Ballen Studios, the content company behind mystery and true crime master storyteller, MrBallen, has acquired the podcast series Run, Fool! starring writer, producer, and comic book creator Rodney Barnes. The series, in partnership with At Will Media and Campside Media, is set to premiere November 14.
“It’s difficult to convey how excited I am to be working with MrBallen and our entire producing team,” said Barnes. “I’ve loved horror my entire life, and I’m thrilled to share a new terrifying story with the world each week.”
Barnes is best known as the writer and executive producer for the television series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” which chronicles the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers during the team’s wild and fast-paced golden years. But his weekly podcast will have a much different focus, with stories about monsters, demons, vampires, and the occult.
Nick Witters, CEO of Ballen Studios, says they have been big fans of Barnes for a long time. “The fact that we have the opportunity to partner and springboard this show across the entire Strange, Dark & Mysterious Universe is a beautiful moment for everyone involved,” he said in the announcement.”
Alongside Barnes and MrBallen, At Will Media CEO Will Malnati and Vice President of Originals Rosie Guerin, as well as Campside Media cofounder Matthew Shaer will serve as Executive Producers on the series.
“With Run, Fool! we saw an opportunity to do something new,” Shaer said. “The whole idea was, ‘What if we take one of the best writers in the world, and let him spin a diverse and wide-ranging set of ghost stories that totally break the mold for the horror podcast space? And what if we hired a team of incredible sound designers to make it all come alive?’”
“The opportunity to tell stories with Rodney Barnes in the horror space was undeniable,” added Guerin. “The depth of his knowledge in the genre and his storytelling skills together with the all-star talent at Ballen Studios and Campside Media is a winning combination.”
Ballen Studios, Campside Media, At Will Media, and Rodney Barnes are all represented by UTA. The podcast has been specially developed for adaptation in television and film and will be globally represented by UTA in all areas.