Podcasts become a strategic IP play for Hollywood talent

Podcasts are giving film and TV stars a path to something rare in Hollywood: IP ownership. 

On July 21, actor Gina Torres released her first-ever podcast, a fictional audio mystery narrative titled “A Murder in Montecito,” developed in partnership with the production company Sonoro. Torres is the latest Hollywood actor to throw her hat into the narrative podcast ring, joining the likes of Danny Trejo and Rami Malek.

It’s nothing new for Hollywood stars to launch their own podcasts — but Torres is part of a growing wave of film or television actors who have taken on a more direct role in the production and ownership of scripted, narrative podcasts, with an eye toward potential adaptation. In recent months, Audible has taken this approach for co-productions with Hollywood talent. On July 3, for example, “Modern Family” star Ty Burrell published the first episode of “The Good Life,” a fictional narrative podcast that he developed and executive produced based on stories from his own childhood. In May, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos launched the narrative fictional podcast “Summer Breeze,” which the actor/talk-show hosts co-produced via their company Milojo Productions. In October 2024, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone produced the narrative podcast “Hildy the Barback and the Lake of Fire” through their company On the Day productions.

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