2023 WEBBY AWARD WINNER 2024 WEBBY AWARD HONOREE
“All Things Undone” “How To Destroy Everything”
Aileron is an award winning collaborative creative, production, podcast studio. For over 20 yrs Aileron has originated & produced award-winning advertising campaigns, social media content, & podcast series across the international digital landscape.
Aileron Podcast Studio is a 2023 Webby Award winning podcast production company founded created by Chené Lawson & Joel Peissig which evolved out of a love for great storytelling and the humanity’s need for stories that expand the mind and point the way to a better world.
April 2nd, 2024
For a second year in a row Aileron Podcast Studio was honored by the
Webbys, this time with a 2024 Webby Best Documentary Honoree for “How To Destroy Everything”!
March 10th, 2024
With just 2 episodes released Aileron Podcasts new series “How To Destory Everything” garnered over 1million plays on Apple Podcasts alone. We are enormously proud another successful launch and we are completely grateful for being nominated by iHeartPodcast Awards as “The 2024 Best Emerging Podcast”at SXSW.
May 14th, 2023
We did it!! Aileron Podcast Studio won the 2023 Webby Award for Best Scripted Podcast for “All Things Undone”! We went up against the very best in scripted podcasts of 2023 including Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” and came out on top! Thank you to our cast, crew & all of our fans for their incredible support.
#1 Podcast on Apple Charts A docu-dramedy based on actual events about a narcissist who destroys his entire world, as told through the eyes of his son.
A BIPOC Sci- Fi anthology that will curve your mind.
#1 Podcast on Apple Charts. The DNA of the entire world has been altered as Mirabelle and crew set out to lead the Re/evolution.
A dramatic narrative series about a middle aged housewife of a wayward husband who must make hard life choices or suffer a nervous breakdown.
Chené Lawson // Co-owner /
Executive Producer / Creator & Writer
Chené Lawson is an African-American sci-fi writer who got her degree in Advertising at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles, joined the Sunday Company at The Groundling’s Theater where she studied sketch writing under Oscar-winning screenwriter Jim Rash (The Descendants). Chené has gone on to develop several screenplays and short scripts, one of which received honorable Mention at the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Competition as well as landed in the Semifinals at the HollyShorts Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. In addition, Chené penned an Afro-futuristic narrative podcast called “All Things Undone” which won a Webby for Best Scripted podcast of 2023 , debuted #7 on Apple podcasts (iTunes) & has garnered several awards in the festival circuit. She is currently pitching All Things Undone to studios for television development and adapting a couple short stories into a podcast set to be announced 2023.
Joel Peissig // Co-owner /
Executive Producer/ Creative Director
Joel landed a job as an Art Director at BBDO New York when he was just 20 years old, where he worked on ads for clients including HBO, Visa, Federal Express, and countless more. As a creative director, he continued to work with world-renowned advertising companies, where he oversaw the development of campaigns that won multiple awards.
Ridley Scott & Associates recruited him after he directed his debut commercial, and he was selected to participate in the New Directors Showcase at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. At the Resfest International Film Festival, he took home the audience award for his work on the music video "Dumbing Down of Love" by Frou-Frou. The music video for Grammy-nominated singer Imogen Heap's song "Hide and Seek"—which has amassed over 35 million views on YouTube—was also directed by Joel.
After that, he directed the debut campaign for SHOWTIME's Homeland, for which he won a slew of honors. For DTS's 2017 C.E.S. presentation, Joel served as creative director for a 360-degree theater experience using a 22.1 3D sound system. Also in 2017, he collaborated with Oscar winning sound designers Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn on two national DTS Theater mnemonics.
Joel went on to work at Searchlight Pictures in the role of creative director / consultant and producer, where he collaborated on the development of campaigns for "Jo-Jo Rabbit" by Taiki Wikiti, "Nightmare Alley" by Guillermo del Toro, and "The French Dispatch" by Wes Anderson, for which he has received a Clio.
Joel and his wife Chené Lawson's afro-futuristic podcast "All Things Undone" show was created and debuted in 2019 and went to #1 and won numerous awards as well as the 2023 Webby Award for “Best Scripted Podcast.”
