At the beginning of 2021 it was just the idea to produce a TrueCrime podcast for children. Of course without violence and without bloodshed, but exciting and prepared for the target group of 7 years and older, with true crimes from the past and at the end there is always the motto: Crime doesn't pay! On 31 December 2021 - only 12 months later - the first episode of the 6-part radio play and podcast series will go online!

Task

The first ideas, plots and the basic framework of the storyline were created, the appropriate crimes were researched and the production partners were quickly found. Together with LEONINE Kids and ZEIT LEO, the true crime audio drama series for children was brought to life. After market research with FACT, the name of the series was quickly found: ERWISCHT! TIME TRAVEL INTO CRIME

After lengthy research, an excellent author was chosen in Wolfgang Adenberg, who also directed all the productions. A sound studio was sought for the production and we found a first-class partner in Superhearo Audio in Hamburg.

For the finishing touches, i.e. the sound design, we were also able to win over Tom Steinbrecher, a musician who composed the title melody and other sound sequences specially and who makes the series so unique with great effects.

After the scripts had been approved, it was still necessary to find the right voices for the 3 main roles and all the supporting roles in order to finally coordinate everything for the further realisation.

• Research and booking authors
• Research and booking of recording studio
• Research and booking of speakers
• Coordination and scheduling of recordings (direction, sound, technology)
• Post-production (editing, sound, effects, music)
• Creation: Cover, Booklets, Inlays

Implementation:

In a time window of only 6 months from November 2021 to April 2022, 6 podcasts and 6 radio plays were tuned, produced, edited and published. In parallel, the artwork was created and a marketing campaign was implemented.

ERWISCHT! not only captivates young and old listeners with a classic, paid radio play series; young crime fiction fans can also enjoy free, approx. 15-minute podcast episodes. The podcast episodes appear every three weeks at the same time as the 45-minute radio play episodes and offer a content supplement around the child-friendly adventures of the three kids David, Jonas and Emma: With their magic book, they are on the trail of the most historically significant crimes in world history.

Anyone who listens to ERWISCHT! ZEITREISE INS VERBRECHEN will find that the format not only impresses with its high-quality sound and professional speakers, but also with its innovative concept and editorial finesse. Shortly after its launch, the series met with a brilliant response from listeners and stormed straight to No. 1 in the Apple Podcast Charts in the "Children & Families" category! ERWISCHT! also made it into the most popular formats in the overall charts of the audio platform at number 35 and is promoted by the Apple editorial team as "New and noteworthy" on the homepage.

On the content:

David, Jonas and Emma have a mysterious book with which they can travel through time and experience true crimes of the past first-hand. So they are present at the great mail train robbery of England in 1963, the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911, Egyptian grave robbers or the pirates of the Caribbean. But their magic book holds a dangerous secret and many dark figures are on the lookout for it, so David, Jonas and Emma run into great dangers in real life too.

Success:

• Number 1 in the Apple Podcast Charts in the "Children & Families" category
• Fulminant entry into the Top 50 of the Apple Podcast overall charts
• as a digital stream on all common platforms and from 8 April 2022 also on CD in the shops.