Shameless Media unveils a supercharged 2027 slate at its Upfront – Three original podcasts, an expanded video strategy and a shoppable Style-ish website will drive the independent media company’s biggest expansion yet.
Co-founders Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald unveiled the 2027 plans at Shameless Media’s Upfront this week. The slate also includes a refreshed KICPod and KICBump, the return of The Shameless Book Club Podcast and new audience insight from the company’s 20,000-person Census.
The announcements show Shameless Media moving beyond a podcast network into a wider audio, video, digital and commerce business. Since launching in 2018, the company says it has recorded more than 170 million listens and built 1.9 million social followers.
Shameless Media’s biggest expansion
McDonald said the company entered the year intending to build some of its most ambitious projects. The result includes a new shopping destination, two parenting projects, a move into self-help and a personal project that Andrews and McDonald had discussed for five years.
“We are so excited to finally be able to share the stuff we’ve spent all year poring over: a brand-new shopping destination, two new forays into parenting content, a brand-new podcast tapping into the self-help space and a personal passion project that we’ve personally spent five years thinking and dreaming about.”
Andrews described the year behind the scenes as a major one for the company and said the team was eager for audiences to experience the new work.
Time Capsule opens five years later
Andrews and McDonald will host Time Capsule, an eight-episode series built around recordings they secretly made five years ago. Those episodes have never been released.
The pair will listen back together and examine how their lives, relationships and views have changed. The conversations cover ageing, motherhood, career, culture, friendship, romantic love, health and the predictions they made at the time.
Time Capsule launches in February 2027 through a dedicated podcast feed. It will also be available in full-length video.
Just Start Here makes money the first focus
Just Start Here launches on 1 January 2027 as an annual self-help podcast. Each edition will take on a different subject, with the first ten-episode season focusing on money.
The programme will cover saving, the process of thinking about buying a house and the psychology behind spending habits. Shameless Media says the goal is to make subjects that can feel dry more accessible and entertaining.
The season will also run in full-length video and aims to leave listeners with practical knowledge they can use.
The Room uses Census data to tell parenting stories
The Room will approach parenting without the usual expert-led format. Instead, it will use stories and findings from the Shameless Media Census to ask how Australian mothers are feeling about their place in the world.
Rafa, Freya and Georgia will host the twice-weekly series. Their experiences include infertility, returning to work, an unexpected early birth, a high-risk pregnancy and a neonatal intensive care stay.
The full-length video series launches on 6 October 2026, making it the first of the newly announced programmes to arrive.
Style-ish becomes a shopping destination
Shameless Media will extend Style-ish into a dedicated shoppable website in November 2026. It will collect recommendations from the podcast, newsletter, social channels and events in one place.
The site will also carry a relaunched Style-ish Holiday Gift Guide. The guide was previously published as the Shameless Holiday Gift Guide.
This commerce move is designed to close the loop between the recommendations audiences hear and the products they want to find.
KICPod and KICBump get a new look
The Upfront was the company’s first media event since it signed a multi-year licensing agreement for KICPod and KICBump. Entrepreneurs Laura Henshaw and Steph Claire Smith host the shows.
The agreement launched Shameless Media Studios, a licensing arm for programmes made outside the company. Shameless Media sees that model as a major growth opportunity in Australian podcasting.
KICPod and KICBump will introduce new branding from 28 September 2026. Episodes will also be filmed in full-length video for the first time.
The weekly schedule will include KICPod’s The Latest on Mondays and Overshares on Wednesdays. KICBump’s Parenting segment will run on Thursdays.
The Shameless Book Club Podcast returns
The Shameless Book Club Podcast will return to its feed with new audio episodes. Eilish Gilligan hosts the refreshed four-episode series, which will also return in full-length video during summer.
Chief commercial officer Rhiannon Joyce said the slate created more distinct opportunities across the network for brand partners during the next 12 months.
“This is the largest suite of announcements we’ve made at a Shameless Media Upfront. The next twelve months will give brand partners more distinct, ownable marketing moments across the Shameless Media network.”
A wider independent media play
Shameless Media’s existing network spans pop culture, fashion, relationships, books and lifestyle. Its flagship programme, Shameless, sits alongside shows including Everybody Has A Secret, Inherited and Style-ish.
The 2027 slate therefore builds on the company’s established audience while creating new commercial paths through licensing, full-length video and shopping. Its Census data will also shape how the new parenting content reflects the experiences of listeners.
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