Lemonada Media, the award-winning podcast network announced a new creative partnership with Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. As part of their new deal, Lemonada will distribute for all audio platforms and also develop a new original podcast series as yet untitled hosted by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.

“Archetypes,” a record-breaking podcast exploring the labels that try to hold women back, will be available across all podcast platforms for the first time — with Lemonada overseeing ad sales and distribution. “Archetypes” has seen over 10 million downloads, averaging nearly a million listens per episode and debuted as Spotify No. 1 podcast in 47 countries around the world.

Listeners tuned in as: Marah Carey spoke about the definition of being a diva; Mindy Kaling celebrated the choice to be single; Pamala Adlon lifted the lid on the pressure to be a wife and a mother; Issa Rae and Zine Fumudoh unpacked the loaded misconception that often comes with being a woman of color; and Jameela Jamil and Shohreh Agdashloo spoke about the courage that it takes to step up and speak out, even when it puts everything on the line.

These singular discussions — with notable women, friends, comedians, activists, historians, and experts — transcend individual episodes for a dynamic cultural conversation about how women can reject, reclaim, and redefine these archetypes, on their own terms.

“We are beyond honored that Meghan has trusted us to help democratize access to ‘Archetypes,’ and that so many more people around the world will have access to the series soon. Meghan’s talent as host, creator and conversationalist is unparalleled and we are thrilled to co-create a new series with her that fosters her approach to creating art that matters,” shares Lemonada’s CEO and co-founder, Jessica Cordova Kramer.

“As we’ve started development with The Duchess of Sussex, we are blown away by her collaborative spirit and clear vision, along with her deep desire to build compassion and community through this work. The Lemonada team felt immediate kinship with Meghan and the Archewell Productions team, and we are delighted to be working together,”adds Lemonade’s Chief Creative Officer and co-founder, Stephanie Wittles Wachs.

“I’m proud to now be able to share that I am joining the brilliant team at Lemonada to continue my love of podcasting,” said Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. “Being able to support a female founded company with a roster of thought provoking and highly entertaining podcasts is a fantastic way to kick off 2024. Our plan to re-release Archetypes so that more people can now have access to it, as well as launching a dynamic new podcast are well in the works. I’m so eager to be able to share it soon, and am overjoyed to be joining the Lemonada family.”

“Archetypes” joins Lemonada’s award-winning lineup of chart topping podcasts including “Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfys” which was named the 2023 Show of the Year by Apple; “Blind Plea,” which launched to #1 overall on the Apple Podcast charts; “Funny Cuz It’s True with Elyse Meyers”, which launched to #1 in comedy on the Apple Podcast charts; Gracie award-winners “Last Day” and “Believe Her,” “Choice Words with Samantha Bee,” as well as Webby award-winners, “Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack & SuChin Pak.”

Lemonada Media, the award-winning podcast network that makes life suck less, announced the launch of Lemonada Partner Studios, a full-service studio for brand, talent, foundation and non-profit partners looking to create high-quality, original podcast. 

Given the demand for Lemonade’s unique ability to produce, market, monetize and distribute hit podcasts that break through the noise, the innovative network is beginning to partner with like-minded organizations and creators seeking a best-in-class audio experience.

“We launched the network with a goal of creating mass-market shows that make life suck less and are profitable business units for us and our talent partners. Given our success, there’s been demand for production and creative services, and we are finally in a position to say “yes,” shares Jessica Cordova Kramer, Lemonada’s co-founder and CEO. 

“We’re excited to already be working with top partners across legacy media outlets, studios, influential creators and non-profit partners, with more news coming soon,” adds Co-founder and CCO, Stephanie Wittles Wachs.

Since launching in 2019, Lemonada has quickly established itself as a leading independent podcast network reaching millions of listeners per month. The network has created and launched chart-topping series’ such as Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which spent 29 days straight at #1 overall on the Apple Podcast charts; Blind Plea, which launched to #1 overall on the Apple Podcast charts, and Funny Cuz It’s True with Elyse Myers which launched to #1 in comedy on the Apple Podcast charts. 

Lemonada also has a well-established track record working with top partners such as The Jed Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation and Flourish Ventures.

For inquiries about Lemonada Partner Studios, contact Dawn Gunderson Taylor: dawn@lemonadamedia.com

Lemonada Media, the podcast network that makes life suck less, announced new additions to its production team, led by co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Stephanie Wittles Wachs. On the heels of securing $8M in funding, Lemonada has quickly been able to expand its in-house production team to keep up with its current slate of 21 original podcasts, which reaches millions of listeners per month and will grow to over 30 original podcasts in 2022.

In 2021, Lemonada tripled its revenue, added 10 new shows, designed and trademarked an audio reality series (BEING Studios), and co-created original shows like Written Off with Jay Ellis’ Black Bar Mitzvah and Believe Her with publishing house Speigel & Grau, which launched at the top of the podcast charts.

Joining the company is Steve Nelson, as Vice President of Content & Production overseeing Lemonada’s always-on slate. Most recently, Steve served as the Head of Talk at Religion of Sports and prior to that, Senior Director of Programming at NPR and Director of On-Demand Programming at APM.

