From Lemonada Media, the podcast network that makes life suck less, comes BEING Trans — the debut series from the network’s BEING Studios, the first audio reality podcast studio where audio meets reality TV. The first series from the studio is a six-part unscripted doc-reality series that follows four transgender individuals living in Los Angeles.
Over the course of three months, the crew — led by reality TV expert Kasey Barret (MTV’s The Real World, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Born This Way) — recorded hundreds of hours of live conversations, experiences and intimate moments with cast members as they lived them, providing a uniquely unfiltered look at their daily lives.
Throughout the season, you’ll meet Jeffrey, a transgender man and standup comic navigating his career as well as his relationship with his partner, Emma. You’ll meet Mariana, a trans woman from Guatemala who is tackling tough issues at a local LGBTQ center along with her coworker Kadence. You’ll meet Chloe, who’s new to Los Angeles, and new to sating as a trans woman. And you’ll Sy, who’s figuring out their relationship and family dynamics with their husband Robert since coming out as trans non-binary. Dating, parenting, doctor visits, career quandaries, parties — you’ll get to hear them all.
“I’ve spent my whole career in unscripted television, and the opportunity to translate that into an audio format that was too exciting to pass up,” said BEING Studio Executive Producer Kasey Barrett, “Over the course of the taping, we fell in love with this incredible cast, and I think our listneners will too. A crew with no lights or cameras really creates an intimate environment, allowing listeners to truly feel like they are walking in another person’s shoes.”
Last summer, Lemonada announced the launch of BEING Studios, which creates groundbreaking, immersive audio reality podcasts that provide an unfiltered look into other people’s lives. Through thoughtful and entertaining narrative storytelling, BEING Studios offers listeners intimate, first-person access into worlds and people they not otherwise know. Future seasons will feature different topics and storylines, and immerse listeners into new worlds.
“One of our core values at Lemonada is empathy. We know building empathy works best when we are immersed, entertained, and in love with the character and people. Last spring, we Brough Kasey on to work with us to marry the best of reality TV with the best of audio, and BEING Studios was born,” shares Lemonada CEO and co-founder Jessica Cordova Kramer.
“Then, the hard work began. Casting, field recording, post-production. Sele Leota, our co-executive producer, our diverse crew, and our staff at Lemonada, have been deep in the weeds, creating a new way to tell first-person stories. Seeing elements of TV transform into an audio medium has been fascinating, challenging, and legitimately exhilarating, added Stephanie Wittles Wachs, Lemonada co-founder and chief creative officer.
The production team for BEING Trans includes: Kasey Barrett (She/Her), executive producer; Sele Leota (He/Him), co-executive producer; Myrrh Gossett (They/She), associate producer; Scott Hanlon (He/His), audio supervisor; Mary Mejia (They/Them), audio field recordist; Shar Jossell (She/Her), story consultant; and Greta Stromquist (She/Her), assistant producer.
The first two episodes of BEING Trans are available now on all major podcast platforms, with exclusive weekly bonus content available to Lemonada Premium subscriber on Apple Podcasts. New episodes will be released weekly.