EXCLUSIVE: Days Of Our Lives actor Eric Martsolf and Glow star Britt Baron are voicing hybrid audio/video drama series podcast Ride Share, which its creator Digital Sky hopes will become a successful new content format.
Digital producer Scott Zakarin, podcast host James Gavsie and media attorney Bert Benton have joined forces to develop the format under the Digital Sky banner. The video podcasts feature visual elements such as graphic novel animations or actor performances to help bring the stories and characters to life.
The company previously piloted a handful of storylines based around popular apps and has been guided by each pod’s popularity when coming up with their first series. Ride Share will be a ten-episode spinoff series based on the pilot. Set to premiere on September 1 with new episodes releasing each week, it will follow Keith (Martsolf), a dangerous con-man who preys on the public under the guise of a friendly rideshare driver.
The first visual podcast episode, available this week on YouTube, is based on Digital Sky’s Trail Less Taken, which follows the fictional story of an experienced hiker and social media influencer, performed by Caitlin Thornburn (Good Omens). In the podcast, the influencer is faced with an unpredicted torrential rainstorm, putting her in a hopeless situation with a last chance to reveal her personal truth. The pod was shot in a recording booth with props, immersive sound effects and a backdrop of visual images.
Zakarin said: “We are creating an interconnected fictional universe that pushes the boundaries of story driven podcasting. Digital Sky brings our social media and app inspired stories to life with stellar performances by gifted actors and state-of-the art sound and visual production. Ride Share and Trail Less Taken are representative of the range of visual experiences we plan to deliver in the Digital Sky universe.”
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