Premiering February 11, the 8-part series is a deeply personal and shocking true-crime podcast exploring Kenny “The Kid” Tekiela’s secret life of organized crime and its effects on his unsuspecting family, hosted by his real-life son, Kyle Tekiela

Listen to the trailer now HERE

WHAT: iHeartPodcasts and Tenderfoot TV today announce “Crook County,” a new true crime podcast that details the first-person account of Ken Tekiela, a celebrated Chicago firefighter and loving father of two who led a secret double life as a hitman for the Chicago mafia. For over two decades Ken, known in crime circles as “the Kid,” successfully kept his mafia life a secret from his family and closest friends. In 2013, that all changed when he broke down and told his son Kyle everything. The story is told in first person by Ken and is hosted by Kyle Tekiela, an award-winning filmmaker, and Ken’s oldest son. For 10 years, Kyle dug into his father’s past, unearthing shocking stories of shootouts, murders, police corruption, and cover-ups –– stories about the father he thought he knew. 

“Crook County” is an immersive 8-part series about Ken’s rise through the ranks of the legendary organized crime syndicate, the Chicago Outfit. From brothel doorman at the age of 17 and ruthless assassin in his 20s, to the many years that followed cleaning up the messes of the mafia and crooked cops alike as a firefighter and paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department. He finally moved to the suburbs with his new wife and kids, trying desperately to put it all behind him. The podcast explores in great depth and detail Ken’s life of crime and its profound and lasting impact on his family to this very day.

“Shocking doesn’t begin to cover the reaction I had when my father finally told me the truth about his past,” said host Kyle Tekiela. “But sometimes bad news can lead you on a path you otherwise would never have traveled. As tough as it was, this journey has allowed our family to heal many of the wounds that had been festering for decades, and for that I’m grateful.”

WHO: Kyle Tekiela is a five-time Emmy Award winner and co-founder of Common Enemy, a film and television production company based in Los Angeles, California. His most acclaimed film, Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees and starring Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, and Jonathan Banks, premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where it received five-star reviews and was purchased by Netflix, becoming the largest acquisition at the festival and the second largest in Sundance history. Mudbound was nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, won Best Ensemble at the Gotham Awards, and was named Best Film of 2017 by both the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. Other feature film producing efforts include the heist thriller Cut Throat City, directed by Wu-Tang Clan founder and visionary RZA, starring Ethan Hawke, Eiza González, and Wesley Snipes, which premiered at SXSW; Cult thriller We Summon the Darkness, starring Alexandra Daddario and Johnny Knoxville; the horror-comedy Burying the Ex, directed by genre legend Joe Dante and starring Alexandra Daddario, Ashley Greene, and the late Anton Yelchin; and the horror film The Midnight Man, starring Lin Shaye and Robert Englund. In 2025, Kyle is releasing Season One of his true-crime podcast “Crook County” with iHeart Podcasts in partnership with TenderfootTV. 

WHEN: Listen to the first two episodes of “Crook County” on February 11, with new episodes weekly.

WHERE: “Crook County” is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.

SHOW PAGE: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-crook-county-259813887/ 

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HI-RES COVER ART: HERE

ABOUT TENDERFOOT TV

A leader in premium podcast content, Tenderfoot TV was founded by Atlanta director and independent filmmaker, Payne Lindsey, and music industry veteran, Donald Albright. The 2016 launch of the award-winning true-crime podcast, “Up and Vanished,” marked Tenderfoot’s entry and ascension in podcasting. The viral sensation became an international news story after influencing 2 arrests in a decade-old cold case and receiving over 450 million downloads across three seasons. Tenderfoot has since created additional breakthrough podcasts including the critically acclaimed “Atlanta Monster,” “Dear Alana,” “The MLK Tapes,” “Radio Rental'' starring Rainn Wilson, and AP’s Podcast of the year, “To Live and Die in LA.” With over 850 million downloads to date, Tenderfoot continues to develop fiction and nonfiction projects as podcasts, and has expanded into TV and film, airing the first season of “Up and Vanished” (TV series) on the Oxygen network in 2020. Recipients of the 2020 Icon/Pioneer Award at the iHeart Podcast Awards, and recognized by Fast Company as a company that “knows how to keep listeners engaged,” Tenderfoot has no plans of slowing down, having already collaborated with the likes of HBO, Netflix, iHeart, Audible, Audacy, QCode, Spotify, and Issa Rae’s label Radio. In eight years, Tenderfoot has become one of the premiere creatives and most respected destinations for podcasting,  and aims to be a leader in multi-platform storytelling. Visit tenderfoot.tv for more company information.