Recently, Joel won a 2024 Webby Award Honoree for his production, editing, and sound design work on the doc. series "How To Destroy Everything." He also received a nomination from the iHeart Podcast Awards @SXSW for "Best Emerging Podcast." The series reached #1 and one million downloads on the Apple Charts after just the first two episodes were released.
Story Consulting /Development
If you are starting with just an acorn of an idea or you are looking to expand a story into a limited series, or are looking for that story engine that will enable numerous seasons, we are your partner in creation.
Production
Our fantastic team has won multiple awards and they’re always looking for ways to make each episode and series stand far above the rest in the podcast world.
Editing
Having a collaborative relationship with your editor is critical to a healthy creative process. We work with incredibly insightful and collaborative editors who lift each story to another level.
Music Supervision
Our pool of composers and musical guidance gives every episode that rich cinematic score quality which pulls listeners in.
Sound Design
It’s the secret weapon of a riveting narrative podcast, giving your listeners a deep dimensional 3D immerssive experience.
Mixing
After all your hard work in writing and production, getting the best mix will make all the difference between an immersive experience and just another podcast.
Podcast Marketing
Through our decades of experience in advertising & marketing, we will help you find and speak directly to your own audience through a launch campaign and on going creative ideas that will help you grow your podcast reach.
No matter where you are in the process of creation, Aileron Podcast Studio can enable your series to take flight. If you would like to chat about our process and how we can collaborate please email us here.
“How to Destroy Everything” Danny Jacos Left St. Louis and Escaped His Father. He comes back for the truth.
St. Louis NPR | September 20th, 2023
”We put out that episode just, you know, Just us, sort of, and as well, I should say, the third kind of wheel of our team is Joel Peissig, who is a producer and sound designer and editor on the project. His company, Aileron Films, has been really fantastic. Yes, we would be remiss to mention that Danny and I, this is our first foray into podcasting. This is not our medium, and so Joel is, we're lucky to have him.
Yeah, he's an incredible part of the team. But so the three of us kind of put it out there, not knowing what to expect. And we started to get all these messages from people. On Instagram, we also set up an email address, which is iknowrichardjacobs at gmail.com, if anybody wants to reach out to us that way. And one of the messages that we got was from a 16-year-old girl who lives in my old house that my dad lived in. … The message was performed by the niece of your podcast's third producer creator, we talked about earlier, Joel Peissig.“
“How to Destroy Everything” Explores the Lies of a St. Louis Con Man.
Riverfront Times | October 9th, 2023
”Initially, the two had no idea how to even start. But the more they talked, the better the idea seemed. So they began calling around to acquaintances, asking for advice.
One of those calls was to Joel Peissig, who runs Aileron Podcast Studios and describes himself as being everything from "a writer to director to editor, sound designer, music supervisor, social media director." What started as a request for advice soon turned into bringing the podcast under Aileron's production company.
It was Peissig who suggested they look at Errol Morris' docuseries Wormwood, which incorporates narrative techniques such as fictionalized scenes, interviews, conversations and more to tell its story. Jacobs and Grodsky liked that idea, and How to Destroy Everything thus uses multiple techniques to get the message across in its first two episodes, which are out now.”
