AAA Washington Invests in Travel Technology & Entertainment Startup HEARHERE

February 18, 2021

Listen to the Landscape With Narration by Kevin Costner on Your Family’s Next Road Trip

BELLEVUE, Wash. — AAA Washington has entered into a strategic partnership with HearHere, a mobile travel and audio entertainment platform, that provides real-time, location-based stories for road trips. Designed for the curious road-tripper, HearHere shares stories about the people, places and history of the land they are traveling through. Add a whole new perspective to any road trip with narration by a host of professional voice talent, including Kevin Costner, Phil Jackson, John Lithgow and more.

AAA is the pioneer of the family road trip — from creating early hand-drawn road maps, to helping navigate the way for cars to tour National Parks, to digitizing the modern road trip planning tool (triptik.aaa.com). A partnership with HearHere is the natural evolution of enhancing the road trip experience – an app that delights, informs and entertains by fostering a deeper connection with the history, culture and more as you drive.

“Investing in HearHere allows AAA Washington to put the latest road-trip technology into the hands of our members and roadtrippers everywhere,” said Jim Ryan, Chief Innovation Officer at AAA Washington. “We are committed to innovation and finding opportunities to bring more value, benefits and convenience to our members.”

“Earning the trust and commitment of the AAA Washington team further validates we’re creating an experience that resonates with road-trippers,” said Woody Sears, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at HearHere. “Collaborating with AAA Washington to engage their loyal members will provide us an opportunity to learn more about the curious road-tripper and how we can provide them value during their travel.”

AAA Washington has provided a venture investment in HearHere, which will in-turn provide AAA members with unique subscription pricing, offers and content. AAA Washington members can learn more at HearHere.com/AAA.

HearHere currently offers subscribers more than 4,000 stories throughout Southern and Western United States – Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming – and will expand across the country in the coming months. Stories are based on the traveler’s interests with themes including Colorful Characters, Culture, History, Local Insights, Music, Natural Wonders, Special Places of Interest and Sports. HearHere is currently available on the iPhone App Store with an Android experience coming mid-2021.

HearHere was founded by audio storytelling entrepreneur and technologist Woody Sears, former President of The North Face Bill Werlin, and actor/director Kevin Costner. In addition to co-founding the company, Costner serves as a writer, editor and narrator on HearHere.

AAA Washington Media Contacts

Jim Ryan | C: 425-941-7378
AAA.com
Twitter @AAA_Washington
Facebook AAA Washington

HearHere Media Contacts

Thomas Meyer | 949-212-6201
HearHere.com
Twitter @HearHeredotcom
Facebook HearHere

About AAA Washington:

AAA Washington was established in 1904 by 10 prominent Seattleites determined to champion the betterment of motoring conditions and laws, the preservation of Washington state’s natural beauty and the promotion of Washington as an unrivaled tourist destination. Nearly 120 years later, the club continues to pursue these on behalf of its 1.2 million members.

Members of AAA Washington receive exclusive benefits, including roadside assistance, discounts on hotels and rental cars, comprehensive insurance options, and personalized trip planning. AAA Washington was named a Best Place to Work by Puget Sound Business Journal and voted the best Travel/Tourism Company by 425 Business readers in 2023, and AAA was named one of the most trusted travel and automotive brands in the U.S. Additional information is available through the company’s Washington and northern Idaho stores and at www.AAA.com.

About AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety:

Established in 1947 by AAA, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a nonprofit, publicly funded, 501(c)(3) charitable research and educational organization. The AAA Foundation’s mission is to prevent traffic deaths and injuries by conducting research into their causes and by educating the public about strategies to prevent crashes and reduce injuries when they do occur. This research is used to develop educational materials for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users. Visit www.AAAFoundation.org.

Media Contact

Fearey o/b/o AAA Washington
AAA@feareygroup.com
206-838-9209

Twitter: @AAA_Washington
Facebook: AAA Washington
Instagram: aaawashington

Interested in planning your next road trip with AAA Washington? Call your travel agent directly or your nearest AAA store to get pro tips, TripTik maps, and more. Find more Pacific Northwest scenic drives and road trips.