Former Mattel and Spin Master development exec Ira Singerman is joining forces with Texas-based Tumble Media to tune the kids TV industry into making children’s podcasts. 

Through his Hero Complex Entertainment shingle, Singerman will collaborate with Tumble Media to guide kids brand owners looking to move their IPs into the podcasting space. This team-up will give client companies access to Tumble Media’s market research and track record for making kids podcasts—including its flagship Tumble Science Podcast for Kids—as well as Singerman’s industry connections and development expertise. 

Together, the two businesses will offer consulting services including strategy and concept development, creative storytelling and scriptwriting (Singerman says he also has writer contacts), audio production, engineering and distribution. 

Podcasts can have tremendous value as a less expensive testing ground for new IPs, says Lindsay Patterson, CEO of Tumble Media. Compared to developing an animated series or even producing an animated teaser, podcasts only require a microphone and a computer to make something that can be distributed to major platforms and provide producers with immediate feedback, she adds. 

Kids podcasts are also in high demand—almost half of all six- to 12-year-olds in the US have listened to a podcast, according to the 2023 Kids Podcast Listener Report that Tumble sponsored. But in some cases, producers may not understand how to make a podcast or what makes a good kids audio experience, says Patterson. 

“Over the years, I’ve seen that there’s a lack of general knowledge about how to make podcasts and how to leverage the power of audio,” explains Patterson. “We can give real nuts-to-bolts insights into making podcasts, and help producers become masters of their own destiny.” 

Tumble Media has 10 years of kids audio production, distribution and monetization experience under its belt, and the Tumble Science Podcast for Kids has racked up more than 1.5 million downloads. Along with Patterson, fellow Tumble execs Marshall Escamilla (CFO and head of education) and Sara Robberson Lentz (COO and head of partnerships) will also be part of this consulting partnership. 

Singerman made the move into podcasts when he launched his own kids title (Best Whatever Ever! Stories for Kids) in 2020 during the pandemic. In this ongoing series that has been downloaded more than 400,000 times, Singerman and his children make up funny and original stories based on random topics. 

Other producers can benefit from his experience of going from kids TV development to teaching himself how to make and release a podcast, says Singerman. Before he transitioned to consulting in August 2024, he worked as head of development at Cyber Group Studios US (2018 to 2024) and was a senior director of development at Spin Master (2016 to 2018). 

“I’m also approaching podcasting as a part of brand-building,” says Singerman. “I’m thinking 360-degree, and about how through podcasts you can get a new brand out quickly and grow it to become ubiquitous.”