How the Story Pirates Team Uses Kids' Imaginations to Create Audio Magic
19/11/2019
According to creative director Lee Overtree and CEO Benjamin Salka (a.k.a. Jamie), Story Pirates started off performing children-inspired musicals in schools and theaters as a live touring group in 2004 and eventually evolved into a radio show, bringing heartwarming and engaging stories to even more listeners. More recently, the company transitioned into a podcast that has spawned several music albums.
So how does it work? Youngsters from all over the world submit their ideas to the Story Pirates website, then the creative team (comprised of world-class actors, comedians, improvisors, and musicians) selects and adapts them into podcast episodes filled with sketch comedy and musical theater. Episodes even have special celebrity guests each week.
Kids (and parents!) love the original songs sprinkled throughout the show. So, to give fans more of what they love, Story Pirates released two albums-Backstroke Raptor and Nothing Is Impossible-which take the best songs and remix them into standalone versions that are easy to find and play in album format on Spotify.
We sat down with Lee and Jamie to talk about what makes the Story Pirates podcast and albums such a beloved phenomenon.
What do you think it is about podcasts that makes them a great storytelling medium for kids? Lee: Well, audio amplifies imagination, right? It allows the listener to engage in a way that a visual medium doesn't. You have to be involved, and for kids who are eager to live in a participatory world, a medium like podcasting is very natural for them.
What's the most surprising thing you've learned since embarking on this podcast and album journey? Jamie: The thing that surprised me most is just how authentically people are responding to what we're putting out there. Story Pirates has been a slow, steady build-the live show started in 2004. But the last couple of years have been astronomical in terms of the growth. We hear from people who drove eight hours to see us in person or even flew in from Australia. I think it's because families are responding to what's different about what we're doing. I think it feels more playful, more connected, and more joyful than what they expected.
How do you differentiate between the albums and podcast? Jamie: One of the things people love so much about our podcast is the music. But the podcast runs anywhere between 22 minutes and a half hour, and the songs are wrapped up in the whole show. So if you get obsessed [with a song], you have to rewind and fast-forward to find your favorite part, whereas with the album, you just get right to it.
Lee: The albums that we put out through Gimlet are the best songs from the podcast remixed and remastered. So most of the songs on the album are ones you've heard in a different form on the podcast. For example, Lin-Manuel Miranda wasn't on the podcast version of The Wizard Who Could Just Go Poof, but he was on the album version.
Speaking of Lin-Manuel, who are some of the other guests that you've had on the show, and who are your favorites that you've worked with so far? Lee: We've been really lucky, and it's sort of gone from us reaching out to our contacts in the comedy community to people reaching out to ask to be on the show because their kids listen. We've had lots of great people, like John Oliver, Claire Danes, Dax Shephard, and David Schwimmer. And we have some more really exciting guests coming soon.
LINK: | https://newsroom.spotify.com/2019-11-14/how-the-story-pirates-team-use... |
See more stories from spotify |
More from Spotify
24/04/2024
K-Hip-Hop's Biggest Names Take Center Stage on KrOWN X HAN 2024'
This month marked the return of Spotify's HAN, our collaborative program that brings the unique sounds and culture of Korean hip-hop to the world through ex...
24/04/2024
RADAR Italy Returns With 6 Artists Transforming the Country's Music Landscape
As Spotify's program to spotlight rising talent from around the world, RADAR...
24/04/2024
Spotify Partners With Les Flammes Music Awards To Celebrate French Rap
Spotify is once again teaming up with Les Flammes, the only music awards dedicated to rap, R&B, Afrobeats, and popular culture in France. Spotify helped create...
24/04/2024
Taylor Swift's THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT' Becomes Spotify's Most-Streamed Album in One Week
Records smashed. History made. It's been just five days since Taylor Swift u...
23/04/2024
Spotify Reports First Quarter 2024 Earnings
Today, we announced our first quarter 2024 earnings. In a solid start to the year, Spotify reported Monthly Active Users grew 19% Y/Y to 615 million. Subscri...
23/04/2024
Spotify rapporterar intkter fr frsta kvartalet i 2024
Idag publicerar Spotify sina finansiella resultat f r f rsta kvartalet 2024. ret har inletts stabilt: M natliga aktiva anv ndare kade med 19 % j mf rt med f...
23/04/2024
Discover Your K-Pop Persona With Spotify's New Interactive Experience
In the last decade, as K-Pop cemented its status as a global phenomenon, Spotify has helped fans around the world keep their fingers on the pulse at every step ...
