Exile Content Studio, the Latin-focused audio content creator that is now part of Candle Media, has acquired a majority interest of the Lil’ Heroes NFT franchise. Created by Spanish artist Edgar Plans, Lil’ Heroes was launched through a successful NFT collaboration with Exile and NFT studio Curatible. By acquiring Curatible’s interest, Exile now holds a majority ownership of the Lil’ Heroes franchise as it moves into its next stage of growth and expansion. The company stopped short however of saying whether that will include using the intellectual property to create podcast content. But an animated TV series is in the works with NBA star Carmelo Anthony, and his company Creative7 Productions, with Anthony set to voice one of the characters and also act as an executive producer.
“We are excited to expand Exile’s partnership with Lil’ Heroes, a dynamic new franchise with a deeply engaged community, and a great example of how digitally-native IP can engage audiences through various platforms, products and experiences,” said Candle Co-CEOs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs in the announcement.
The Lil’ Heroes NFT collection first launched in January 2022, generating over $60 million in trading volume and reaching over 80,000 members on Discord. Later this summer, Exile and Plans will release a Lil’ Heroes spin-off NFT collection called Lil’ Villains. And Daniel Eilemberg, has been named Chief Executive Officer of the Lil’ Heroes franchise.
“I am happy to take Lil’ Heroes to the next level with Exile and Candle Media,” said Plans. “We’ll continue working together with our incredible Lil’ Heroes community as we grow and take the franchise beyond the Web3 ecosystem.”
If Exile opts to translate some of its NFTs into podcasts, it will access an emerging pipeline that so far few other companies are tapping into. Earlier this year iHeartMedia announced that it had acquired a portfolio of NFTs that it planned to develop into podcasts.
Branded the Non-Fun Squad, the first phase will be the launch of the Non-Fun Podcast Network, a podcast slate centered around the content, characters and worlds from the Non-Fun Squad voiced by top comedians and celebrities. The podcast game plan is to unite NFT characters across products and give them their own stories, narratives and personalities that will drive their interactions, creating a completely unique experience in the NFT, media and audio spaces.
Exile Content buying out Curatible’s stake in the NFTs comes on the heels of Exile itself being acquired by Candle Media. Exile also recently acquired Dixo, a Spanish-language podcast network and production company and said it expects to produce between 25 and 40 podcasts during 2022. Recent Exile projects include the true-crime podcast Sacred Scandal in partnership with iHeartMedia.
Exile was founded in 2019 by Isaac Lee – who previously served as Chief Content Officer for Univision and Televisa – and has grown into a studio producing not only podcasts but also feature films, as well as scripted and unscripted television series. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Mexico City, Madrid, and Miami. Lee and Exile’s senior management team will continue to oversee Exile’s day-to-day operations.
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