HearHere, a storytelling app co-founded by actor and director Kevin Costner, is finally going through a domain rebranding round. The brand’s new name is Autio, supported by the matching domain name Autio.com.
Woody Sears, the app’s co-founder said:
“Our brand evolution is synonymous with our mission to provide accessible and user-friendly content for all travelers. Autio is rooted in amplifying diverse and unique stories and our new positioning will not only provide more opportunities to learn about the cultural richness around you but users will also be able to recount first-hand experiences from underrepresented voices through our partnership with The Moth.”
Moving from the domain HearHere.com to Autio.com makes absolute sense, as the prior name does not pass the so-called radio test; the words hear and here are homonyms, complicating the app’s growth, apparently.
The domain name Autio.com was registered in 1999 and was in use by Autio-net Oy, a Finnish company that still operates the .net.
Academy Award-winning actor, director and filmmaker Kevin Costner signed on to join Autio (formerly HearHere) as a Co-Founder in August 2020 to introduce invigorating and bountiful stories about the untouched history of the United States. Spearheading innovation in the traveltech platform, Costner plays a key role in expanding the app’s novel content.
“In joining Autio my primary goal was to shine a light on the history and stories of our nation starting with the creation of the United States and indigenous people. Our passion for creating artful narratives about the personal history of our country will continue to be one of our company’s pillars,” said Kevin Costner, Co-Founder of Autio. “Autio signifies our continued focus to spark interesting conversation through short anecdotes for listeners on any type of journey.”
Read the press release hear here.
Autio… no there’s a radio test.