Corporate Giants
Project Overview
Corporate Giants — Project Description
Corporate Giants is an upcoming historical audio drama series that tells the true stories behind some of the world's biggest and most recognisable companies.
Every empire started somewhere.
Before the factories, fortunes and globally recognised names, there were ordinary people with ideas — people who took risks, made mistakes, faced failure and ultimately created businesses that would outlive them.
Rather than being presented as a traditional documentary or business podcast, Corporate Giants will dramatise these stories, combining voice acting, narration, music and cinematic sound design to bring important moments in business history to life.
Each company will receive its own 3–4 episode story, with episodes approximately 40 minutes long.
Season One — Cadbury
Our first story follows the extraordinary rise of Cadbury.
Beginning in nineteenth-century Birmingham, we'll follow John Cadbury as he establishes the business that bears his name, before following his sons Richard and George Cadbury as they inherit a struggling company and attempt to transform it into something far greater.
The story will explore the family's successes, failures, relationships, beliefs and difficult decisions as their small business
gradually develops into one of the most recognisable chocolate companies in the world.
While Corporate Giants uses dramatised dialogue and scenes to bring history to life, the series will be based on real people and documented historical events. Where the exact words spoken during historical conversations aren't known,
dialogue may be dramatised while remaining consistent with the known events and people involved.
Future instalments of Corporate Giants are planned to explore the origins and rise of other major companies.
We're currently looking for writers, voice actors, a showrunner and an audio engineer/sound designer to help bring the first story to life.
Please note that this is currently an unpaid independent production.
If you're passionate about history, storytelling, acting or audio drama, we'd love to hear from you.
Producer
We're looking for a Showrunner to help oversee Corporate Giants and turn the concept into a consistent, compelling historical audio drama series.
The Showrunner will work closely with the studio's CEO/creator and help oversee the writing, recording and overall creative direction of the series.
You should be comfortable working with writers and voice actors, giving constructive feedback, keeping the production organised and helping ensure that historical accuracy and storytelling remain consistent across episodes.
Experience with audio drama, podcasts, film, animation or other narrative productions is desirable but not essential.
We're especially interested in someone who genuinely enjoys history and storytelling.
When applying, please tell us:
A little about yourself and your previous experience.
Why Corporate Giants interests you.
Your favourite historical drama, documentary or audio drama.
How you would approach overseeing a series based on real people and events.
*Say something you think would fit*
Writer
We're looking for writers to help develop the first Corporate Giants story: the rise of Cadbury.
This isn't intended to sound like somebody reading a Wikipedia article. We want to turn documented history into compelling drama while remaining respectful of the facts.
Writers will be expected to conduct their own research using reliable sources and work collaboratively with the Showrunner and creator.
For your application, we'd like you to submit a short sample scene of approximately 3–5 screenplay pages based on the following event:
Their father John Cadbury is retiring due to declining health. The business his sons are inheriting is struggling and faces an uncertain future.
Dramatise how you imagine this moment while remaining faithful to what is historically known.
We aren't expecting the exact conversation to be historically documented. We're interested in seeing how you turn historical facts into believable human drama.
Please research the event before writing.
Corporate Giants is intended for a general/mature audience. Strong language or mature subject matter may be used where appropriate, but shouldn't be inserted simply for shock value. Historical authenticity and good storytelling should always come first.
*Say something you think would fit*
Writer
We're looking for writers to help develop the first Corporate Giants story: the rise of Cadbury.
This isn't intended to sound like somebody reading a Wikipedia article. We want to turn documented history into compelling drama while remaining respectful of the facts.
Writers will be expected to conduct their own research using reliable sources and work collaboratively with the Showrunner and creator.
For your application, we'd like you to submit a short sample scene of approximately 3–5 screenplay pages based on the following event:
Their father John Cadbury is retiring due to declining health. The business his sons are inheriting is struggling and faces an uncertain future.
Dramatise how you imagine this moment while remaining faithful to what is historically known.
We aren't expecting the exact conversation to be historically documented. We're interested in seeing how you turn historical facts into believable human drama.
Please research the event before writing.
Corporate Giants is intended for a general/mature audience. Strong language or mature subject matter may be used where appropriate, but shouldn't be inserted simply for shock value. Historical authenticity and good storytelling should always come first.
*Say something you think would fit*
Audio Engineer
*Say something you think would fit*
Voice Actor
Candia Barrow Cadbury (1805–1855) was John Cadbury's second wife and the mother of Richard and George Cadbury.
