Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland Signs Podcast Deal with iHeartRadio

According to The New York Times, Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes has signed a lucrative podcast deal. Rhimes’ production company, Shondaland, has inked a deal to create a new slate of podcasts for iHeartRadio over the next three years.

“Podcasting continues to see tremendous growth and I’m excited to partner with iHeartMedia as Shondaland expands its storytelling journey into this medium which has seemed to usher in a unique sense of boldness, intimacy, and connection,” Rhimes said in a statement. “With iHeartMedia we aim to share stories that are engaging, insightful, and reflect a robust world-view while staying true to the authentic storytelling voice that has become synonymous with Shondaland.”

“Shonda Rhimes is one of the greatest storytellers of our time,” said Conal Byrne, president of the iHeartPodcast Network. “We’re honored that she’s chosen the iHeartPodcast Network to extend her storytelling craft to audio, bringing a massive slate of new original podcasts to the world. With our unparalleled reach across multiple platforms, we can’t wait to introduce the incredibly engaging and brilliant Shondaland podcasts to millions of listeners.”

Shondaland is the pioneering storytelling company founded by award-winning writer and producer Rhimes. The company has produced the television series Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, For The People and Station 19 for ABC. Through the company’s unprecedented shift to streaming, it is producing content exclusively for Netflix including upcoming series Bridgerton, Inventing Anna and Notes on Love. In recent years the company has expanded into other divisions including launching the website Shondaland.com, part of the Hearst Digital Networks, and Shondaland Audio, part of the iHeartPodcast Network. The company is rooted in the ideals of creating content that changes culture, changes perceptions, and writes the future.

“Our fans have been dedicated to the Shondaland brand in a big way for many years, and similar to when we launched our website Shondaland.com with Hearst Digital Networks, we definitely see this as a brand extension,” Rhimes said on her website, Shondaland.com. “We know our fans well and we’re hopeful they will continue this journey with us in the audio space. Shondaland has always had a history of sharing compelling stories that reflect the full range of the human experience so we’re confident that the new voices and concepts we’re considering will excite our fans and general podcast listeners.”

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Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland Signs Podcast Deal with iHeartRadio

According to The New York Times, Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes has signed a lucrative podcast deal. Rhimes’ production company, Shondaland, has inked a deal to create a new slate of podcasts for iHeartRadio over the next three years.

“Podcasting continues to see tremendous growth and I’m excited to partner with iHeartMedia as Shondaland expands its storytelling journey into this medium which has seemed to usher in a unique sense of boldness, intimacy, and connection,” Rhimes said in a statement. “With iHeartMedia we aim to share stories that are engaging, insightful, and reflect a robust world-view while staying true to the authentic storytelling voice that has become synonymous with Shondaland.”

“Shonda Rhimes is one of the greatest storytellers of our time,” said Conal Byrne, president of the iHeartPodcast Network. “We’re honored that she’s chosen the iHeartPodcast Network to extend her storytelling craft to audio, bringing a massive slate of new original podcasts to the world. With our unparalleled reach across multiple platforms, we can’t wait to introduce the incredibly engaging and brilliant Shondaland podcasts to millions of listeners.”

Shondaland is the pioneering storytelling company founded by award-winning writer and producer Rhimes. The company has produced the television series Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, For The People and Station 19 for ABC. Through the company’s unprecedented shift to streaming, it is producing content exclusively for Netflix including upcoming series Bridgerton, Inventing Anna and Notes on Love. In recent years the company has expanded into other divisions including launching the website Shondaland.com, part of the Hearst Digital Networks, and Shondaland Audio, part of the iHeartPodcast Network. The company is rooted in the ideals of creating content that changes culture, changes perceptions, and writes the future.

“Our fans have been dedicated to the Shondaland brand in a big way for many years, and similar to when we launched our website Shondaland.com with Hearst Digital Networks, we definitely see this as a brand extension,” Rhimes said on her website, Shondaland.com. “We know our fans well and we’re hopeful they will continue this journey with us in the audio space. Shondaland has always had a history of sharing compelling stories that reflect the full range of the human experience so we’re confident that the new voices and concepts we’re considering will excite our fans and general podcast listeners.”

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First Look: Forest Whitaker's Bumpy Johnson Dodges Casual Racism and White Women in Godfather of Harlem

That moment when you realize microaggressions don’t only happen in the corporate office.

