Screenwest and Audible are pleased to announce Audible Original crime noir thriller podcast series, The Missed, produced by Envelope Audio and starring Perth-born Australian actress and Bollywood star, Pallavi Sharda, (The Twelve, Lion, The One) hits Audible this week. The series was made possible thanks to the Screenwest and Audible SoundWAves Audio Production and Post-Production Initiative.

Written by Pakistani-Australian writer, Sami Shah, the series follows a refugee family from Pakistan who find safety in the sleepy town of Nunich, WA. But when their daughter disappears without a trace and the town is plunged into chaos and violence, their newfound sense of security is shattered. Suspicions flare, slurs are hurled and tensions rise. Suddenly, Nunich and everyone in it find themselves caught in a storm of media frenzy, political corruption and even terrorist threats. Then another little girl goes missing.

Told from the shifting perspectives of a refugee mother, the town mayor, a local journalist and a weary detective, The Missed isn’t just about the race to catch a predator, but also to save a community’s soul.

“Writing The Missed was the greatest challenge of my life so far; taking my worst nightmare, combining it with everything I’ve learned about Australia, and fitting it all inside a crime noir audio drama in a way that is new yet familiar. Having Envelope Audio and the cast then take that script and turn it into this amazing, three-dimensional series with such astounding sound design and acting, that’s been a joy and a pleasure and I can’t wait for people to hear it.” said Sami Shah, Writer.

“The Missed presented us with an intense and rewarding opportunity – to tell a uniquely West Australian Wheatbelt story in a powerful, ‘new but old’ format – the scripted podcast series. Our goal at Envelope was to wrap a strong character-driven story in an immersive and cinematic listening experience. We were blessed with some of the best local performing talent on offer in WA, which made the work of storytelling so much easier.” said Josh Hogan, Director.

“It’s been fantastic to see Envelope Audio producing their first Audible series – the SoundWAves initiative has been a great opportunity for this talented WA team to be exposed to a global audience. The Missed is an engrossing and atmospheric WA story; congratulations to the cast and creators.” said Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest CEO.

The Missed stars Pallavi Sharda, Igor Sas, Della Rae Morrison and Summer Williams, as well as an ensemble of WA talent. Written by Sami Shah. Produced by Envelope Audio. Directed by Josh Hogan. Edited by Lucy Torvaldsen. Music by Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan. Production Managed by Natalie Neugebauer.

Envelope Audio founders Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan have a combined media industry experience spanning over 25 years, and their aim is to bring the highest quality creative and technical prowess in Audio Post Production, Music Composition and Sound Design across all media formats.

“The Missed is a great Western Australian story and we were thrilled to see Envelope Audio produce it in the very place that inspired it. Audible is dedicated to expanding its pool of creative talent, offering opportunities to share some of Australia’s best content. More and more screen creators are looking to audio as an innovative and exciting way to tell stories and capture new audiences.” said Karen Yates, Director of Business Affairs, Content, Audible Australia.

Audible – a leading provider and producer of original spoken word entertainment – partnered with Screenwest earlier this year to create the SoundWAves Initiative which consisted of two unique funding opportunities for Western Australian creatives.

The Missed is available on Audible now.