Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s Ashé’s Audio Ventures Signed Deal with Audible to “Raise Up Fresh Voices”

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, and Wise Entertainment created the podcast label Ashé  Audio Ventures to create an audio space for new voices. Davis and Tennon signed a deal with Audible and we can expect originals to roll out in 2024.

Viola Davis has plunged into the podcasting world with a new deal with Audible.  On Tuesday,  Audible announced a new multi-project, exclusive agreement with Ashé Audio Ventures, a podcast label formed by Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions, and Maurício Mota and Katie Mota’s Wise Entertainment.  Audible will be the exclusive home to Ashé Audio’s scripted and unscripted original content. This announcement followed after Davis won a Grammy for Best Audiobook for her memoir Finding Me, which earned her EGOT status, earlier this year, solidifying Davis’ place in the audio space.

A goal of Ashé Audio Ventures is “raising up fresh voices.”  According to  Co-President of  Wise Entertainment Maurício Mota, Ashé is a Yoruba word that means “the power to make things come to life with your voice.” Julius Tennon, president of JuVee Productions,  in a statement, said, ” We spent more than two years deep diving into the U.S. and international audio spaces with Wise Entertainment and identified Audible as the perfect collaborator. We’re excited to bring new stories to the global communities in this endeavor.”

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon could not be more suited to take on the role of creating space for unheard stories. The husband and wife duo created JuVee Productions in 2011 to create stories they weren’t seeing in the entertainment industry. Last year, Davis and Tennon spoke to the LA Times about their love story and why it took seven years to film “The Woman King.”  The LA Times mentioned that Tennon created Juvee out of necessity, to create the material for the talent that was not being recognized. Davis has firsthand experience with this gap.

"“When you are an actress of color, when you are a Black Actress, there’s certain characters you haven’t seen in movies that have your makeup…Nothing like ‘The Woman King’ had ever been done before. People would focus on the commercial aspect of it ….’We want white males to get it. We want white women to get it’….Ava DuVernay has a clip out today, saying if you’re a Black woman and you’re an artist, you cannot wait for permission to create. You have to do it. And that’s what we did with [“The Woman King”].”"

Ashé Audio’s content will include audio theater and self-development programs. Expect Ashé  Audio to start rolling out original content in 2024.

Will you be checking out Ashé Audio Ventures’ content when it comes out in 2024?  What are some stories you would like to see on Ashé Audio? Let us know in the comments below!