Mike Rowe Partners with Red Seat Ventures to Launch Brand New Podcast
/Mike Rowe's Podcast Will Feature Short Stories Curated and Voiced by Rowe
"The Way I Heard It" Launches on March 1 and Each Episode Will Include One Premier Sponsor, Starting With Universal Technical Institute, Koch Industries, and Three Direct Energy Brands
LOS ANGELES, CA AND NEW YORK, NY, February 24, 2016 — Mike Rowe, Creator, Executive Producer, and Host of Somebody's Gotta Do It and Dirty Jobs, is partnering with Red Seat Ventures to launch a brand new podcast. The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe will feature a series of short mysteries for the curious mind with a short attention span curated and voiced by Rowe weekly. The podcast launches on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 on iTunes and MikeRowe.com, and each episode will be sponsored by one premium brand, starting with Universal Technical Institute, Koch Industries, and three Direct Energy brands — One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing®, and Mister Sparky®. These sponsors have also partnered with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to launch its third Work Ethic Scholarship Program on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 that provides financial assistance to qualified applicants pursuing a vocational or technical education for a career in a skilled trade that is in demand.
Red Seat, a company that connects content creators with audiences, will produce, distribute, and oversee sponsorship of the podcast. Rowe said, "My hope with The Way I Heard It is to acknowledge and serve two qualities alive and well in most people today — curiosity and a short attention span. Each story is a light-hearted, five-minute mystery about a famous subject or historical figure, simply told and easily followed. Of course, Paul Harvey was the master at this kind of story-telling, and while I have no hope of challenging his preeminence, or even following in his footsteps, I'm very much looking forward to honoring the story-telling tradition he helped pioneer."
Chris Balfe, partner and CEO of Red Seat said, "Mike Rowe is a unique talent who has developed a special relationship with his audience by being authentic, candid and entertaining. Rowe's voice is a perfect fit for the expanding podcast industry and we are excited to add him to our growing list of partners looking to build digital businesses."
Listeners can subscribe to The Way I Heard It at MikeRowe.com/podcast.
About Mike Rowe
Mike Rowe has been called the "dirtiest man on TV," a title he earned while hosting the hit TV series, Dirty Jobs, a show that paid tribute to the many hardworking people who make civilized life possible for the rest of us. On the show, Mike worked as a good-humored apprentice on more than 300 different, unglamorous jobs— from boiler repairman to abandoned mine plugger. On his latest TV series, Somebody's Gotta Do It, Mike introduces viewers to innovators, do-gooders, entrepreneurs, collectors and fanatics who march to the beat of a different drum. Mike is also well known for narrating documentaries and television shows about everything from lions of the Serengeti to fisherman in the Aleutian Islands.
As CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, Mike spends a significant amount of time speaking about the country's dysfunctional relationship with work, highlighting the widening skills gap, and challenging the persistent belief that a four-year degree is automatically the best path to take. The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides financial assistance to qualified individuals in pursuit of a career in the skilled trades. The Foundation has been instrumental in granting more than $3 million in education through its Work Ethic Scholarship Program for trade schools across the country.
To learn more, visit www.mikerowe.com.
About Red Seat Ventures
Red Seat Ventures partners with market-leading talents, brands, and personalities to develop unique media properties. Red Seat offers its client-partners an unprecedented mix of investment capital, technology, and skilled management thereby allowing for the rapid launch of new businesses. Red Seat takes a multiplatform approach to content creation, inclusive of web, mobile, OTT, and television production. Red Seat's current client portfolio spans a variety of genres and includes well-known talents from film, radio, and television. Red Seat offers advertisers the ability to reach focused and highly desirable audiences via branded content, sponsorships and other unique digital ad formats. Red Seat Ventures partners include Premiere Networks and Blumhouse Productions.
To learn more, visit www.redseatventures.com.
About Universal Technical Institute
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) is the leading provider of post-secondary education for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians. With more than 190,000 graduates in its 50-year history, UTI offers undergraduate degree and diploma programs at 12 campuses across the United States, as well as manufacturer-specific training programs at dedicated training centers. Through its campus-based school system, UTI provides specialized post-secondary education programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech).
To learn more, visit www.uti.edu.
About Direct Energy Brands
One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® and Mister Sparky® are part of the largest home services company in North America. Each day they have thousands of trucks on the road serving thousands of customers. Trusted technicians offer customers on-time services, replacement and repairs done right the first time with a focus on courtesy, convenience, cleanliness, competence and character. Each franchise location is independently owned and operated and proud to be part of the Direct Energy family of brands.
To learn more, visit www.directenergy.com.
About Koch Industries
Based in Wichita, Kan., Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America with estimated annual revenues as high as $115 billion, according to Forbes. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, chemicals, biofuels and ingredients; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; process and pollution control equipment and technologies; electronic components; commodity trading; minerals; energy; ranching; glass; and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested more than $70 billion in acquisitions and other capital expenditures. With a presence in more than 60 countries, Koch companies employ more than 100,000 people worldwide, with about 60,000 of those in the United States. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies have earned more than 1,000 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service.
To learn more, visit www.kochind.com.
