Audity, Asylum Entertainment Group’s Audio Venture, Taps Chris Corcoran As GM and Chief Content Officer

Los Angeles-based, Emmy Award-winning Asylum Entertainment Group (Asylum), announced the hire of seasoned audio pioneer Chris Corcoran to run its leading audio-forward division Audity (Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, Hillsong: A Megachurch Shattered, Ice T’s Daily Game).

Corcoran, a Founding Partner of Cadence13, joins Audity as General Manager and Chief Content Officer to spearhead the company’s ambitious strategy and elevate its creative vision. He will report directly to Jodi Flynn, President of Asylum Entertainment Group.

Most recently, Corcoran served as the Chief Content Officer for Cadence13, the award-winning podcast company he helped launch. As one of the original architects of Cadence13, he defined and led the creative vision and evolution while also overseeing talent relations and content development, including the Peabody-nominated C13Originals documentary study and the C13Features podcast movie studio. 

While there, he led the launch of original franchises including Gone South, Gangster Capitalism, It Was Said, Root of Evil and The Sunshine Place, introduced some of the most influential voices in the podcast space – notably Jon Meacham, Emma Chamberlain, JJ Redick, Glennan Doyle and Adrian Wojnarowski – and launched powerful brands and titles, including Crooked Media, Tenderfoot TV, Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, and Origins with James Andrew Miller.

“Chris epitomizes the entrepreneurial drive, creative instincts and insight needed to further chart our success in the audio universe,” says Steve Michaels, CEO of Asylum Entertainment Group. “His impeccable track record and passion for building brands and voices from the ground up fuel the quality of his storytelling. We’re excited to have him on board.”

“I’m thrilled to be part of a creative team that has such great ambition to build,” says Chris Corcoran, GM and Chief Content Officer of Audity. “I’m grateful to Steve and the team for this special opportunity, and to lead the audio studio with an objective of creative excellence and engaging storytelling.”

The news comes hot on the heels of a busy year for Audity. Among their recent credits include Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, a criminal-justice reform series that quickly became Spotify’s number-one podcast, as well as Hillsong: A Megachurch Shattered, an eight-episode companion series to discovery+’s Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, and Ice T’s Daily Game for iHeart.

 

Audity Announced Partnership with Spotify

Audity, the audio company under the Asylum Entertainment Group (AEG) banner, announced a production partnership with Spotify, the world’s leading audio subscription streaming platform, as well as the appointment of veteran executive Frank Hajdu as Executive Vice President of Audity.

Under the deal, Audity will produce podcasts and audio-forward content across all scripted and unscripted genres for Spotify’s global audience. Launched last year, Audity is dedicated to cultivating communities where passionate storytellers can connect their voices, perspectives and stories directly to their followers and the broader audio universe.

In his new role, Hajdu will be responsible for building the company’s slate, business operations, and key partnerships, while also working with Asylum video producers to upstream select audio IP for television and film. An audio and digital veteran, Hajdu was previously Executive Vice President of Operations for Legendary Digital Networks where he oversaw The Nerdist Podcast Network (NPN), a roster of 40+ podcasts that collectively saw 10-12 million monthly streams.

Among the list of podcasts and talent NPN included The Nerdist Podcast with Chris Hardwick, You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes, and The Indoor Kids with Kumali Nanjiani and Emily Gordon. Additionally, he executed video distribution partnerships with Amazon, Facebook, Pluto TV and VRV. Prior, he served as Vice President of Business Development for MySpace Music and A&R at Warner Music Group.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Audity and AEG to bring their podcasts and projects to Spotify’s global audience around the world,” said Liz Gateley, Head of Creative Development, Spotify Studios. “We are already advancing some truly unique projects with Audity across a variety of genres and verticals.”

“Frank’s success in building The Nerdist Podcast Network positions him directly to help oversee Audity’s growth,” said Ryann Lauckner, President and Chief Strategy Office for Asylum Entertainment Group. “It’s the same targeted approach to nurturing communities and curated partnerships, all designed to provide a home for audio-forward storytellers to reach their unique audience.”