Reality podcast ‘Welcome to Provincetown’ features a Bear in its cast
Stitcher, alongside co-creators Rococo Punch and Room Tone, have announced a new reality podcast series, Welcome to Provincetown, which premieres June 15.
The series, co-produced by Stitcher’s Witness Docs unit, documents the lives of several eclectic, vivacious residents of the idyllic, two-street beach town known for its community of actors, artists, drag queens, playwrights, authors and Bears.
Welcome to Provincetown is a genre-bending series that combines the style of reality TV with impeccable audio storytelling, weaving together the complexity of each character’s lives over the course of ten episodes. The series, recorded in the summer of 2021, follows seven locals, each with their own agenda, in the small, picturesque town of Provincetown, MA.
Among the seven real-life personalities that listeners will meet is Brian, a recently divorced, newly arrived bear that is rebuilding his life in the area. Others include Qya, the summer’s ‘It Girl,’ a performer gracing every stage and a few sand dunes in town; Sonny, a newcomer to P-Town who is spending his summer trying to get laid; Kristen, Ethan and Star from Summer of Sass, a program that brings 18-20 year-olds from oppressive communities to live and work in Provincetown; and Jay, a legendary artist and longtime resident who uses his septic tank as a makeshift oasis.
Host Mitra Kaboli, the award-winning documentarian and producer of The Heart and ESPN’s 30 for 30, takes listeners inside this summer playground to explore the beautiful isolation and exclusivity designed into gay vacation towns. The result is a story as much about drama, relationships, and sex as it is about the grittiness of real life in a town where, in the matter of months, the population swells from 3,000 to 60,000.
“Room Tone develops projects that delight listeners and defy expectations of what can be achieved in sound. Our first, Welcome to Provincetown, offers unconventional stories and a fresh approach to the medium,” says Ben Riskin co-founder of Room Tone.
He adds: “Partnering with Rococo Punch and Mitra Kaboli was a natural fit based on their collective experience making stories about complex and nuanced lives, and I’m so pleased to have Stitcher on board to help bring it all together.”
“We started Rococo Punch with the goal of making memorable podcasts that transport listeners out of the studio and into another place,” says John Perotti, co-founder of Rococo Punch. “Tapping into the world of reality has been years in the making for us and when Room Tone reached out, we knew the sounds and stories of Provincetown could deliver that experience for listeners, with its unique backdrop and one-of-a-kind characters.”
“Welcome to Provincetown is unlike anything that has come before it,” says Kameel Stanley, Executive Producer of Witness Docs. “Room Tone and Rococo Punch have put such care into giving listeners a compelling glimpse into a summer in this iconic destination – bringing to life not just the characters that inhabit it, but also the town itself. With our Witness Docs team, we’re honored to help them bring this series to listeners everywhere.”
Welcome to Provincetown is produced by Mitra Kaboli and Emily Forman. Story editing is by Stitcher’s Gianna Palmer. Executive producers are John Perotti and Jessica Alpert for Rococo Punch, and Ben Riskin and Bianca Grimshaw for Room Tone. Kameel Stanley is the executive producer of Witness Docs.
SXM Media, the combined advertising revenue organization of Sirius XM Holdings Inc., has exclusive global ad sales rights for Welcome to Provincetown. SXM Media is the gateway for marketers to the #1 U.S. podcast advertising network in reaching weekly podcast listeners, per Edison Research.
The series joins an already impressive lineup of prestigious documentary and narrative projects at Witness Docs, which includes, among others, Heaven’s Gate, the Unfinished series, and the Webby-Award winning Toxic: The Britney Spears Story.
Welcome to Provincetown will be available June 15 on Stitcher, the SXM App, Pandora, and all major podcast listening platforms.
For more information, visit witnesspodcasts.com.
About Rococo Punch
Rococo Punch is an independent podcast production company specializing in exquisite sound design and thoughtful content. Current projects range from investigative journalism to children’s programming to interview shows. The team developed some of the most listened-to podcasts, reaching millions of people around the world. Among the shows they helped create include the Gracie-award-winning The Turning: The Sisters Who Left, Finding Raffi, Modern Love: The Podcast, Servant of Pod and the forthcoming Queen Of Hearts. Follow @RococoPunch on Twitter and visit www.rococopunch.com for more information.
About Room Tone
Room Tone is a podcast and audio advisory serving the industry through project development and packaging, talent management, and professional services. Room Tone was founded by Ben Riskin and Bianca Grimshaw, both veterans in the audio space. Ben led business development and strategy for Endeavor Audio and Megaphone where he supported the launches of shows like Blackout and Revisionist History. He also produced work for WNYC’s Nancy and Condé Nast. Bianca maintains a robust legal practice representing film and podcast talent, production, and studios.
About Stitcher
Stitcher, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is the best place to listen to, produce and monetize podcasts. The Stitcher app is one of the world’s most popular podcast listening platforms, with a growing network of original content and a premium subscription service. Stitcher is home to Stitcher Originals, Black lifestyle and culture network More Sauce, top-ranked comedy podcast network Earwolf, and award-winning documentary network Witness Docs.
