The series of stories will extend reach of writers across Southeast Asia
Continuing their mission to connect culture, technology and brand marketing, Culture Group today announces a trailblazing partnership between Spotify Studios and leading literary platform, Wattpad. As the agency of record for Wattpad and agency partner of Spotify, the leading popular culture marketing agency ideated the partnership to equip leading Southeast Asian writers with the resources necessary to extend their content through podcasting.
“Leveraging the power of storytelling for commercial and creative purposes is the mission of Culture Group. Following previous initiatives with Spotify, and having led Wattpad’s collaboration with kumu in the Philippines, it is exciting to expand our remit with both partners. Benefitting from their combined expertise, we are confident that the incubator program will educate and empower our aspiring creators, elevating their content and expanding their reach through Spotify,” said Michael Patent, Founder & President at Culture Group.
Developed by Culture Group to amplify the voice of leading literary creators from across the region, the program will see 20 Wattpad creators from Indonesia and the Philippines use the medium to offer new perspectives to fans, creating an immersive storytelling experience that allows original characters, worlds, and narratives to leap off the page through the power of voice.
Arming the creators with the tools needed to produce best-in-class content, a 2-day virtual ‘Spotify x Wattpad Podcasting Workshop’ will teach the basics of podcasting, podcast marketing, and digital audio storytelling. The sessions will also delve into the future of podcasting, analysing trends and predicting what’s next for the medium.
Overseeing the programme, Culture Group will be responsible for the final production of all podcast episodes. The partnership between Wattpad and Spotify builds on Culture Group’s creator economy credentials, including the creative and content-led partnership between Wattpad and livestreaming platform, kumu.
Authors involved in the program include Ma.Cristina Lata (@blue_Maiden), author of the 321M-read sensation, The Four Bad Boys and Me and Ariesa Jane Domingo (@Beeyotch) of For Hire: A Damn Good Kisser (42.1M reads). Episodes will also include behind-the-scenes commentary on web novels from @VentreCanard, author of Caught in His Arms (56.2M reads); and @April_Avery, whose Titan Academy of Special Abilities has over 55M reads on Wattpad. The podcasts will premiere on September 17 in the Philippines and September 27 in Indonesia. New episodes will stream weekly on Wattpad’s Spotify channel.
