iHeartPodcasts and Imagine Entertainment Debut New Investigative Podcast “Big Sugar” 

Hosted by award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee, the new nine-part series centers on the epic legal battle pitting the multimillion-dollar sugar industry against the migrant laborers

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WHAT: iHeartPodcasts, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally, and Imagine Entertainment, the global entertainment company founded by Ron Howard and Brian Glazer, today unveil “Big Sugar,” a new investigative podcast about the multimillion-dollar sugar industry. The second title to be released from Imagine Entertainment and iHeartMedia’s new slate of original iHeartPodcasts, “Big Sugar” is a true crime story unlike any other that centers on the epic legal battle pitting the multimillion-dollar sugar industry against the migrant laborers who harvest sugarcane, while revealing corporate malfeasance, human rights violations, DC lobbying, nutrition downfalls and the destruction of the environment. Relentless journalists and lawyers uncover a complex network of relationships, policies and transactions involving the highest levels of government and the communities where we live.

WHO: Host Celeste Headlee is an award-winning, internationally recognized journalist and author (“Speaking of Race: Why Everyone Needs to Talk About Race”) who has hosted shows for NPR, WNYC and PBS. Her skills as an interviewer and passion for the themes in the series will engage listeners everywhere.

WHEN:Big Sugar” is available today with new episodes launching every Tuesday. Listen to episode one here.

WHERE:Big Sugar” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts. Listen on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. Download the official podcast cover art here.

EMBED CODE: <iframe allow="autoplay" width="100%" height="300" src=https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-big-sugar-117233473/?embed=true frameborder="0"></iframe>

About Imagine Entertainment

Founded by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Imagine Entertainment is an award-winning global entertainment company telling stories that inspire and empower, and creating unforgettable entertainment experiences of all genres across Imagine Features, Imagine Television Studios, Imagine Documentaries, Imagine Kids+Family, Imagine Brands, and Imagine Audio, as well as the award-winning Jax Media and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions. Imagine’s productions have been honored with more than 60 prestigious awards including 47 Academy Award nominations and 228 Emmy® award nominations. Past productions include the Academy Award Best Picture winner "A Beautiful Mind", as well as Grammy Award Best Film winner "The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years." Recent productions include the critically-acclaimed film "Thirteen Lives" directed by Ron Howard, the hit film "tick, tick…Boom!" directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the critically acclaimed documentaries “Judy Blume Forever”, Sacha Jenkin’s “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues”, Rory Kennedy’s “Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari”, "Lucy & Desi" directed by Amy Poehler (Two-time Emmy winner ) and "We Feed People". Prior films include "Get on Up", “Rush", "Frost/Nixon", "American Gangster", "The Da Vinci Code", "Apollo 13", "8 Mile", "Liar, Liar", “Backdraft", and “Parenthood" to name a few. Upcoming productions 'The Beanie Bubble", from Kristen Gore and Damian Kulash; “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Reginald Hudlin;, and the animated feature "The Family Treehorn.” Television productions include “Genius: MLK/X” (Disney+); "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" (Hulu); “Swagger" (Apple); Under the Banner of Heaven (FX); and Jax Media’s "Emily in Paris" (Netflix). Documentary productions include the “Crime Scene" anthology series, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, The Times Square Killer and The Texas Killing Fields, all of which reached the top #5 globally on Netflix; "Genius: Aretha" (NatGeo); “Julia"; "Paper & Glue"; "Rebuilding Paradise"; and Jigsaw’s “Tiger" documentary (HBO), to name a few. Additional television productions include Fox’s “Empire”; the “24" franchise; NatGeo’s “Genius" anthology series; NBC’s “Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights''; Fox’s and Netflix’s "Arrested Development"; and HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon", for which Howard and Grazer won the Emmy® for Outstanding Mini-Series. Grazer and Howard began their collaboration in the early 80’s with the hit comedies ``Night Shift" and “Splash", and continue to run Imagine Entertainment as executive chairmen.

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. It consists of three business groups.

With its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. Its leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 860 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; its National Sales organization; and the company’s live and virtual events business. It also includes Premiere Networks, the industry’s largest Networks business, with its Total Traffic and Weather Network (TTWN); and BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service for the Black community. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio suite of data targeting and attribution products using data from its massive consumer base.

The iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group includes the company’s fast-growing podcasting business -- iHeartMedia is the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings -- as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio digital service, available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company’s digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

The company’s Audio & Media Services reportable segment includes Katz Media Group, the nation’s largest media representation company, and RCS, the world's leading provider of broadcast and webcast software.

Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.