Today, WGBH Boston — in partnership with public media leader **PRX **and podcast producer Gen-Z Media — announced the launch date of the MOLLY OF DENALI podcast\, a new action-packed adventure for kids rooted in Native storytelling. The podcast will debut on Thursday\, May 30 ahead of the premiere of the PBS KIDS series **MOLLY OF DENALI **on July 15. An audio trailer for the podcast is available now.
At the center of the MOLLY OF DENALI podcast is Alaska Native Molly Mabray, whose 10th birthday is quickly approaching. Molly lives in rural Qyah, a fictional Alaskan town where she helps her mom, Lyla (a bush pilot) and her dad, Walter (a wilderness guide), run the Denali Trading Post. In the podcast, listeners will hear the rollicking story of how Suki (an Alaskan Malamute, equal parts brave and smart) charged into Molly’s life and became a part of her family, which all started when Molly’s birthday cake went missing. In the first episode, Molly sets out to solve the case of the missing cake with the help of a mysterious raven.
After the first two episodes of the MOLLY OF DENALI podcast are released on Thursday, May 30, a new episode will be released every Thursday through July 11 on mollyofdenalipodcast.org or your favorite podcast app.
The eight-part podcast is a prequel to the PBS KIDS animated series, MOLLY OF DENALI, debuting on Monday, July 15 on PBS stations, the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and PBS KIDS digital platforms. Funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the series is the first nationally distributed kids’ show in the U.S. to feature a Native American lead. All Indigenous characters are voiced by Indigenous actors, including Molly, voiced by Alaska Native, Sovereign Bill.
The MOLLY OF DENALI series and podcast feature Alaska Native voices in all aspects of production, including story development and creative direction. The theme song, which is featured in the PBS KIDS series and podcast, is sung by members of the Yupik Alaska Native band Pamyua, with music from Gwich’in fiddler Brennan Firth.
“Alaska Native kids and families will hear themselves represented in MOLLY OF DENALI,” said Dorothea Gillim, Executive Producer of MOLLY OF DENALI at WGBH Boston. “The podcast, like the TV series, emphasizes important Alaska Native values, including respecting others, sharing, and honoring elders, while providing kids with empowering role models.”“Public media is at its best when we delight, inform and inspire,” said Kerri Hoffman, CEO of PRX. “WGBH and Gen-Z Media tell powerful stories that do just that every day. We’re excited to partner with them to introduce Molly and her world to our newest listeners.”
To follow along with MOLLY OF DENALI on social media, visit: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Media Contact – PRX: David Cotrone, Public Relations Specialist david.cotrone@prx.org