Lemonada Media Expands Into Kids & Family Programming to Oversee Ad Sales and Distribution for Both the “Story Pirates Podcast” and the Brains On Universe Portfolio

Lemonada Media, one of the top three independent podcast publishers in the U.S. according to Podtrac, today announced two new partnerships with highly acclaimed audio brands, Brains On Universe and Story Pirates, marking the company’s first foray into kids & family programming. Under the deals, Lemonada will oversee ad sales and distribution for the Brains On Universe portfolio -- including the hit science podcast “Brains On!” and its slate of award-winning family shows. The company will also lead ad sales and distribution for the “Story Pirates Podcast,” the chart-topping sketch comedy podcast, which returns with all-new episodes today.

The Brains On Universe, managed by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, includes the award-winning flagship show “Brains On!,” a science podcast for families, featuring music, comedy, expert interviews, and the voices of real kids. Additional shows in the slate include “Smash Boom Best,” a debate show for kids and families; “Forever Ago,” which explores history through a kid’s lens; and “Moment of Um,” a short daily podcast answering big and small questions alike. Founded in 2012 by real-life friends Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez, and Sanden Totten, the Brains On Universe has grown from a passion project into one of the most successful kids’ podcasting brands in the world, amassing more than 130 million downloads and several bestselling books.

“Lemonada’s mission is to ‘make life suck less,’ and what better way than to support best-in-class production of content for kids and families. We’re so thrilled that the Story Pirates and Brains On teams will be a part of the quirky, caring Lemonada roster of shows working across genres to make the world a better place,” shares Jessica Cordova Kramer, Lemonada’s co-founder and CEO.

Returning with all-new episodes today for its 8th season, the multi-award-winning Story Pirates podcast takes stories submitted by kids and turns them into sketch comedy and songs with professional actors, original music, and famous guests like Kristen Bell, John Oliver, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Legend, Bowen Yang, Julie Andrews, Sara Bareilles, and many more. Named by Edison Research as the #1 most listened to podcast for kids and families in the world, the “Story Pirates Podcast” has over 100M downloads and has won 3 iHeartPodcast Awards, 3 Webby Awards, and 8 Signal Awards.

“We’re so pleased to be at Lemonada,” said Story Pirates CEO, Benjamin Salka. “They’ve built a world-class lineup of shows, and we’re honored to be included along with ‘Brains On,’ one of our favorites.” “Our goal isn’t merely to produce comedy for kids,” adds Story Pirates Creative Director, Lee Overtree, “it’s to produce comedy with kids, whom we consider to be the best writers in the world. By partnering with Lemonada, we’re continuing to expand our audience with new fans of all ages.”

Since launching in 2019, Lemonada has quickly established itself as a leading independent podcast network, recognized for its premium production quality across mediums, mission-driven storytelling, and white-glove services -- an approach that continues to attract A-list talent, leading advertisers, and production partners. The company has launched 80+ chart-topping shows, including “Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus,” “Fail Better with David Duchovny,” and “Alive with Steve Burns,” reaching millions of monthly listeners and viewers alike.