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Spotify signs an exclusive podcast deal with filmmaker Ava DuVernay

The Oscar-nominated director's Array collective will work with Gimlet Media on a variety of shows.

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Spotify has added another prominent creator to its podcast stable. The company has signed a multi-year deal with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the director of Selma and 13th, to produce exclusive shows.

DuVernay and her arts and social impact collective Array will team up with Spotify subsidiary Gimlet Media to make scripted and unscripted podcasts. Array plans to "amplify a variety of voices and perspectives," according to a Spotify press release. Array Filmworks president Sarah Bremner will oversee the partnership.

“Recognizing the undeniable power of voice and sound, I’m thrilled to extend Array’s storytelling into the realm of podcasts,” DuVernay said in a statement. “The opportunity to work with [Gimlet managing director] Lydia Polgreen and her passionate team drew us to Spotify as a home for our audio narratives and we couldn’t be more excited to begin this new creative journey.”

DuVernay and Array are joining a number of notable figures on Spotify's podcast roster. Over the last few years, the company has locked in agreements with the likes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Joe Rogan and Barack and Michelle Obama.