PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 8, 2023 – Audacy today announced “Glitter and Might,” a four-part Audacy original documentary podcast series in which film historian and best-selling author Shawn Levy explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Hollywood legend Lew Wasserman, a power broker uniquely positioned at the intersection of show business and politics, and dissects how his impact continues to be felt today.

“Glitter and Might” will launch on August 9, 2023, with all four episodes available to binge on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. Listen and follow the show here: Glitter and Might.

For 50 years, Lew Wasserman ruled Hollywood from the shadows, a symbol of ruthless power in a dark suit, oversized eyeglasses, and a permanent tan. He oversaw seismic innovations in actors’ earnings, in the rise of television, in blockbuster movies, and in the transformation of film studios into theme parks. The mogul was a critical figure in ending the famed labor strikes of 1960 and 1981.

“Glitter and Might” also explores the enduring ways Wasserman connected Hollywood to political power, including his relationships with actor-turned-President Ronald Reagan and Hollywood fixer Sidney Korshak. Every president from John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton took his calls, and he was as comfortable dealing with gangsters as with politicians.

Through original research and interviews with Wasserman’s associates and the journalists who observed him, Levy deftly unpacks how this mystery man definitively ruled many worlds. 

Guests include Carl Gottlieb, screenwriter of Jaws; Barry Avrich, director, The Last Mogul: The Life and Times of Lew Wasserman; Cynthia Littleton, Co-Editor-in-Chief at Variety; Dennis McDougal, author of The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA and the Hidden History of Hollywood; Joseph Califano, former aide to President Lyndon Johnson; Mark Harris, film historian, Peter Bart, editor-at-large, Deadline; Tom Johnson, former aide to President Lyndon Johnson; and Kim Masters, editor-at-large, The Hollywood Reporter.

After nearly four years of research and interviews, Levy sees Wasserman not as a figure from history but as a crucial creator of our modern entertainment landscape. “Lew Wasserman is a titan of Hollywood’s past whose innovations are still with us today,” he says. “If you binge a TV series at home, line up at the multiplex for a megahit, or see a connection between Hollywood and Washington, you’re in a world that Wasserman helped conceive and build. I’m delighted to partner with Audacy to bring his story to light.”

“Shawn Levy does a great job portraying Hollywood history in this fascinating portrait of the larger-than-life Lew Wasserman and the world that revolved around him,” said Jenna Weiss-Berman, Executive Vice President of Podcasts, Audacy. “Given Wasserman’s pivotal role in past entertainment industry labor strikes, ‘Glitter and Might’ serves as both a biographical narrative and one that is incredibly timely and resonant in the historic moment the industry is living through today.”

“Glitter and Might” is written and narrated by Shawn Levy; directed by Christopher Cowen; executive produced by Valerie Thomas; produced by Margo Gray; edited by Andy Jaskiewicz and Chris Basil, and mixed and mastered by Jaskiewicz.

Shawn Levy is the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art and Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont, and the former film critic of The Oregonian and KGW-TV. His writing has appeared in Sight and Sound, Film Comment, American Film, Interview, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Black Rock Beacon. His books include Rat Pack Confidential; Paul Newman: A Life; The Last Playboy; King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis; De Niro: A Life; Dolce Vita Confidential; and In on the Joke: The Original Queens of Standup Comedy.

Please find the cover art for “Glitter and Might” and Shawn Levy’s photo here.

For more information, visit www.Audacy.com and www.shawnlevy.com.