Scott Waxman has struck a deal with Gemini XIII to broaden the scope of his Diversion Podcasts business, which he launched in 2020. Under the agreement, Waxman has combined the Diversion Podcasts unit with an investment from Gemini to form Diversion Audio, which will be co-owned by the two parties.
Waxman will head Diversion Audio and will be joined by former Apple Books and Apple Podcast executive Jacob Bronstein, who has been named senior v-p of content and development, and Mark Francis, cofounder of Diversion Podcasts, who now is Diversion Audio’s senior v-p of production.
The new Diversion Audio will expand on the framework of Diversion Podcasts, which was built to develop and release original nonfiction audio series hosted by veteran nonfiction authors. Gemini provides marketing and advertising services to the podcasting and radio industries, functions that Diversion Podcasts did not have. The combination of Diversion’s IP library with Gemini’s expertise in sales and marketing is a natural fit, Waxman said.
While Diversion Podcasts focused mainly on Diversion authors, Waxman said Diversion Audio is open to all authors and publishers. “We want to be seen as the podcast studio for the publishing industry,” Waxman said. The podcasts will be created by using source materials from books, augmented with additional interviews, guests, and archival research. Diversion Audio’s podcasts will include the genres of suspense, sports, romance, parenting, music, history, and business.
Diversion’s first podcast, Good Assassins, drew million of listeners, Waxman said, and a second series will be released later this year. In addition, Diversion’s podcast, I Am Kobe, developed with iHeartPodcasts, recently won two Webby Awards, Best Sports Podcast 2022 and People’s Voice Winner.
Gemini is led by cofounders and national audio veterans Spencer Brown, CEO, who previously founded Cadence13 and Dial Global, and Charles Steinhauer, Gemini’s COO and former COO of Westwood One. The company recently acquired the Infinite Agency, a full-service digital advertising agency, and Phantom Producer, a patented audio imaging service that includes web and mobile app user interfaces and makes professional audio production fully mobile. The formation of Diversion Audio adds a content component to Gemini’s portfolio.
