Creative Content group Platform and leading UK audio producer Listen have announced a strategic partnership. The two companies will collaborate on building brands around high-profile projects already in the works featuring some of the biggest names in the country, the partnership will open up unique opportunities for creative talent to build long-term projects in which they share a stake.
Launched in May, the Platform group is the home of venture including: Wildfire, a social agency specializing in video, content distribution and communications; media technology business Format; and multimedia storytelling company Folding Pocket, whose co-founders include renowned actor James Nesbitt and former England rugby stars Mike Tindall and James Haskell.
Folding Pocket’s programming includes: Rob Brydon’s Spotify-exclusive podcast: Brydon & John Bishop and Tony Pitts Amazon Music exclusive Three Little Words; boxing champion Carl Frampton’s Inside Fighting; and The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, the world’s biggest rugby show.
Listen, the UK’s leading independent audio producer, crafts high-quality shows with millions of listeners. Working across all genres, its podcasts and radio projects include commissioned shows, branded podcasts and TV sister shows. The company works with high-profile talent including Claudi Winkleman, French & Sanders, Edith Bowman, reality star Gemma Collins, chef Levi Roots and boxing promoter Frank Warren.
As well as shows for Audible, the BBC and national commercial radio networks, Listen has created award-winning branded content for brands including BMW, Vodafone, Starbucks, Sky Bet, Churchill, Fiverr and The Open University.
Matthew Sherry, CEO, Platform, says: “Listen is the UK’s pre-eminent creative force in the world of audio, so we are thrilled to be joining forces with them. Their 25 years of experience are a huge asset to Platform, supercharging the scalability of our core business model. As a creative partner, they will complement Platform in the development of market-leading ideas and IP. As a production partner, they will instantly give us the capacity to deliver a higher volume of prestigious shows.
“Platform users its cross-section of companies to transform podcasts into premium brands. Listen shares our drive and ambition in ensuring that podcasts not only rise above the saturated marketplace, but have the capacity to deliver significant commercial media value, so we are delighted to be working with them in this way.”
Josh Adley, Director of Commercial & Client Relations, Listen, adds: “Platform’s keen awareness of building brands and developing talent are in perfect harmony with our own values. Their unique combination of creative skills and distribution expertise makes them the perfect partner for us.
“Talent brands and platforms are increasingly looking for more than just an audio studio. They want to establish programming brands through strong distribution, discoverability, and visibility. Our collaboration with Platform allows us to do just that, creating a one-stop-shop for those who are wanting to create, or own, ambitious programming.”