Nova Entertainment has created a new podcast in partnership with the Australian Government’s Stop it at the Start campaign to positively influence young people around acceptable behaviour and respectful relationships.
Launching on Monday 14 June, Project ARI is a fictional storytelling series, designed as a useful tool to help parents and caregivers have more meaningful conversations with kids about respectful behaviour, focused on topics that can seem challenging to tackle.
Kane Reiken, Nova Entertainment’s digital commercial director said, “We are proud to partner with the Australian Government to bring this incredible story to life, supporting a number of important societal issues.”
Project ARI is a branded podcast that follows the story of a fully functioning Artificial Intelligence prototype, affectionately known as ARI. Appearing as a 10-year-old boy, ARI has access to all the information you can Google but couldn’t be programmed with human experience. Placed with a normal everyday family, they take ARI under their wing to educate him the ways of our world, namely, how to be human. Along the way Ari uncovers everyday circumstances where disrespectful behaviours are normalised.
Project ARI boasts a cast including a range of talented young actors, auditioned from major talent agencies around Australia, as well as Nova’s Kate Ritchie and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, smoothfm’s Cameron Daddo and Byron Webb and Australian professional soccer player Kyah Simon.
The podcast was written by Australian author and screenwriter Nat Amoore. Her first book ‘Secrets of A Schoolyard Millionaire’ became Australia’s #1 best-selling debut Australian children’s fiction in 2019. Her second book ‘The Power of Positive Pranking’ has been shortlisted for the 2021 Reading’s Children’s Book Prize and the 2021 REAL Children’s Choice Book Awards and her latest book ‘The Right Way to Rock’ was published in June this year.
New episodes of Project ARI will launch every Monday from 14 June. Episodes are available on major podcast platforms.
Project ARI cast and production details
Lead cast: River Mardesic (ARI), one of the actors cast in the title role of Billy Elliot the Musical; Xion Jarvis (Sammy), one of actors playing the title role in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory; Eva Grados (Sammy’s best friend Malika); Victoria Wulff (Sammy’s sister Tanna) and smoothfm’s Cameron Daddo (Professor Hixon, ARI’s creator).
Supporting cast: Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli – Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa (Sammy’s father Fernando), Kate Ritchie – Nova’s Kate, Tim & Joel (Sammy’s mother Alison), smoothfm’s Byron Webb (school teacher Mr Gibson), Knox Gibson (naughty school kid Jeremy), Australian professional soccer player Kyah Simon (pro sports player), Mel McLaughlin (commentator) and Sirine Demachkie (school parent Ms Riakos) – bilingual presenter who has written children’s books and hosted children’s podcasts.
Project ARI Credits
Head of Podcasts & Digital Content: Rachel Corbett
Executive Producer: Elle Beattie
Sound Design: Lem Zakharia
Author: Nat Amoore
Media agency: Universal McCann
See also: Podcasting engagement growing for audiences and advertisers
A special feature and podcast with SCA head of commercial partnerships and podcasts Kim Norman, Nova Entertainment digital commercial director Kane Reiken and Commercial Radio Australia’s head of digital Jaime Chaux.