Wondery CEO Jen Sargent is departing the podcasting studio as it undergoes a restructuring by Amazon that will impact roughly 110 jobs.
Moving forward, Wondery’s narrative podcasting studio will be incorporated into Audible. That division of the brand has been responsible for podcasts like “Dr. Death,” “American Scandal” and “Business Wars.” Marshall Lewy, Wondery’s chief content officer, will also join the Audible content team. In connection with the change, the Wondery+ subscription will also move under Audible, with additional details to come later this year.
A new organization is also being launched that will focus on Wondery’s creator-led and video-focused shows like Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” and Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert.” Creator Services will be part of Amazon’s Talent Services team, and podcasts released through this team will continue to sport the Wondery brand. Matt Sandler will lead the Creator Services team.
Additionally, Wondery advertising head Angie More will lead a new team responsible for sponsorship advertising across the brand and Amazon Music, which is aimed at making it easier for advertisers to work with Amazon shows, creators and IP. Amy Grabisch and her team, who are responsible for monetizing Amazon Music’s live programming, will move to this new organization.
Wondery will also be working with “a select number of top creators to drive scaled listenership and unlock broader and long-lasting relationships across Amazon,” according to an internal memo sent by Steve Boom, vice president of Audio, Twitch and Games at Amazon.
“The podcast landscape has evolved significantly in the past few years, particularly with the rise of video-forward, creator-led content. These changes reflect that evolution and will streamline how Wondery integrates further into Amazon,” a spokesperson for the tech giant told TheWrap. “By making these changes, we can better support creators in monetizing their content across multiple channels, help them expand their brand IP and simplify the process for advertisers while making content more accessible to audiences wherever they prefer to consume it. This evolution builds on Wondery’s early success with video-forward shows and positions us to better serve creators, customers and advertisers.”