“How to Destroy Everything” 2024 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards: Full List of Nominees Unveiled
Nominated for “BEST EMERGING PODCAST”
The Hollywood Reporter | February 5th, 2024
“All Things Undone” Wins 2023 Webby for Best Scripted Podcast Series
Variety | Hollywood Reporter | BillBoard | April 4th, 2023
“All Things Undone” Awarded Outstanding Podcast
Rollingout | May 16th, 2021
“All Things Undone” Wins Best Podcast Series at Micheaux Film Festival
Deadline | April 15th, 2021
“All Things Undone” Premieres At Social Justice Now Festival and takes Best Narrative Podcast
Deadline | October 12th, 2020
“All Things Undone” 15 Best Podcasts of 2020
Bello Collective | June 12th, 2020
iHeartPodcast AWARDS @ SXSW
Nominated “Best Emerging Podcast 2024”
“How To Destroy Everything”
Webby Award Honoree 2024
Best Documentary Podcast
”How To Destroy Everything”
Webby Award Winner 2023
Best Scripted Podcast Series
”All Things Undone”
Micheaux Film Festival
Best Scripted Podcast
Social Justice Film Festival
Official Selection
”All Things Undone”
London Int’l Film Festival
Best Podcast
”All Things Undone”
Rhode Island Int’l Film Festival
Best Scripted Podcast
”All Things Undone”
Kapow Film Festival Finalist
”All Things Undone”
IAC Best Movie Social Media
Campaign “UPGRADE”
Titanium Cannes Lion
Cannes Finalist
Clio Social Media Campaign
Wes Anderson’ “The French Dispatch”
AICP Cinematography
Clio Bronze Cinematography
Clio Bronze Visual Effects
Honored at Antenna Film Festival
National Film Theater London
New York Museum of Art
Permanent Collection
New York Festival Gold Metal
Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase
Film Producers of Europe
Best Young Directors
Showcase Audience Choice Best Video,
Resfest International Film Festival
Showtime “Homeland” launch campaign
Promax Silver for Directing
Promax Gold for Campaign
Promax Bronze for Campaign
I was thrilled to have been a part of the Searchlight team that created this stunning work.
The French Dispatch Newsletter campaign was a year in the making and I’m thrilled that people loved it.
Social Media Campaign
Social Media Campaign
Social Media Campaign
Instagram Canvas / Campaign
Social Media Branding
Operam Social Media Reel
Social Media Campaign
Social Media Campaign
Social Media Campaign
Social Media Campaign
Instagram Canvas / Campaign
Instagram Canvas /Case Study
Branding
360° Digital Campaign & Website Redesign
360° Campaign & In Theater Film
360° Digital Campaign
CES Experiential 360° Theater & 360°
Branding Agency 2.0
Social Media Branding
360° Campaign
Rebranding / Catalog Redesign
Here is just a tiny collection of the hundreds of commercials I developed as a creative. Enjoy.
Arclight Cinemas / Ignited
Taco Bell / Chiat Day
Lexus / Team One
Mercedes Benz / Markley + Partners
ECD / Director / Turtle Beach / Ignited
Volvo / MVBMS-Euro RSCG
ECD / Director / Turtle Beach / Ignited
CD & Director / Pocari / Asatsu Japan
JoJo Rabbit - Awards Campaign
ECD / Director / Turtle Beach / Ignited
Lexus / Team One
Writer/Director / Creative Care Clinic
ECD / Director / Turtle Beach / Ignited
Mercedes Benz / Merkley + Partners
ECD / Director / Turtle Beach / Ignited
Suzuki Motors / Colby & Partners
No matter if I’m an ECD at an agency or the director on a film set, my goal is to create a collaborative, dynamic, and ego free environment which ultimately produces breakthrough work. This safe and inspiring space also allows creatives, client, and crew to challenge their individual best while sharing in the creation of project. The end result is work that is not only extremely effective but stunning as it is compelling.
With numerous years in the creative trenches and corporate boardrooms, to directing on backlots with Emmy-winning actors and London flats with Grammy-winning artists, to the deepest jungles of India. I have created the very best out of each moment, experience, and resource. A collaborative creative process is what I live for. When that flow is created, it gives every project energy and through it, I've seen the impossible unfold and dreams become reality.
Over the years, I've been fortunate to have worked with and lead an incredible group of creatives who have brought me an enormous amount of insight, brilliance, and laughter.
Stepping out of the creative halls, and onto a film set as a director, was a decision forged in courage, vision, and excitement. Being a director has brought a vital production awareness deep into my conceptual process, as my years of agency experience have deeply informed my directing. This gives me a rare multidimensional ability to be as comfortable leading strategic meetings with clients and dynamic creative pitches, as I would be directing massive film shoots, clear around the world.
No matter the size of the screen or where we view them, now more than ever we need compelling stories; we are educated, changed, and guided by them. Ultimately, stories have the power to lead us to a better understanding of ourselves and our world. My passion is collaborating with the creatively courageous, to originate and produce stories that lead the way to a better world for us all.
-Joel Peissig
