Tha God’s New York Times best-selling book Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It and the USA Today best-selling book Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me. Projects produced under this deal will join a series of best-in-class Audible Original audio projects including recent releases such as The Pursuit of Healthiness with Blake Griffin, the #1 New York Times best-selling audio fiction The Sandman from Neil Gaiman, performed by James McAvoy, Kat Dennings and Michael Sheen, Letters from Camp, produced and performed by Jamie Lee Curtis, and Bluebird Memories: A Journey through Lyrics & Life performed by Common, among many more.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to build meaningful businesses and to create with purpose,” Kevin Hart said. “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.”
