Los Angeles Times and Wondery to Launch First-of-Its-Kind Multiplatform Series, “Dirty John”
Series Reported by Award-Winning Journalist Christopher Goffard to Premiere Simultaneously in Print, Online and Via Podcast This Fall
Los Angeles Times and Wondery, a network of storytellers, have partnered to launch the first-ever multiplatform narrative journalism miniseries to premiere simultaneously in print, online and via podcast.
Slated for launch in fall 2017, “Dirty John” is a story of love, deceit, denial and, ultimately, survival. The six-part series is reported and written by Christopher Goffard, who contributed to the coverage of corruption in the city of Bell that brought The Times the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, has twice been a Pulitzer finalist for feature writing, and captivated millions of readers last September with “Framed,” a six-part series about striving, revenge and ruin in the master-planned city of Irvine.
“Dirty John” will follow a successful interior designer on a quest for love, diving headfirst into the world of online dating. When she meets John, she’s convinced she’s found the man of her dreams, but eventually learns not everything is what it seems. Through his reporting, Goffard will explore themes of family, faith and forgiveness, leaving readers and listeners wondering how well they really know the people in their lives.
“Our collaboration with Wondery is the latest example of our commitment to spreading our journalism in new and creative ways,” said Times Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Davan Maharaj. “Podcast devotees can now join our print and digital readers and enjoy a riveting narrative experience with ‘Dirty John.’ It’s just the beginning of our new frontiers in storytelling.”
Wondery will produce and launch the podcast, hosted by Goffard, which will be released on latimes.com, Wondery.com and multiple listening platforms.
“Storytelling remains the most powerful art form we have,” said Wondery founder and CEO Hernan Lopez. “This multiplatform project with the L.A. Times will introduce the suspenseful, immersive storytelling that’s found a vast audience among their readers to podcast listeners who love this style of immersive, serialized audio.”
