Joe Budden lanceert true-crimepodcast Crime in America met Wolf Entertainment

Wekelijkse videoserie gaat 11 augustus in première en combineert het publiek van de podcaster met lokale journalistiek en bewezen misdaadverhalen

Independent podcaster Joe Budden is entering the true-crime genre with the launch of a new weekly video series. The show marks his first dedicated project in the space and arrives through a partnership that combines his media reach with established production and reporting resources.

Partnership Brings Local Reporting to National Cases

The series, titled Crime in America, teams Budden with Wolf Entertainment, the company behind long-running franchises such as Law & Order and the One Chicago shows on NBC. Advance Local and its Headline Studio unit also join the project, supplying a network of journalists across the country.

Episodes will center on cases that are either newly breaking or gaining wider national attention. The weekly format is designed to track developments in real time, introduce stories that originate locally, and revisit cases as they progress. Budden will host alongside reporters from Advance Local.

Independent Production Model Under Prime Crime Productions

Crime in America serves as the debut title from Prime Crime Productions, a new venture created by Budden and his longtime business partner Ian Schwartzman. The pair chose to finance and develop the project internally rather than seek traditional distribution upfront.

We made the deliberate decision to finance and build the series ourselves rather than take it to a traditional buyer or platform, and that is something we are incredibly proud of. Wolf Entertainment and Headline Studio were natural partners because they share our vision for finding innovative new ways to tell stories and reach audiences.

— Joe Budden, Statement on the launch

Executives Highlight Blend of National Reach and Local Sourcing

Elliot Wolf, executive vice president of digital at Wolf Entertainment, noted that local journalists often break major true-crime stories first. The partnership aims to give those stories a broader platform while maintaining a weekly rhythm that follows unfolding events.

Local journalists have always been the first to break the country’s most moving true crime stories, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with Joe and Headline to give them a national platform. With ‘Crime in America,’ we are creating a new approach to a weekly series that puts listeners on the front line of stories as they break.

— Elliot Wolf, EVP of digital, Wolf Entertainment, Launch announcement

Headline Studio president Richard Diamond stressed the value of combining national distribution with on-the-ground reporting. Advance Local’s network of newsrooms allows the show to draw on original sourcing and community-level insight.

Budden Brings Established Podcast Audience to New Format

Budden, a Grammy-nominated recording artist turned media entrepreneur, hosts The Joe Budden Podcast, the flagship program of his network. The show reaches listeners across audio, video, and Patreon. Earlier this year, Patreon reported that top creators on the platform, including Budden, can earn $1 million or more per month.