Sister Ups Stake In Podcast Studio Campside Media To Majority

EXCLUSIVE: Sister has upped its stake in podcast studio Campside Media to a majority shareholding.

The Chernobyl producer’s 2023 company accounts, seen by Deadline, revealed that Jane Featherstone and Liz Murdoch’s transatlantic studio “now has a controlling stake” in Campside and “will continue to support the business in its development of audio content and the exploitation of those rights.” Sister previously had a minority shareholding.

Sister took its minority stake in Campside several years back, soon after it launched, at which point it landed one of its most high-profile projects, a pod about the Hollywood con queen. Apple TV+ recently launched a docuseries on the same topic.

Campside has since become well regarded for a series of pods exploring a range of issues, including the well-regarded Chameleon franchise. Most recently, it struck a first-look with Wondery for a multi-project slate and launched its debut original pod, White Devil, the story of the shooting of Henry Jemmott, which made headlines in 2021. Other projects include The Michigan Plot, Cover Up: The Anthrax Threat and Sports Explains the World.

The move is independent studio Sister’s latest amid the growing roster of indies in its stable. Last year, it took stakes in Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media and Richard Bacon’s Yes Yes Media.

In 2023, the company doubled turnover to $264M upon the launch of a number of big-budget projects, but profit remained stubbornly in the red and adjusted debt balance rose to $80.5M.