Wondery, We Owe You One

There’s something a little bittersweet in the podcast world today.

Amazon is officially breaking up Wondery. Not shutting it down entirely, but the Wondery we knew, the bold, cinematic studio that swung for the storytelling fences, is changing shape. Narrative shows like Dr. Death and Business Wars are headed to Audible. The creator-led stuff stays under Wondery, now folded into Amazon’s new “Creator Services” team. There’s strategy behind it, of course. There always is. But for me, this one hits differently.

We started Ranieri & Co. by representing Wondery in the AUNZ region. This was before the Amazon acquisition, before the layoffs, before “podcast studio restructuring” became a common press release. Back then, we led with a show called Dying for Sex.

And oh, the conversations that title sparked.

Every media pitch required a quick disclaimer: “Yes, it sounds a little... provocative. But trust us—it’s not what you think.” Because at its heart, Dying for Sex wasn’t about sex. It was about friendship. Intimacy. Mortality. Finding joy and meaning when time is running out. It was raw and funny and painful and healing. It was podcasting at its most human. Recently, it was wonderful to see the story brought to life all over again with a TV series.

And it was that show, alongside Wondery’s beautiful catalogue of scripted, narrative-first storytelling, that helped cement our belief in what audio could be. Not just content. But connection. Wondery taught us how to tell stories that didn’t just fill silence, but said something. It gave us the playbook, the permission, and the momentum.

So watching it get reshuffled today? It stings. Because yes, the industry is evolving. Video is taking up more space. Personality-led shows are commanding ad dollars. Platforms are pivoting to what performs. I get it. But I also hope we don’t lose sight of what made podcasting special in the first place: the quiet stories. The brave ones. The ones that sit with you long after the last ad read.

To the Wondery team, especially those whose roles were affected, you made something extraordinary. You raised the bar. You helped shape the golden era of narrative audio, and your impact won't be undone by restructuring.

We’re proud to have been a small part of that story. And we’ll keep telling them.