From the audio producer of The Teacher’s Pet comes The Elements, a new Acast Creator Network podcast

The Elements, a new podcast that journeys into the heart of surviving a natural disaster, will be hosted and distributed by the creator-first podcast company Acast as part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted by Stuart Diver, sole survivor of the 1997 Thredbo Landslide, each week listeners will be taken on a tense and harrowing ride with those who courageously fought against some of Australia’s most devastating natural disasters.

Premiering on the week of the 24th anniversary of the Thredbo Landslide (July 30), The Elements will use archival audio and immersive soundscapes to feature stories never told before. Each episode of Season One will focus on one of the elements, including Cyclone Tracy, the Newcastle Earthquake, the 2019/20 Black Summer, and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Disaster.

The Elements is written and produced by award-winning writer and producer Tim Russell, and audio produced and composed by Slade Gibson — who won a Gold Walkley for his work with journalist Hedley Thomas on the international number one podcast hit The Teacher’s Pet, which has seen more than 50 million downloads globally.

Slade Gibson, Audio Producer of The Elements, said: “I’m drawn to stories of how people overcome obstacles or traumatic events in their lives. It’s that universal idea of finding the strength within that they maybe didn’t know they had. Putting together this series has been incredible in so many ways, but hearing the unique, personal perspective of how these people have survived these events that have affected entire communities creates a real emotional connection to the tragedy.”

Adam Rollo, Acast’s Content Development Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: “The Australian podcast industry is thriving right now, and it really speaks to the strength and appeal of the medium when two highly decorated creatives like Tim and Slade choose podcasting as their next storytelling home.

“Covering these incredible stories of tragedy and heroism with cinematic-like detail offers such a rich and engrossing audio experience for listeners, which really is the first of its kind in Australia. With The Elements now part of our stable of content, and as the home of independent podcasts, the team and I look forward to working alongside Tim, Slade and Pivot Studios to share these important stories.”

Available to listen now, The Elements will be hosted and distributed by Acast — the podcast company that works with Australia’s biggest shows — making it available across all podcast apps and players such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. For advertisers looking to work with the podcast and its hosts, opportunities are available exclusively through the Acast Marketplace.

About The Elements

The Elements is hosted by Stuart Diver, it’s written and produced by Tim Russell and audio produced and composed by Slade Gibson. Researcher and assistant produced by Clare O’Halloran, featuring voice acting from acclaimed Australian author Trent Dalton (Boy Swallows Universe). Executive Producers are Stuart Diver, Slade Gibson and Cameron Jurd. The Elements is an independent podcast from Pivot Studios and will be hosted and distributed by Acast.

About Acast

Acast was founded in 2014 and is one of the most eminent podcast platforms, and a pioneer in the open podcast ecosystem, connecting all podcasting stakeholders to one common software infrastructure. Through its infrastructure, Acast allows advertisers to efficiently target an engaged audience of listeners through dynamic ad insertion, while podcasters are given access to a range of monetization opportunities and the necessary tools to expand their listener base. Acast has a global footprint across twelve countries and, during 2020, Acast had approximately 3 billion listens on Acast-connected podcasts, and today hosts more than 28,000 shows. Acast’s headquarters are located in Stockholm, Sweden and the Company has nine local subsidiaries including UK, US, Australia, Norway, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico and Canada.

In recent years, Acast has undergone an expansion with continued strong growth, with net sales increasing from SEK 180 million in 2018 to SEK 592 million in 2020. As a result of Acast’s recent growth initiatives, the number of listens grew from approximately 1 billion (2018) to 3 billion (2020). Acast had 827 million listens and an organic net sales growth of 86% in the first quarter of 2021. Acast was co-founded by Johan Billgren, current Chief Product & Tech Officer. Acast is listed on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market. Certified Adviser is FNCA Sweden AB, info@fnca.se, +46 (0) 8528 00 399.