Spirit Studios is developing and producing a slate of digital-first history series for Hearst Networks.
Matt Campion will EP for Spirit Studios with Sam Pearson as commissioner and EP for Hearst Networks. The alliance follows the success of Spirit Studios’ Ed Gein: Original Psycho on Hearst’s Crime+Investigation channel in the U.K. (BossaNova is the global distributor of the AI-driven true-crime doc.)
The first project will arrive within a new history-themed vertical that fuses documentary chops with “personality-driven, entertaining storytelling” suited to a digital environment. A celebrity host, experts, and creator talent will feature in the new digital slate.
Heather Jones, chief creative officer for EMEA at Hearst Networks, said: “Our partnership with Spirit Studios reflects our ambition to expand into dynamic digital formats. The genre has a passionate and loyal audience, and this brand-new slate allows us to extend that engagement beyond linear television through bold, visually driven storytelling that we hope will catch fire with history fans across the globe.”
Matt Campion and Peter Cowley, Spirit Studios’ co-founders, added: “Our partnership with Hearst Networks marks another major milestone in Spirit Studios’ mission to build true IP360 brands. Having worked together with Hearst Networks for the past three years on series like Missing Presumed Dead and Ed Gein: Original Psycho, we’ve developed a strong relationship rooted in a shared belief in the future of multi-platform storytelling. We’re thrilled to be launching this new factual brand together and excited about what we can build across podcasting, digital video, and television.”
