What Project Brazen does

Project Brazen is a global journalism and production studio founded in 2021 by Pulitzer-finalist former Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley Hope and Tom Wright. The company specializes in character-driven investigative narratives across film, television, documentaries, books, and podcasts, with a thematic focus on financial crime, corruption, sanctions evasion, and hidden power structures. Its core products include the Brazen FM podcast network (featuring Fat Leonard, Crypto Kingpins, The Illuminator, The Sound/Syndrome, and Kabul Falling), the Whale Hunting independent media platform combining newsletters and the 'Unauthorized Rich List,' and book titles including the acclaimed Billion Dollar Whale. The company also operates Brazen Studios (a design agency) and Brazen Labs (an experimental technology skunkworks exploring AI and crypto).

Project Brazen makes money through four primary revenue streams: (1) subscription revenue from the Whale Hunting freemium newsletter with paid premium access, (2) production deals and licensing fees from film, TV, and documentary development with studio and streaming partners (notably Netflix and SK Global Entertainment), (3) podcast network revenue via Brazen FM distributed on major podcast platforms, and (4) direct-to-consumer merchandise sales via shop.brazen.fm. The company is represented by United Talent Agency for entertainment industry partnerships and has secured three Ambies nominations (2024, 2025), a Peabody nomination (2023), and a Signal Awards Silver (2023). Reporting output reached 50+ investigations in 2025 spanning 15+ countries, with reported outcomes including $300M+ in asset seizures tied to Mauerberger-network investigations.

The company operates with a distributed editorial team of approximately 10-12 people across Singapore (headquarters), London, New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco Bay Area, and Brussels. Project Brazen Pte. Ltd. is the primary Singapore-registered entity, and the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment or parent company. Brazen has over a dozen film, television, and documentary projects in development with major studio and streaming partners, representing its primary growth vector beyond the established podcast and newsletter business.

Name

Project Brazen

Legal name

Project Brazen Pte. Ltd.

Website

https://projectbrazen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Project Brazen is a global journalism and production studio founded in 2021 that produces investigative podcasts, documentaries, films, TV shows, and books focused on financial crime, corruption, and hidden power. It serves consumer subscribers through the Whale Hunting newsletter and enterprise partners including Netflix and SK Global Entertainment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Subscription / Paid Newsletter: Whale Hunting newsletter operates on a freemium model — free email signup with premium paid subscription for full access to investigations, Weekender editions, and premium content.
2. Production Deals & Licensing: Brazen develops film, TV, and documentary projects with studio and streaming partners (e.g., Netflix, SK Global Entertainment). Revenue comes from development deals, production fees, and licensing of adaptations.
3. Podcast Network: Brazen FM produces multiple podcasts including Fat Leonard, Crypto Kingpins, The Illuminator, Corinna and the King, The Sound, and others. Revenue may derive from premium podcast access, listener support, and sponsorships.
4. E-commerce / Merchandise: Brazen operates shop.brazen.fm selling branded merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, hats) related to its properties including Whale Hunting and Havana Syndrome Expedition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Project Brazen is a global investigative journalism and media production company that develops character-driven stories on financial crime, corruption, and hidden power across podcasts, books, documentary films, TV series, and a paid newsletter. The company sells production IP and adaptations to major streaming platforms and studios while also distributing directly to consumers through subscription newsletters, podcasts, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Project Brazen is a global production company specializing in character-driven narratives across film, television, documentaries, books, and audio/podcasts. The portfolio includes flagship investigative podcasts (Fat Leonard, Crypto Kingpins, The Sound/Syndrome, Kabul Falling), the Whale Hunting independent media platform combining newsletters and rich-list investigations, book titles including the acclaimed Billion Dollar Whale, and specialized sub-brands for audio storytelling (Brazen FM), design (Brazen Studios), and technology experimentation (Brazen Labs). The company operates with UTA representation in Los Angeles and has projects in development with Netflix and SK Global Entertainment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whale Hunting newsletter and media platform Independent paid newsletter and media platform featuring investigative journalism on global financial crime, kleptocracy, and hidden wealth, distributed under a freemium subscription model with premium access to full investigations, Weekender editions, and premium podcasts.
• Brazen FM podcast network Owned podcast network producing and distributing audio storytelling podcasts including Fat Leonard, Crypto Kingpins, The Illuminator, Corinna and the King, The Sound/Syndrome, Kabul Falling, Spy Valley, The Professor, Night of Show, Sirocco, Corinna y el Rey, People Like Us, and The Closer.
• Billion Dollar Whale (book) Acclaimed non-fiction book about the 1MDB scandal co-authored by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, the foundational investigative work that gave Project Brazen its name.
• Blood and Oil (book) Non-fiction book by Bradley Hope about the intersection of oil, politics, and global power.
• The Rebel and the Kingdom (book) Non-fiction book by Bradley Hope about Adrian Hong, Christopher Ahn, and the campaign against the North Korean regime.
• Hollywood Signal newsletter Brazen-published newsletter covering entertainment-industry news and storytelling.
• Brazen Studios (creative/design services) Wholly-owned design agency providing creative marketing and design services to clients.
• Brazen Labs (innovation skunkworks) Wholly-owned innovation sub-brand exploring technology and experiments in AI, crypto, and adjacent emerging-tech areas.
• Brazen branded merchandise (e-commerce) Direct-to-consumer e-commerce offering branded merchandise tied to Brazen properties including Whale Hunting and Havana Syndrome Expedition, sold via shop.brazen.fm.

Quantifiable outcome

• $300M+ in assets seized connected to Whale Hunting's reporting on the Mauerberger criminal network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NetflixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazen has over a dozen film, television, and documentary projects in development with Netflix as a key streaming partner. Netflix distributes Brazen's narrative content including documentary and potentially scripted adaptations of investigative material.
• SK Global EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSK Global Entertainment partnered with Brazen on the Fat Leonard podcast adaptation into a feature film. SK Global is developing the Brazen investigative property for theatrical and/or streaming distribution.
• United Talent AgencycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUnited Talent Agency (UTA) represents Project Brazen in Los Angeles for talent, entertainment storytelling, and brand partnerships across film, TV, podcasts, and publishing.
• Brazen FM (internal network)coreOthersBrazen FM is Brazen's owned audio storytelling network featuring podcasts produced by the company, including Crypto Kingpins, Fat Leonard, The Illuminator, Corinna and the King, The Sound, and others.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProjectBrazen
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/project-brazen
• Instagraminstagram.com/brazen.fm
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectBrazen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Project Brazen