High 5 Media, Acquires Majority Stake in Spoke Media

High 5 Media, parent company of Dallas-based YEA Networks, has announced that it has acquired a majority interest in Spoke Media, a growing podcast company with an international reputation for highly-produced audio content.

The company has created four iTunes’ Top 100 podcasts, and touches every piece of the podcast eco-system through its diverse content styles, including narrative journalism, multi-cast serial fiction, and interview/chat shows.

Founded by Keith Reynolds, an award-winning audiobook director who has created audiobooks for Audible, Hachette and more, Spoke Media’s mission is to tell great stories and provide a microphone to those who often go unheard. An expert in branded content, Spoke has created podcasts for Wondery, Midroll, Cinestate, The Dallas Morning News, Busch and Carbonite, sponsor of Breach, Spoke Media’s latest podcast investigating history’s most notorious data breaches. Spoke has developed podcasts featuring journalists like Bob Sullivan, founding member of MSNBC.com; sports analysts such as Matt Mosley and Ed Werder; and actors like Vincent D’Onofrio, Lili Simmons, and Columbus Short.

George Laughlin, President and Chief Executive Officer, High 5 Media, said: “We made an investment in Spoke Media because Keith and his team are experts in the podcast space, which is the fastest growing area in audio. Spoke Media fits perfectly into our High Five Media family and we have already experienced tremendous synergies between all our companies and it’s only week one. Together, we are expanding the boundaries of what audio entertainment can be.”

Keith Reynolds, Founder and President, Spoke Media, said: "Spoke is all about finding innovative ways to tell stories in audio. We’re always looking for new formats and new concepts, and our partnership with High 5 is going to allow us to explore a lot of new ideas in a much bigger way. I could not be more excited.”