Podcast firm Audiochuck hires Sony alum Matt Shanfield for TV, film expansion

The Chernin Group-backed US podcast company Audiochuck has launched a TV and film division and hired a former Sony Pictures Television exec to run it.

Matt Shanfield

The move comes as the Indianapolis-headquartered media business, founded by podcaster and entrepreneur Ashley Flowers, expands beyond audio into premium video and intellectual property development for global streaming platforms.

Industry veteran Matt Shanfield has been appointed head of television and film to lead the initiative. Shanfield joins the company from Sony Pictures Television’s non-fiction group, where he served as executive VP of development at The Intellectual Property Corporation.

Flowers said the new division will focus on adapting its existing podcast franchises for the screen while also acquiring and developing new intellectual property. The move is intended to position the company as a vertically integrated studio operating across multiple media formats.

Matt Starker, CEO of Audiochuck, said the expansion builds on the company’s success in podcasting. “Audiochuck has built one of the strongest franchise engines in podcasting,” he said. “TV and film are the next step. We are adapting, developing and acquiring premium IP for global platforms, delivering it with the same discipline and storytelling standards that define our work.”

The company said the new division will develop projects both from its existing portfolio of podcast IP and from third-party content that aligns with its audience. Audiochuck’s network includes more than 20 weekly and seasonal podcasts with a global audience exceeding 12 million monthly listeners.

Shanfield brings experience across unscripted and premium non-fiction programming. His credits include executive producing the Critics’ Choice-winning Secrets of Playboy, developing the forthcoming non-fiction series Clue for Netflix and producing the Emmy-winning television show Shark Tank.