‘Heavyweight,' an Acclaimed Narrative Podcast, Returns
Almost nine years ago, a Minneapolis writer revealed a family skeleton to a podcast host.
Steve Marsh had a 'secret sister' — an older sibling his parents had placed for adoption before they were married, when they were not ready to raise a child. He wanted help finding her.
Luckily for Mr. Marsh, his thorny problem fit neatly into the premise of a new podcast: 'Heavyweight' was dedicated to ultra-personal quests, confronting regrets and healing resentments. It was hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, a longtime audio journalist who blanketed the show's vulnerability in dry humor.
'This conceit of having this nervous Jewish fellow who has to insert himself into the most sensitive parts in people's lives — it's just entertaining,' said Mr. Marsh, whose episode took almost three years to produce, as (spoiler alert) his family contacted and got to know his sister.
'Heavyweight' was an early hit, reaching No. 1 on Apple Podcasts shortly after its 2016 debut and earning wide critical acclaim. A co-host of the 'Longform' podcast called it 'one of the most compelling and moving things that anyone puts out in media anywhere.'
The podcast was canceled by Spotify in 2023, as the audio giant made significant company layoffs. And as more time passed after the final episode of 'Heavyweight' — about stoic twin brothers tracking down their deceased younger brother's pet parrot — it seemed more unlikely the show would return.
But on Tuesday, the media company Pushkin Industries, co-founded by Malcolm Gladwell, announced that 'Heavyweight' had joined its podcast network and would release new episodes this year.
Pushkin's investment is a bet that narrative audio can still win audiences' hearts, even in a landscape now crowded with year-round interview shows. Though documentary storytelling thrived in the early 2010s, led by 'This American Life' and 'Radiolab,' today the most popular and influential podcasts are lengthy (and easier to produce) interview programs, many released as videos. Some are very lucrative: Alex Cooper, Joe Rogan and the Kelce brothers have turned their chat shows into diversified media empires.
'I listen to a lot of interview shows myself,' Mr. Goldstein said. 'I just feel like there should be a different name. It's unfortunate that they all fall under the banner of 'podcasts,' because what we're doing is more documentary.'
Pushkin's deal with 'Heavyweight' does not resemble the kind of eye-popping contracts that make headlines when a top podcaster sells off rights to advertising and distribution, with figures exceeding $100 million or $200 million.
Rather it involves making Mr. Goldstein and his two longtime producers full-time employees of Pushkin, with benefits and access to technical, research, legal and operations support. (Advertising and distribution for Pushkin's shows are supported by iHeartPodcasts.)
While the deal includes standard revenue-sharing agreements, there was no large advance check cut to Mr. Goldstein, said Gretta Cohn, chief executive of Pushkin. She characterized the arrangement as 'unique' and declined to disclose the show's budget.
Mr. Goldstein, now 55 and based in Minneapolis, created 'Heavyweight' with Gimlet Media, a narrative-focused podcast company founded in Brooklyn that Spotify acquired for $230 million in early 2019 — a boom era for podcasts.
By 2023, Spotify's podcasting division underwent a 'strategic realignment' as the advertising market faltered. The company laid off 200 people and folded Gimlet into Spotify Studios. Later that year, 'Heavyweight,' which had expanded from focusing on Mr. Goldstein and his circle of family and friends to his listeners, was canceled.
Over the next year, Mr. Goldstein spoke to several companies in his search for a new home for 'Heavyweight,' he said — major networks but also, at one point, The Washington Post.
While the show has an eager fan base (on Reddit, listeners still swap their 'teariest' episodes), it is complicated to produce, Mr. Goldstein said. Fewer than half of all story leads become full episodes, he said, and each unfolds on a different timetable. 'Heavyweight' hinges on the emotional stakes of confrontation and resolution, which are difficult to capture if, for example, the confronted party refuses to cooperate.
Mr. Goldstein said he had briefly considered a subscriber-supported option, like Patreon, but found he lacked interest in running an independent business.
He first met Ms. Cohn last year at South by Southwest. An Apple Podcasts executive introduced them at the iHeartPodcast Awards, where Mr. Goldstein was being honored, and where they 'sneakily' watched the actor Kyle MacLachlan tear up a dance floor, Ms. Cohn said. Pushkin did not make an offer until months later.
'The shows are investigative, but they're so intimate,' Ms. Cohn said. 'When you think of investigation, you might think of crime or hard news. He's taking that style and that depth of craft but applying it to human relationships.'
Pushkin will benefit financially from the 'Heavyweight' podcast's back catalog and intellectual property potential, Ms. Cohn added. But 'Heavyweight' will also be expected to produce more content. Pushkin anticipates releasing a full 10-episode season late in 2025, after some less intensive episodes this spring.
Some of those shorter installments may involve follow-ups of past episodes — like the story of Gregor, a friend of Mr. Goldstein's who carried a yearslong grudge against the musician Moby. Mr. Goldstein said he had also recorded some audio during the hiatus about his experience quitting drinking.
'There was a time when I felt like 'Heavyweight' would release six episodes per year and then kind of call it a day,' Ms. Cohn said. 'That just is not a possibility at this point.'
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