‘Pod Save America’ Producer Crooked Media Hires Netflix Exec Sarah Geismer to Head Development, Production
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Crooked Media, the company that produces progressive political podcast “Pod Save America,” tapped Sarah Geismer, a former Netflix and Fox TV exec, as head of creative development and production.
In the newly created role, Geismer will lead development for all of active and upcoming podcast, TV and film projects for Crooked Media. The L.A.-based company was founded in 2017 by former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor.
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Crooked Media’s hiring of Geismer flagship signals that the company wants to continue to expand beyond podcasts. Last year, the twice-weekly “Pod Save America” show was adapted by HBO into a four specials covering the 2018 midterm elections.
“Throughout her career, Sarah has demonstrated an incredible ability to champion and shepherd a diverse slate of shows, and has consistently identified stories and talent that resonate with audiences and compel them to keep tuning in,” Crooked COO Sarah Wick said in announcing the hire. “We’re thrilled Sarah is bringing that wealth of experience to Crooked, as the company continues to expand and grow in new directions.”
Geismer joined Netflix less than a year ago as a drama series development exec on the company’s originals team, responsible for shows including those from Shonda Rhimes and Jenji Kohan.
Prior to Netflix, she served as VP of comedy development at 20th Century Fox TV, working on projects including “Single Parents” on ABC and “Cool Kids” on Fox. That came after a seven-year stint at Fox’s cable production divisions, where she oversaw drama and comedy projects including “The Chi,” “Maron,” “Sirens,” “The Comedians,” “Complications” and “Burn Notice.” Geismer started her career as an associate producer on the MTV docuseries “True Life.”
According to Crooked Media, its mission is to deliver “a no-bullshit conversation about politics and culture where you can laugh, cry, scream, ridicule us daily, share your ideas, and hopefully decide that you want to help fix this mess too.” The company’s founders say they have not raised funding from outside investors.
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