Bradley Cooper wants to bring a new slate of “real people telling real stories” to your earbuds.
The actor and filmmaker’s Lea Pictures production company signed a multiyear audio deal with iHeartPodcasts, the podcast division of iHeartMedia. The collaboration will encompass several co-produced shows including “The Good Stuff Podcast,” which debuted earlier this month and marks Lea Pictures’ first audio project. Cooper will serve as executive producer for the entire slate, which will be distributed by iHeartPodcasts on the iHeartRadio app and other audio platforms.
“Sharing stories that inspire, motivate and resonate is one of the reasons I started Lea Pictures, and I’m excited to team up with iHeartPodcasts to bring them to life for millions of listeners,” Cooper said in a statement provided to Variety. “Our shows will feature real people telling real stories, and we knew iHeart was the perfect partner to reach as many people as possible. I look forward to dreaming up more extraordinary stories together.”
“The Good Stuff Podcast” (available at this link) is a weekly show hosted by Jacob Schick, CEO of One Tribe Foundation and a third-generation U.S. Marine, and his wife, Ashley Schick, marketing and social media manager at One Tribe, which is dedicated to raising awareness and combatting suicide among military veterans, first responders, medical frontline workers and their families. On the podcast, the couple “showcase individuals who have made a positive impact through their acts of kindness, successful careers, businesses and military service,” according to Lea Pictures. “The Good Stuff Podcast” is executive produced by Cooper, Weston Middleton, Kristen Barnett and Rebecca Shapiro for Lea Pictures and Lyra Smith for iHeartPodcasts.
“Bradley is one of the great creators of our time, inventing and reinventing, again and again, how great stories are told — across multiple genres and formats,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Audio Group. “We could not be more proud and excited to introduce his expertise, vision and approach to the exploding podcast medium with this partnership.”
Cooper formed Lea Pictures in 2020 to develop and produce feature films, television, documentary films and digital content, building on his producing work on Oscar-nominated films “Nightmare Alley,” “A Star Is Born,” “American Sniper” and “Joker.” Lea Pictures execs include Weston Middleton, who heads up the film division and has worked with Cooper for the past 15 years; Kristen Barnett, who joined in 2022 to run the TV division; and Anneliese Barron, who heads Cooper’s One Family Foundation.
Cooper’s first feature film under the Lea Pictures banner is “Maestro,” which will be released on Netflix this fall. Cooper produced, co-wrote, directed and will star in the film. With a first-look film deal at Netflix and a first-look television deal at Apple TV+, the Lea Pictures’ slate also includes Searchlight’s “Is This Thing On,” which Cooper will also direct; Warner Bros.’ “Bullitt and Hyperion”; and the History Channel’s six-hour miniseries “FDR,” which premiered this summer on A&E.
