EXCLUSIVE: Award Winning media company PRX has officially signed on Aryaan Arora (“Bull”) to join their new TRAX show starring Yara Shahidi (“Grown-ish”) and Kelly Marie Tran (“Raya the Last Dragon”).
PRX is the world’s largest on-demand catalogue of public radio programs available for broadcast and internet use. Their award-winning portfolio ranges from iconic public radio programs like “The World,” “This American Life,” “The Takeaway” and “Reveal,” to a growing body of podcast-first productions including the Radiotopia network, which is home to “99% Invisible,” “Ear Hustle,” and “Criminal.” Each month, they reach more than 28.5 million listeners and generate in excess of 70 million podcast downloads.
TRAX — a podcast network for tweens from PRX and Studio Ochenta — announced “Cultureverse,” a new fictional adventure podcast back in June of this year. The show will be co-hosted by Yara Shahidi and Kelly Marie Tran, who will narrate episodes alongside a cast of voice actors now including Aryaan Arora, who was recently seen opposite Michael Weatherly of “NCIS” on the CBS courtroom drama “Bull”.
The series, which launched on June 24, celebrates our collective past while providing a place for myths and legends to come alive in the modern world. In each episode, ordinary kids encounter extraordinary creatures, myths, or folk characters from their diverse cultural backgrounds, and embark on a journey of self-discovery.
Additional episodes will be rooted in folktales and legends from India, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Vietnam, Puerto Rico, and the Cherokee Nation, among myriad others. Listeners will also hear a variety of spoken languages represented across various episodes, including Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
“I’m excited to be a part of this production,” Arora told us. “‘Cultureverse' is a celebration of who we are and where we come from,” Lory Martinez, founder of Studio Ochenta and creative director of Cultureverse, told Deadline. “We are so honored to have been able to work hand in hand with folks from each and every one of these cultures to develop these stories and bring them to life for our listeners.”