News brief
Parcast veterans Max Cutler and Khris Burton launch Cosmos Grimm Studios
Max Cutler and Khris Burton launched Cosmos Grimm Studios on October 27, 2026, Deadline reported. The studio opens with Horrors of the Heartland in production with Audiochuck, a scripted series called The Guilty starring Connie Britton and Adam Pally, and SiriusXM holding ad sales and exclusive distribution rights on the debut slate.
By Deadline · Published · Announcement date
Max Cutler and Khris Burton launched Cosmos Grimm Studios on October 27, 2026, Deadline reported. Cutler founded Parcast and sold it to Spotify in 2019. Burton was a creative leader at Parcast. The new studio sits under Cutler Media, and Wheelhouse DNA has invested in the parent company.
The debut slate leads with Horrors of the Heartland, a scripted horror anthology now entering production. Cutler is an executive producer, Burton is writer and director, Audiochuck is the production partner, and Ashley Flowers is an executive producer. The slate also holds The Guilty, a scripted podcast starring Connie Britton and Adam Pally, plus work with Kevin Hart's Hartbeat and international versions of Crime Junkie. SiriusXM holds ad sales and exclusive distribution rights for the debut productions.
WHY IT MATTERS: The Parcast model of high volume scripted genre shows is being rebuilt outside Spotify by the people who built it the first time. This time the distribution runs through SiriusXM and Audiochuck rather than one platform's exclusive wall, which shows independent studios where the power now sits in scripted audio.
Release dates were not part of the launch announcement. Horrors of the Heartland is the first title into production.
Announcement date: October 27, 2026
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