We're looking for a warm, grounded performance. Candia provides an opportunity to explore John away from the business and establish the Cadbury family before Richard and George eventually inherit their father's company.
- female adult
You speak about the business as though it's another member of this family, John.
Richard watches everything you do. George does too, even when you think he isn't looking.
Whatever becomes of the company, promise me you won't forget the people waiting for you at home.
Voice Actor
John Cadbury (1801–1889) was the founder of the business that would eventually become Cadbury.
A Quaker from Birmingham, John began selling tea, coffee and drinking chocolate before moving into cocoa manufacturing.
His beliefs were an important influence on both his business and his attitude towards alcohol and social welfare.
John should come across as principled and determined, but not as a flawless historical hero. We're looking for a believable human performance.
A British/English accent is preferred. A historically perfect nineteenth-century Birmingham accent isn't required.
- male adult
People don't need another public house, Benjamin. There are enough of those already. Give them something different. Tea. Coffee. Chocolate.
If we're going to put the Cadbury name on it, then I want to know that what we're selling is worthy of that name.
I built this business believing I could make something worthwhile. Whether it survives now… that's for you and Richard to decide.
Voice Actor
Richard Tapper Cadbury (1768–1860) was John Cadbury's father and a successful businessman in Birmingham.
He supported his son's early business ventures and represents the generation of the Cadbury family immediately preceding the creation of the chocolate company.
We're looking for an older male voice capable of sounding supportive but pragmatic.
- male adult
*Say something you think would fit*
An idea is a fine thing, John. But an idea doesn't pay the rent. If you're going to do this, you must treat it as a business.
I'm willing to help you get started. What happens after that will depend entirely upon you.
Voice Actor
Benjamin Cadbury (1808–1880) was John Cadbury's younger brother and became his business partner.
Benjamin should feel like John's brother rather than simply another businessman: familiar enough to challenge him, disagree with him and speak frankly.
- male adult
*Say something you think would fit*
You're always thinking about what this business might become. I'm thinking about what it costs us tomorrow morning.
I'm your brother, John. That means I'll stand beside you, but it doesn't mean I'll agree with every decision you make.
Voice Actor
Richard Cadbury (1835–1899) was John Cadbury's eldest surviving son and, alongside his younger brother George, took control of the struggling family company in 1861.
Richard became particularly important to the commercial and marketing side of Cadbury as the brothers fought to turn the business around.
This role may follow Richard across several decades, so we're looking for an actor capable of subtly ageing their performance.
- male adult
Look at the books, George. Sentiment won't save us. Unless something changes, there may not be a Cadbury business left to inherit.
Then we change it. The product, the packaging, the way we sell it , whatever it takes.
You worry about making the cocoa, George. I'll worry about convincing people to buy it.
Voice Actor
George Cadbury (1839–1922) was John's younger son and one of the central figures in the transformation of Cadbury.
Together with Richard, George inherited a struggling company and helped transform it into one of Britain's most recognisable manufacturers. His Quaker beliefs and ideas about working conditions would later play an important role in the development of Bournville.
George will likely be one of the largest roles in the Cadbury story.
We're looking for an actor capable of portraying him from an ambitious young businessman into an older and highly influential industrialist.
- male adult
If we close now, Father's spent half his life building something for nothing. I'm not prepared to let that happen.
I don't want us merely to compete with Fry's and Rowntree. I want to make something better.
A factory cannot exist separately from the people inside it. If the business prospers while its workers suffer, then what exactly have we achieved?
Voice Actor
*Say something you think would fit*
Voice Actor
*Say something you think would fit*
Voice Actor
*Say something you think would fit*
Voice Actor
The Narrator is the voice of Corporate Giants.
Unlike most of the historical characters, this is intended to be a recurring role across future stories.
The same narrator may guide listeners through Cadbury, Disney and other companies explored by the series.
We're looking for a confident, engaging storyteller capable of making history feel immediate rather than sounding like they're simply reading a documentary script.
The performance should be warm, authoritative and cinematic.
- male adult
- female adult
Before it became a name recognised around the world, Cadbury was little more than an idea, and behind that idea stood a young man named John Cadbury.
By 1861, the dream was in trouble. The company was losing money, John Cadbury's health was deteriorating, and its future now rested with his two sons.
Neither Richard nor George could have known what their decision would eventually create. But the Cadbury story was only beginning.
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