Steve’s team will be bolstered by two additional new hires: Rachel Neel, most recently NPR’s Supervising Senior Producer, in an new role at Lemonada as Senior Director of New Content, leading the development, pre-production, and launch of Lemonada’s rapidly growing portfolio of originals on its always-on slate; as well as MPR Lead Producer Kyle Shiely, who ran both Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and will now serve as Senior Producer of In The Bubble with Andy Slavitt, Lemonada’s popular and calming series that will shift to three times per week as of May.

Steve will work alongside Jackie Danziger (Vice President of Content & Production for Lemonada’s narrative slate) and Kasey Barrett (head of BEING Studios) and their growing teams.

Wittles Wachs says, “We are thrilled to welcome these exceptionally talented leaders to our growing production team who help Lemonada continue to scale our original weekly podcast programming and expand our mission to make life suck less.”

Jessica Cordova Kramer, Lemonada’s co-founder and CEO added, “And that goes for our work culture as well. In addition to having a skilled and diverse team, we are committed to prioritizing the well-being of our staff with benefits like 7 weeks paid time off annually, including 2.5 weeks of company-wide time to prevent burnout and foster creativity; parental leave that is inclusive of all genders, foster and adoption; full benefits and stock options for all full-time, permanent staff to date; as well as flex hours and flex location with co-working opportunities.

Lemonada Media, the podcast network that presents humanity unfiltered, announced it has raised $8 million in Series A (second round) funding led by BDMI, a wholly owned subsidiary of the global media services and education company Bertelsmann.

Also included in this round are Madison Wells, Greycroft, Spring Point Partners LLC, Intuition Capital, and Owl Capital Group. New and existing individual investors include Wendy Millard, vice chair of MediaLink, and Stephanie Hannon, CTO for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, as well as Blue Collective, Lemonada’s lead seed investor and largest outside investor to date.

Co-founded by Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wachs, Lemonada’s mission is to present authentic first-person narratives that highlight the diverse human experience and make us all feel less alone. Lemonada is entering its third year of operation with a growing slate of 20 original podcasts, reaching millions of listeners per month.

In 2021, Lemonada tripled its revenue, added 10 new shows, designed and trademarked an audio reality studio (BEING Studios) led by reality star veteran Kasey Barrett, and co-created original shows like Written Off with Jay Ells’ Black Bar Mitzvah and Believe Her with publishing house Spiegel & Grau, which launched at the top podcast charts. The network also has its eye on continued global expansion, after notching No. 1 shows in Europe with In Grio con Fra (Italy) and As Me with Sinéad (Ireland).

“Anyone working with Lemonada gets out of bed in the morning to help make the world a better place. This funding will allow our independent, diverse, women-led, audio-first network to not only grow our slate, but to expand our team, brand, and organizational partnerships, and creator community,” says Lemonada CEO Cordova Kramer. “In addition to or KPIs around audience and revenue, one goal during this time is to keep a keen eye on diversity, with the intention of reaching new audiences in the U.S. and beyond.”

“This is a thrilling moment for Lemonada, allowing our staff, hosts and partners to keep innovating, reach larger audiences with our podcasts, and find ways to bring our community together at live and virtual events” says Chief Creative Officer Wittles Wachs. “More podcasts, yes, but also expanding outreach and bringing more diverse talent and staff into the network, and more partnerships with brands who are looking to make life less with us.”

Lemonada was founded in 2019 after Jess (an early producer with Crooked Media) & Steph (an author, voice actress and theater director) connected after learning they had both lost their beloved little brothers to opioid overdoses. The company’s first podcast, Last Day, chronicles the opioid crisis in America by zooming in on the last day of Stefano Cordova Jr.’s life, and evolves to take a broader view of the complex epidemic.

While co-creating that series, Wittles Wachs and Cordova Kramer saw a broader opportunity to make life suck less, one podcast at a time, by building a network. The now-41 person full-time staff is concentrated in NYC, LA, Twin Cities and working flexibly across the country.

Lemonada Media, the podcast network that presents humanity unfiltered, announces the launch of BEING Studios to create groundbreaking new audio series of what it’s like to “be” someone else. Reality television expert Kasey Barrett (The Real World, Kardashians, Born This Way) has been named Executive Producer of BEING Studios.

“A first for listeners, Lemonada’s BEING series are part doc-reality and audio-first podcasts. Think: reality TV meets podcasting,” said Kasey Barrrett, BEING Studio’s Executive Producer. “Through thoughtful and entertaining narrative storytelling, BEING Studios will offer listeners intimate, first-person access into worlds and people they may not otherwise know.”

“We’re excited to break new ground with Kasey and offer our audience an immersive audio experience that reveals what it’s literally like to walk around in someone else’s shoes,” said Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Lemonada’s Chief Content Officer and co-founder. “In alignment with Lemonada’s award-winning slate of podcasts, BEING Studios creates opportunities for racial empathy building by sharing how it feels to operate and live in different environments,” adds Lemonada CEO and co-founder Jessica Cordova Kramer.

BEING Studios goes into production this fall. Its first series launches in spring 2022. Lemonada is seeking a full time Supervising Producer and Associate Producer to join the BEING team.