NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 11, 2020 – CUMULUS MEDIA’s Westwood One, Imperative Entertainment, and Foxtopus Ink (Wild Thing) today premiere The Syndicate, a thrilling true-story podcast that follows a multi-state marijuana drug ring’s rise and fall. The new, 8-part podcast series debuts on all major podcast platforms. Westwood One partners with Imperative Entertainment to distribute, market, and monetize all their existing and forthcoming podcasts.

The Syndicate: Buried cash. DEA moles. Sibling rivalries. Skydiving planes. Fast cars. And an exploding hash lab. A group of college friends took advantage of Colorado’s medical marijuana laws to create one of the longest; most lucrative smuggling runs in U.S. history. But when a drug mule flipped, the whole enterprise came crashing down – and revealed how the black marijuana market is not just evolving in the era of legal weed but thriving.

Award-winning freelance journalist, Chris Walker (The Atlantic, Playboy, VICE NPR, Forbes, LA Weekly, etc.) is the series creator and host. Jason Hoch, President of Imperative Entertainment’s Podcast Division is an Executive Producer, and Laura Krantz (former public radio) and Scott Carney (New York Times-best-selling author, ‘What Doesn’t Kill Us’) of Foxtopus Ink produced and edited the series.

The Syndicate marks the fifth series from Imperative Entertainment’s podcast division. Podcast series include American Skyjacker, The Baron of Botox, Boomtown, and Gangster House.

About Imperative Entertainment

Founded in 2014, Imperative Entertainment is an innovative entertainment studio in Santa Monica, CA. With a keen eye for bold and powerful storytelling that captivates and excites audiences, Imperative Entertainment develops, produces, and finances original and branded entertainment with a focus on film, television, documentaries, and podcasts. The company is behind projects such as the Clint Eastwood filmThe Mule, Academy Award(R) nominatedAll the Money in the World, and the Academy Award(R) nominated and 2017 Palme d’Or (R) winning filmThe Squareby Ruben Ostlund. Imperative Entertainment is currently in production on Ostlund’s follow-upTriangle of Sadnessand is also producingKillers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

About Foxtopus Ink

A forward-thinking multimedia company, Foxtopus Ink has its tentacles in publishing, audiobooks, podcasts, ebooks, cryptozoology, cat-wrangling and editorial services. Hit shows include Wild Thing and the New York Times bestselling book What Doesn’t Kill Us. It’s the amalgamation of a fox and an octopus-an improbable animal that’s sleek, clever, and able to escape from small glass boxes.

About Westwood One

Westwood One, the national-facing arm of CUMULUS MEDIA, offers iconic, nationally syndicated sports, news and entertainment content to over 250 million monthly listeners across an audio network of nearly 8,000 affiliated broadcast radio stations and media partners. Westwood One is the largest audio network in America, home to premium content that defines the culture, including the NFL, the NCAA, the Masters, the Olympics, and Westwood One Backstage. The rapidly growing Westwood One Podcast Network delivers popular network and industry personalities and programs. Westwood One connects listeners with their passions through programs and platforms that have everyone listening. For more information, please visit www.westwoodone.com.

Contacts

Karen Glover | Westwood One | kglover@westwoodone.com