22/04/2024
Taylor Swift's THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT' Breaks Multiple Spotify Records in Less Than 24 Hours
It's a beautiful day to be a Swiftie. On April 19, Taylor Swift dropped her ...
20/04/2024
Taylor Swift's THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT Breaks Multiple Spotify Records in Less Than 24 Hours
It's a beautiful day to be a Swiftie. On April 19, Taylor Swift dropped her ...
19/04/2024
How Spotify Approaches Safety With Sarah Hoyle, Global Head of Trust and Safety
Spotify's mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the ...
19/04/2024
Spotify and Taylor Swift Create a One-of-a-Kind Library To Celebrate THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT'
It's a beautiful day to be a Swiftie. Today, Taylor Swift dropped her 11th s...
17/04/2024
Spotify's Michael Krause Talks Industry Trends Ahead of Our Music and Podcasting Summits in Germany
On April 18 and 19, experts from across the audio industry-including artists, pu...
17/04/2024
Spotify Brings Entrepreneurs and Trailblazers Together to Talk the Future of Tech in the UK
With its particular combination of talent, ambition, culture, and, of course, wo...
17/04/2024
NextGen Partners With Howard University Professor Nikole Hannah-Jones on Student Podcasting Course
At Spotify, we want to equip student creators with the tools and resources neede...
12/04/2024
KAROL G Teams Up With Spotify and FC Barcelona To Release Special Matchday Shirts, Merchandise Collection, and Matchday Playlist
Spotify is once again bringing together record-breaking legends from the worlds ...
11/04/2024
5 Spotify Premium Hacks You Need To Know
Finding the perfect song, pod, or audiobook can be transformative, which is why we here at Spotify continuously innovate our products and features to provide th...
11/04/2024
Canadian Music Has Evolved Into a Global Export. Canada Must Evolve With It.
As the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) updates the country's Broadcasting Act, it faces a fundamental question: Who count...
11/04/2024
Spotify and Substack Partner To Bring Even More Podcasts to Listeners
At Spotify, we always want to deliver more value for podcast creators and their fans. That's why we're excited to announce a new integration with Substa...
10/04/2024
Meet the New Generation of Colombian Urban Artists Making Waves
In recent years, reggaeton has become practically synonymous with Colombia. The country has infused its own sounds and a unique flow into the genre, establishin...
10/04/2024
Conoce a la nueva generacin de artistas urbanos colombianos que la estn rompiendo
En los ltimos a os, el reggaeton se ha convertido pr cticamente en un sin nimo ...
09/04/2024
Spotify CLASSICS: The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the Streaming Era
In February, we launched Spotify CLASSICS, our first-ever program to celebrate catalog music. Our inaugural list focused on the Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Albums o...
08/04/2024
Spotify Premium Users Can Now Turn Any Idea Into a Personalized Playlist With AI Playlist in Beta
We know that discovery happens on Spotify, with nearly two billion discoveries h...
05/04/2024
RADAR Spain Returns With 6 Artists Shaping the Country's Hottest Music Trends
Since its launch in 2020, RADAR has served as Spotify's program to spotlight...
04/04/2024
Christian Luiga Named Spotify's Chief Financial Officer
Spotify today announced the appointment of Christian Luiga as its new Chief Financial Officer. Christian joins Spotify from Saab AB, a European defense and secu...
04/04/2024
How Spotify and Samsung Brought Fresh Finds to Life in Chicago, From Live Performances to Interactive Experiences
Listeners looking to discover music from some of the most promising independent ...
02/04/2024
Spotify Premium Listeners in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand Can Soon Access More Than 250,000 Audiobooks
Attention booklovers in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand! Listening to your favo...
27/03/2024
Paving the Way' for Spotify's NextGen Scholarship Recipients
Spotify is committed to amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, and that starts with empowering the creators who will shape our industry's future....
26/03/2024
Sube la temperatura con las canciones del verano 2024 en Argentina y Brasil
De diciembre a marzo, cuando los ciudadanos del hemisferio sur disfrutan del verano, la m sica se convierte en una poderosa representaci n de las culturas y cos...
26/03/2024
Aumente o Som com as Msicas do Vero de 2024 da Argentina e do Brasil
De dezembro a mar o, medida que as pessoas em todo o Hemisf rio Sul aproveitam o ver o, a m sica surge frequentemente como uma representa o poderosa das cult...
