KT Studios, the television production and podcast company behind the hit true crime podcast The Piketon Massacre, is teaming up with iHeartMedia to develop a slate of new series. Three shows are already lined up including the just-released The Dougherty Gang.
“iHeartMedia is excited to join forces with KT Studios to co-produce this brilliant new slate of true-crime podcasts,” said Will Pearson, Chief Operating Officer for the iHeartPodcast Network. “We’ve seen incredible success with KT Studios and are excited to offer listeners a full slate of new podcasts that delve into everything from unsolved murders to some of the most bizarre crimes in the name of love.”
The Dougherty Gang is a 12-episode limited series that delves into the infamous story of three siblings in their 20s - two brothers and a sister - who notoriously went on an eight-day, 15-state bank-robbing journey in 2011. The podcast recounts the complex circumstances that kicked off the crime spree, how the family averted local, state and federal agents along the way, and later, it tells of their lives in prison. New episodes will become available each Monday.
The series is executive produced by television creator and producer Stephanie Lydecker, the founder and President of KT Studios, and KT Studios Chief Creative Officer Courtney Armstrong. They previously worked with VP of Development Jeff Shane to produce The Piketon Massacre. That podcast told the story one of the most notorious mass murders in Ohio’s history. The Piketon Massacre received special notoriety for its second season becoming the No. 1 podcast across all categories with nearly 17 million listeners in the first few weeks of airing.
As part of the KT Studios and iHeart partnership, two more podcasts are in the works. In November they will launch the show called Crazy in Love. Hosted by a revolving stable of experts, Crazy In Love will dive into the complex and contentious real-life stories of people who went to murderous lengths in the name of love. That includes not only romantic love, but also motherly, brotherly and sisterly love, bestie bonds and lusty love. Each week explores a new crime, told through a combination of interviews, news footage and narration. The creators say they have 48 episodes lined up.
Then in the first quarter of next year the series Death Island is scheduled to debut. It details the story of Koh Tao, a vacation destination in Thailand where since 2006 at least 19 tourists have died mysteriously. Theories on the causes have run the gamut from mafia rule to a serial killer family.
“This true-crime slate is an exciting addition to the thriller podcast world,” said Lydecker. “The shows dive into mysterious and untold true-crime stories that will leave listeners spooked and seeking more answers. The support from the iHeartMedia team has been nothing less than extraordinary and we’re thrilled to introduce these stories to loyal, true-crime listeners everywhere.”
All shows on the new slate will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network and will be available everywhere podcasts are heard.