Marketplace Launches Its First-Ever Kids' Podcast About Money
New podcast Million Bazillion helps dollars make more sense for parents and kids—featuring celebrity guest voices like Kristen Bell, Duff Goldman and LeVar Burton
LOS ANGELES, July 14, 2020 — Announced today, Marketplace will debut its first-ever kids’ podcast called Million Bazillion, a show about money for kids and their families. In collaboration with popular children’s podcast Brains On!, Million Bazillion helps dollars make more sense. Hosted by Marketplace reporter Jed Kim and overseen by senior producer Bridget Bodnar, the team answers the awkward, uncomfortable and sometimes surprising questions that kids have about money. Million Bazillion is presented by Greenlight: The Debit Card for Kids.
Episode one premieres July 21. Listen to the Million Bazillion trailer and subscribe here.
Million Bazillion makes money fun, tackling tough topics like: Who invented money? How do we learn to negotiate? How should we caution kids about advertising? And, why do things cost what they do? Jed will help kids, and their parents and guardians, answer these questions.
Marketplace is on a mission to raise the economic intelligence of the country—and that means reaching new audiences, including kids and parents.
“As a parent of a 5- and 10-year-old, I need more shows like Million Bazillion in my life – something genuinely fun to listen to that’s also educational. Million Bazillion will help families and kids understand the complicated financial world around them,” says Sitara Nieves, Marketplace’s executive director of on-demand. “This is an exciting way to bring Marketplace’s mission of raising the economic intelligence of the country to a new generation, and we believe that teaching financial literacy is more important in these times than ever.”
This announcement comes on the heels of another Marketplace release—the launch of Marketplace Minute— a 60-second economic news report distributed nationally on commercial radio. This was a first-of-its-kind partnership bringing Marketplace’s signature business and economic storytelling to the nation’s largest commercial audio network.
About the Team:
Jed Kim is the host of Marketplace’s kids’ podcast, Million Bazillion. In addition to his work on the show, Jed hosts American Public Media’s podcast about water infrastructure called In Deep and has contributed to three seasons of APM kids’ podcast Smash Boom Best. He also recently hosted a radio special, Just Eat It, about the environmental challenges of food production and waste. Prior to hosting, Jed was a Marketplace reporter covering sustainability. He has deep roots in public media—before Marketplace, he was an environmental reporter at KPCC and producer for The Takeaway at WNYC.
Bridget Bodnar is the senior producer of Million Bazillion, overseeing the complete production process from piloting to launch, including development, writing, co-hosting and celebrity booking. Prior to that, she worked as a producer for Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal, where she produced major editorial projects for the daily show, booked major interviews with CEOs and policymakers and produced host field interviews. Since joining Marketplace in 2011, she has worked in various capacities on multiple programs in the Marketplace portfolio. Prior to her days at Marketplace, Bridget interned for the Los Angeles bureau chief of KQED and at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor.
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About Marketplace
Marketplace® is on a mission to raise the economic intelligence of the country. Its core programs — Marketplace®, Marketplace Morning Report® and Marketplace Tech®— are currently broadcast on more than 800 public radio stations nationwide and heard by nearly 14 million weekly listeners. Marketplace podcasts, including Make Me Smart with Kai and Molly, TheUncertain Hour® and Corner Office, can be found at Marketplace.org or on your favorite podcast app. The Marketplace portfolio of programs are produced and distributed by American Public Media®, one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world. For more information on Marketplace, visit marketplace.org, follow on Twitter @marketplace or Facebook.
About American Public Media
American Public Media® (APM) is the national programming and distribution division of American Public Media Group and reaches 19 million listeners via approximately 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week. APM is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio that includes BBC World Service, Marketplace®, and the leading classical music programs in the nation. APM offers a diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, business and investigative journalism. For more information on APM, visit americanpublicmedia.org.
Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio. Data are estimates only.