26/03/2024
Turn Up the Heat With Argentina's and Brazil's 2024 Songs of Summer
From December to March, as people across the Southern Hemisphere soak up the summer, music often emerges as a powerful representation of a region's cultures...
25/03/2024
Spotify Tests Video-Based Learning Courses in the UK
Today we're launching a test for video-based courses on Spotify in the U.K. We've partnered with educational tech companies including BBC Maestro, PLAYv...
21/03/2024
Spotify Celebrates Ramadan With Listening Trends From Around the World
March marks the beginning of Ramadan, a cherished cultural event celebrated by Muslims worldwide. As families and communities come together to observe, contempl...
20/03/2024
Five Artists Reflect on Five Years of Spotify in India, Reaching New Fans, and the True Power' of Music
Since launching in India in 2019, Spotify has opened up opportunities for artist...
19/03/2024
The Biggest Takeaways From Spotify's Annual Music Economics Report
At Spotify, we believe that artists deserve clarity when it comes to the economics of music streaming-that's why we publish data showing our impact on the i...
19/03/2024
As Maiores Concluses do Relatrio Anual de Economia Musical do Spotify
No Spotify, acreditamos que os artistas merecem clareza no que diz respeito economia do streaming de m sica - por isso que publicamos dados que mostram o no...
19/03/2024
Las Conclusiones Ms Importantes Del Informe Anual De Spotify Sobre La Economa Musical
En Spotify, creemos que los artistas merecen claridad cuando se trata de la econ...
19/03/2024
Les points cls du rapport annuel sur l'conomie de la musique de Spotify
Spotify pense que les artistes m ritent de la clart en mati re d' conomie du streaming musical. C'est pourquoi la plateforme publie chaque ann e des do...
18/03/2024
USC Basketball Star Juju Watkins on Fashion, Film, Friendship Bracelets, and More
Listeners turn to Spotify to connect with their favorites-from artists and album...
13/03/2024
Music Videos Rolling Out in Beta to Premium Spotify Users Across Select Markets
In the early neon-infused '80s, music videos burst onto TV screens, turning some of the most beloved songs into visual experiences that redefined the way fa...
12/03/2024
Five Years of Spotify in India: A Look Back at Our Greatest Hits
February marked Spotify's fifth year in India, and since our debut, we've focused on lifting up the country's creator community, localizing content ...
08/03/2024
On International Women's Day, Spotify Celebrates the Impact of Three Years of EQUAL
Spotify is dedicated to fostering gender equity in the music industry and beyond...
07/03/2024
Spotify ajustera ses prix en France prochainement
Prochainement, nos abonn s Spotify Premium en France subiront une augmentation de prix en raison de co ts suppl mentaires sur les services de streaming musica...
07/03/2024
Spotify To Adjust Its Prices Over New Tax in France
Spotify Premium subscribers in France will soon experience a price increase due to additional costs on music streaming services imposed by the government, as pa...
07/03/2024
La Tierra de Texas' Celebrates the Tejano Legacy of Msica Mexicana at the Houston Rodeo
On February 26, 1995, Selena walked into the middle of the Astrodome as the head...
04/03/2024
The European Commission Confirms, Apple's Anti-Competitive Behavior Is Illegal and Harms Consumers
Today's decision marks an important moment in the fight for a more open inte...
04/03/2024
Los artistas colombianos, una fuerza imparable en la escena msical global
Desde los movimientos magn ticos de Shakira, pasando por el electrizante rock en espa ol de Juanes y hasta la vibrante fusi n de pop y vallenato de Carlos Vives...
04/03/2024
Colombian Artists Prove To Be an Unstoppable Force on the Global Music Scene
From Shakira s magnetic moves to Juanes s electrifying Spanish rock and Carlos Vives s vibrant blend of pop and vallenato, Colombian music resonates globally. U...
01/03/2024
Spotify's New Audiobooks Access Tier Gives Booklovers More Listening Options
Spotify is continuously innovating to provide the best possible offering for every kind of audio fan. Since launching Audiobooks in Premium, we've seen a 45...
01/03/2024
A Letter to the European Commission on Apple's Lack of DMA Compliance
Ahead of the European Union's DMA implementation deadline next week, Spotify and many EU companies sent the following letter to the European Commission toda...
29/02/2024
Spotify's Song Psychic Is Ready To Answer Your Burning Questions
Life's full of little mysteries, and sometimes the most fun way to tackle them is with a bit of cosmic guidance. Spotify is ready to take you on a journey o...