Realm, the industry-leading podcast studio and one of the world’s fastest-growing independent podcast networks, proudly announced the addition of Tim Ditlow, a distinguished figure in children’s audiobook publishing, to its Board of Advisor. Ditlow, with over four decades of experience in the children’s audio industry, will bring valuable insights to Realm’s new leadership in the Kids and Family sector.
Tim Ditlow’s deep roots in the recording industry, coupled with a lifelong passion for stories, make him an unparalleled authority in children’s audio and book publishing. His impressive career includes leadership roles at Listening Library, Random House, Brilliance Audio, and Amazon’s Children’s Publishing, where he played pivotal roles in acquiring, producing, and overseeing a multitude of iconic audio titles, including the internationally acclaimed Harry Potter series.
His contributions to the industry have been recognized with multiple Grammy nominations and awards, as well as commendation from the White House for his work on the Year of the Young Reader. In the past decade, Tim served as VP of Content, for Epic, the leading digital reading platform for kids, where he built a library of over 40,000 titles from 250 top publishers.
Molly Barton, CEO and Co-Founder of Realm, expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “Tim is a true legend in the children’s audiobook publishing world, and his wealth of experience and industry knowledge is an incredible asset for Realm. We share a passion for finding new ways to bring immersive and engaging audio storytelling to families worldwide, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our Board of Advisors.”
Ditlow shared his excitement about joining Realm, stating, “I am excited for this opportunity to advise alongside Molly’s talented Board members in order to support and grow Realm’s phenomenal roster of talent and licensing partners.”
Realm’s board includes media visionary and Time 100 alum Lauren Zalanick, who has previously advised Gimlet and Ira Glass’ Serial Productions; Michalel Smith, NPR’s Chief Marketing Officer; Russell Binder, President of IP accelerator Striker Entertainment; and Marci Wiseman, award-winning producer and former Co-President of Blumhouse TV. In his new advisory role at Realm, Ditlow will bring his vast experience to further enhance Realm’s mission to develop, produce, distribute, and monopolize immersive audio series in collaboration with top-tier talent and entertainment companies.
Realm expanded into the Kids and Family audio sector in 2023 with the acquisition of the Peabody award winning kids audio streaming platform Pinna featuring an extensive library of licensed content and a slate of 150+ wholly-owned titles. These include award-winning kids and family audio series like Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest, Opal Watson: Private Eye (soon to be a 2-book series with HarperCollins), Totally Unauthorized Minecraft Fan Show, Quentin & Alfie (soon to be a four book series with FSG/MacMillan) and A-Z Mysteries produced with Penguin Random House inspired by the bestselling book series by Ron Roy.