What Ear Hustle does

Ear Hustle is a U.S.-based nonprofit podcast production founded in 2017 by Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods, and Antwan Williams at San Quentin State Prison. It is the first podcast co-created and produced with people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and is a core member of the Radiotopia from PRX network. The core product is the main Ear Hustle podcast, sharing daily realities of life inside prison told by those living it and stories about post-incarceration life; it is currently in Season 17 with 130+ episodes produced. Underlying production involves a workflow developed to record, edit, and produce audio inside California correctional facilities (San Quentin, California Institution for Women, Central California Women's Facility, North Kern State Prison, Salinas Valley State Prison), with sound design and original music composed and performed by incarcerated individuals.

The product portfolio has expanded to include Ear Hustle Plus (EH+), a $10/month Supercast-powered premium subscription offering ad-free episodes and bonus content such as monthly Ask Me Anything sessions; 'The Loop,' a six-part series on juvenile justice launched October 2025 in partnership with Drama Club; 'Catch a Kite,' a recurring correspondence format; and 'San Quentin: The Magazine,' an audio magazine produced by the inside team. Distribution runs across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, RadioPublic, YouTube Music, and RSS, with additional reach into incarcerated audiences via Edovo tablets in 400+ jails and prisons nationwide and live touring shows across U.S. cities.

Revenue is diversified across listener donations (campaigns through PRX targeting 1,000 donors), EH+ monthly subscriptions, merchandise sales through a DFTBA shop, and live event ticket sales from the Ear Hustle Live tour. The organization operates with 1-10 employees and is funded without external venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment structures; sponsorship inquiries are routed through Radiotopia. Customer segments span general public/true crime listeners, incarcerated listeners, educators/students, and criminal justice reform advocates.

Name

Ear Hustle

Legal name

Ear Hustle

Website

https://www.earhustlesq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ear Hustle is a nonprofit podcast co-created in 2017 with people incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, now in Season 17 and distributed across major podcast platforms and Edovo tablets in 400+ correctional facilities, serving general listeners, incarcerated audiences, educators, and criminal justice reform advocates through donations, subscriptions, and live events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Listener Donations: Listener-supported podcast relying on donations through Radiotopia/PRX, with annual fundraising campaigns targeting 1,000 donors per campaign period.
2. Ear Hustle Plus Subscription: Premium subscription feed offering ad-free episodes, bonus content including monthly Ask Me Anything episodes with Nigel and Earlonne, and access to live chats with hosts and other listeners.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel and other items through the Ear Hustle shop.
4. Live Event Tickets: Revenue from Ear Hustle Live tour shows featuring Nigel and Earlonne, with live performances including music by incarcerated artists.
5. Radiotopia Network Support: Operating as a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, receiving network support and distribution infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

No source material was provided in the input to describe the core offering.

Product overview

Ear Hustle is a podcast production offering multiple audio content formats. The core product is the main Ear Hustle podcast, a partnership between co-creators Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods that shares authentic stories of prison life. The product portfolio includes Ear Hustle Plus (EH+), a subscription add-on providing ad-free listening and bonus content; The Loop, a six-part series about youth and the criminal justice system; Catch a Kite, a letters/correspondence episode format; and San Quentin: The Magazine, an audio magazine format produced by the inside team. Content is distributed across major podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, RadioPublic, YouTube Music), via RSS feed, and through Edovo prison tablet systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed to 400+ correctional facilities via Edovo tablets
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Radiotopia / PRX (Public Radio Exchange)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEar Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent listener-supported podcasts. PRX provides distribution infrastructure, hosting, fundraising support, and network marketing for the show. The partnership enables wide podcast distribution and access to Radiotopia's established podcast audience.
• EdovocoreTechnology or IntegrationEdovo provides electronic tablets to 400+ jails and prisons across the nation, enabling incarcerated Ear Hustle listeners to access the podcast. Edovo helps expand the show's reach to incarcerated populations by facilitating Catch a Kite episodes where inmates respond to listener questions.
• The Just TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Just Trust supported Ear Hustle's live shows, providing sponsorship or funding for live event touring.
• The MothminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEar Hustle collaborated with The Moth on a two-part collaboration featuring stories about incarceration told through The Moth's live storytelling format, with follow-up episodes checking in with storytellers post-release.
• Drama ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrama Club is an innovative program teaching theatrical improv skills to kids caught up in New York City's criminal justice system. Ear Hustle produced 'The Loop,' a six-part series documenting this program and the lives of these young people, in collaboration with Drama Club.
• William James AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe William James Association supports the San Quentin Prison Arts Project, which collaborated with Ear Hustle on episode artwork and visual arts. Their Arts in Corrections program supports creative programming in California prisons.
• Poetic JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPoetic Justice connects Ear Hustle with women at correctional facilities for stories and interviews. Mentioned in connection with connecting with Leisha for a story about giving birth in prison.
• San Quentin NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSan Quentin News works with Ear Hustle in the media lab, collaborating on coverage and sharing stories from inside the facility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Serial: Pioneering narrative true-crime podcast produced by Serial Productions and The New York Times. Comparable to Ear Hustle as a serialized, story-driven investigative podcast exploring criminal-justice themes for a mainstream audience.
• Criminal (Vox): Vox Media's long-running narrative podcast about crime and criminal-justice stories. Direct genre peer to Ear Hustle, with similar episode length, true-crime positioning, and audience overlap.
• The Marshall Project: Nonprofit news organization covering criminal justice, which co-produces the Violation podcast with WBUR. Directly comparable to Ear Hustle in mission (criminal-justice storytelling) and nonprofit, donor-supported model.
• In the Dark: APM Reports' investigative podcast focused on criminal-justice failures and missing-person cases. Comparable as a high-production, narrative-driven criminal-justice podcast with public-radio backing.
• Undisclosed: True-crime podcast examining potential wrongful convictions, hosted by a legal team. Comparable to Ear Hustle in criminal-justice focus and serialized storytelling format.
• The Moth: Live storytelling organization and podcast with which Ear Hustle has collaborated. Comparable as a narrative, first-person storytelling platform emphasizing authentic voices and live-event monetization.

Broad incumbents

• This American Life: Flagship WBEZ public-radio program whose host Ira Glass publicly endorsed Ear Hustle. A broad incumbent in narrative non-fiction radio/podcasting with overlapping audience and editorial style.
• Radiotopia (PRX): Podcast network from PRX (Public Radio Exchange) that hosts and distributes Ear Hustle. Comparable as a network of independent, listener-supported narrative podcasts sharing distribution and donor infrastructure.
• Reply All: Gimlet Media narrative podcast (now part of Spotify) that previously shared Radiotopia-adjacent audiences. Comparable as a high-production storytelling podcast with similar listener demographics and serialized format.

Emerging players

• Truth & Justice with Bob Ruff: Independent true-crime podcast investigating potential wrongful convictions, with active listener community. Comparable as an audience-engaged, true-crime podcast in a similar size and stage category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubemusic.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJG75tDAztZSP5IIepG_0ZqUrb7suUsG9
• Xx.com/earhustlesq
• Facebookfacebook.com/EarHustlePodcast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ear Hustle