Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson is expanding his producer horizons with Lionsgate, STARZ’s parent company, as he moves into the world of podcasts.
Lionsgate recently announced that they are planning to launch a new division called Lionsgate Sound. Per their own press release, The division will operate as a full-service podcast production company, handling podcast production for the studio’s film & television businesses while also overseeing all elements of podcast production for third party clients.
Lionsgate company Pilgrim Media Group – headed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer Craig Piligian – is a minority owner in Lionsgate Sound and will handle the day-to-day operations of the group, which will be overseen by Gretchen Stockdale and Nicholas Caprio. Acclaimed international broadcast-journalist and producer Charlie Webster will head up creative for the division.
Lionsgate Sound will launch with four shows including Cuate/twin/: the downfall of El Chapo (working title), hosted and produced by Curtis ‘50’ Cent Jackson and his newly established G-Unit Audio, and exclusively distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network.
Lionsgate’s description of the upcoming podcast series reads, “In Cuate/twin/: the downfall of El Chapo, speaking publicly for the first time ever, Chicago-born identical twins Peter & Jay Flores will take listeners on a journey through their meteoric rise to becoming two of the biggest drug traffickers in America. Peddling tons of cocaine across the country, these two would go on to be seated at the right hand of the most wanted man in the world: El Chapo himself. In a stunning turn of events, the twins betray El Chapo in a desperate attempt to escape the only life they’ve ever known. But is escape ever really possible?”
Over the past decade, Curtis has been making a name for himself as a producer, in addition to his already established music and acting fame with hit shows like Dream School, For Life, BMF, and the immensely popular STARZ Power series’, which includes Power, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and the Chicago based Power Book IV: Force.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Curtis ‘50’ Cent Jackson and the other talented creators behind our upcoming shows,” said Piligian in the press release. “With our strong lineup out of the gate, we are well-positioned to reach the next generation of consumers.”
50 Cent was excited to share the news on his official Twitter:
In addition to 50 Cent’s Cuate/twin/: the downfall of El Chapo, Lionsgate Sound has also announced the other three upcoming podcasts, an interview podcast Playing Dead; FBI-focused show A Nation for Thieves; and Died and Survived, detailing near-death experiences, which will be distributed widely across all platforms, with more than a dozen additional projects in the pipeline. Lionsgate Sound is also producing true-crime thriller The Lives and Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman for exclusive distribution by CBC.
ALSO READ: Power Book IV: Force casts stars from Chicago P.D. and The Chi
Lionsgate Sound will be governed by a Board of Directors comprised of Scott Herbst, EVP & Head of Scripted Development, Lionsgate Television; Suzy Felfeli, Executive Director of Corporate Development; Lionsgate MPG development executive Scott O’Brien; and Pilgrim Media’s Piligian and Stockdale. Lionsgate EVP & Head of Global Products & Experiences Jenefer Brown has also been heavily involved with the initiative as a key facilitator across multiple content groups of cross-company IP.
Charlie Webster has worked globally for major TV networks such as BBC and SKY, and events including Olympic and Paralympic Games, F1, and FIFA World Cup. Webster has also created several successful TV documentaries and podcasts, including her award nominated BBC TV documentary Nowhere to Run and critically acclaimed podcast Undiscussable, an investigative series into domestic abuse that gives a challenging rethinking of the issue, and My Sporting Mind, an intimate show that speaks to sports stars about mental health.
