Sony Music Launches U R NEXT, A Gripping New True Crime Podcast Exploring the Real-World Terror of Online Harassment
Sony Music Entertainment today announced the premiere of U R NEXT, a new investigative true crime podcast uncovering the chilling story of a prolific teenage online predator who terrorized women in the gaming world. Hosted by journalist Leigh Alexander, the series examines what happens when digital harassment crosses over into real-life danger. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes today.
The series centers on a group of young female streamers who become the targets of a sophisticated hacker whose campaign of intimidation included “swatting”; a criminal tactic of calling in false emergency reports to send machine gun-wielding swat teams to innocent victims’ homes. As countless attacks escalate, the streamers band together to fight back, while a determined investigator from Georgia works day and night to uncover the identity of this anonymous “internet terrorist”.
U R NEXT traces the evolution of the case, from the first terrifying encounters with the perpetrator, through a rolling wave of national panic triggered by escalating incidents including a bomb threat at Disneyland, to the pursuit of long-awaited justice. It is a gripping, high-stakes story that explores the intersection of online culture, misogyny in gaming, and the real-world consequences of online abuse. Through exclusive reporting and firsthand accounts of those targeted, the series raises urgent questions about safety, accountability, and the blurred boundaries between online and offline life; leaving listeners to consider whether any of us are truly safe in the digital age…
“This is a story about the shocking real-life harm a person can cause from the shadows online and the challenges the law faces in stopping them,” said host Leigh Alexander. “But it’s also a tale of resilience, and the extraordinary strength of the women who had to take matters into their own hands to fight back.”
U R NEXT is hosted by Leigh Alexander. The series is produced by Leigh Meyer of Novel. The podcast is also executive produced by Catherine Saint Louis and Jonathan Hirsch of Sony Music Entertainment.
Listeners can subscribe to U R NEXT on The Binge to listen to all episodes, all at once. The series is also available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For more information on The Binge, follow @thebingetruecrime on Instagram, and for all other Sony podcasts, follow @SonyPodcasts.
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About Sony Music Global Podcasts
We are Sony Music’s Global Podcast Division, based in New York, Los Angeles and London. A team of podcast obsessives, we develop original shows for our premium entertainment slate and hit true crime network The Binge. We also offer our expertise to produce shows for a range of other prestigious clients. Alongside creatives in the US and UK, our in-house sales, marketing, distribution, research, PR and business development teams are highly focused on the listener experience. We are proud to work with best-in-class hosts and partners to create audio that entertains and delights audiences around the world.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.