Podcast Drama · 2026-07-04
A Hollywood Producer's Post-Apocalyptic Radio Drama: American Afterlife
Hollywood producer William Stuart, whose credits include "The Rock," has teamed up with the Benztown+McVay podcast network and Aurora Productions to adapt Pedro Hoffmeister's bestselling novel into the audio drama podcast "American Afterlife," which debuted at number one on Apple Podcasts' fiction chart immediately upon its launch in April 2025.
In the story, a 9.2-magnitude earthquake devastates the Pacific Northwest, leaving 15-year-old Cielo alone in a flooded, lawless Oregon city after her mother — an undocumented Mexican immigrant — disappears, likely into the grip of a violent cult called the Collection of Redeemed Souls. Cielo then embarks on a desperate search for her mother through flooded streets marked by scarce food and constant danger. The lead role is played by Scarlett Estevez (known from Lucifer) — a character Hoffmeister modeled on his own daughter.
Stuart applied the rigor of film production — directing, pacing, sound design — to the audio format rather than treating it as "just a podcast." The production has earned a 4.8-star rating on Apple Podcasts and is also available on Spotify and iHeartRadio.
Cast & Crew
- Producer William Stuart
- Novel author Pedro Hoffmeister
- Cielo Scarlett Estevez
Sources: Grit Daily · Radio Ink
This article was partly machine-composed.