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Lee Merritt critiques DA in charge of Atatiana Jefferson case

Civil Rights attorney Lee Merritt blasted the Tarrant County District Attorney (DA) Sharen Wilson and called her “a racist,” who he believes can’t effectively handle the investigation involving a white Fort Worth cop who killed a Black woman, Atatiana Jefferson.

READ MORE: Mom, who lied about her white son’s race to get into college, goes to jail

On Tuesday Merritt criticized Wilson for what he believes are past indiscretions that serve as evidence that she’s biased against Black women.

Case in point: Wilson is the same DA who jailed a Black woman Crystal Mason for voting illegally in an election even though she was a felon and didn’t realize it was against her rights.

“We do know this district attorney,” Merritt said. “Her name is Sharen Wilson. She’s the woman responsible for sentencing a black woman to five years in prison for voting in the last election–a young woman named Crystal Mason,” he said during a Tuesday interview with SiriusXM’s Joe Madison.

Earlier this year Mason was sentenced to 10 months in prison for voting in the 2016 Presidential election, which violated the terms of her release for a felony conviction. Mason was convicted of a felony and unbeknownst to her, the past criminal record prohibited her from voting.

Even though Mason’s vote wasn’t even counted, Wilson’s office still pushed to prosecute her.

“I call Sharen Wilson the Bull Connor of our generation. She is a bad district attorney and she is a racist, quite frankly. And it concerns that this case is landing in her lap. I’m hoping that the Department of Justice will step in and prosecute this case on their own.”

Wilson has been charged with leading the case investigation.

Jefferson reportedly heard noises in her backyard. Her nephew recalled that it was so concerning for her that she grabbed her gun from out of her purse to defend herself, and “pointed it toward a window.” Former Fort Worth cop Aaron was creeping around out back and shot Jefferson through the window. She died at the scene.

READ MORE: ‘The Squad’ members reportedly plan to endorse Bernie Sanders’ 2020 run

“We’re nowhere close to being concluded that this officer is even going to be formally charged with murder,” Merritt told Madison. “There’s still so much more work to do in this case.”

While Dean was charged with murder, currently his case is presented to a grand jury. There’s no assurance that he will be indicted though.

Check out more of what Merritt had to say below

The post Lee Merritt critiques DA in charge of Atatiana Jefferson case appeared first on theGrio.

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Wendy Williams celebrates her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

From the hot seat to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Wendy Williams was shining on Thursday when she was honored for her successful years in the entertainment industry.

READ MORE: Wendy Williams earns a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Williams attended a ceremony paying homage to her multi-disciplined career. She first rose in notoriety as a mouthy DJ, earning her famed by dropping dimes on the stars to being an author. Later, she re-invented herself, becoming a successful talk show maven, who’s been a TV mainstay for the last 11 years.

Williams, who has had a rocky year with health setbacks and dealing with a bed-hopping husband, now says her personal life is better than ever, ExtraTV reports.

“My personal life has been better than ever, you know, all things considered. I’ve got love. I’ve got my family. I’ve got loyal staffers at ‘Wendy,’ who aren’t just there because it’s a paycheck, like, we love each other. You know, I’ve got great bosses at FOX. What gets better than [CEO of FOX Television Stations] Jack Abernethy coming out of his office to talk about me?”

READ MORE: Wendy Williams takes subtle jab at estranged husband with new executive producer credits

Williams, who made her name as a controversial radio host in radio for 20 years. Williams was known for her shocking commentary, dishing dirt that sometimes earned her the ire of celebrities.

She had stints at the former KISS, Hot 97, and WBLS in New York as well as Philadelphia’s Power 99 from 1989 until she left radio in 2009.

The moment was surreal for Williams who received the 2,677th star on Hollywood Boulevard thanks to her work on her popular Emmy-nominated daytime talk show.

“I mean, you know, just the girl from Jersey, trying to make our bones, trying to figure out how to keep the mic hot without being thrown off.” She added, “You know, I’ve been having the mic for over 30 years of my career… the last 11 years, I never imagined that would happen.”

READ MORE: Wendy Williams ordered to pay cheating ex-husband $250,000

“I’m genuinely happy about my career today and the direction that it’s going to be taking for the next few years.”

And despite the difficult year, Williams pulled up her bootstraps, and put on her best face for the occasion.

“Well, you don’t want to have a hellish year and then look horrible,” she quipped.

And Williams had some parting words about what she thinks of her own achievements:

“You showed them — and stay humble. It’s a pretty heady ride.”

The post Wendy Williams celebrates her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame appeared first on theGrio.

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