Month: July 2022

Critically Acclaimed Podcast “Love and Radio” Joins Gumball

~ jen

Gumball, the premier marketplace for advertisers to buy host-read ads directly from podcasters, announced that the award-winning podcast Love and Radio has joined its platform and is now available for ad sales. Additionally, Love and Radio has removed its paywall and seasons 8 and 9 will now be publicly available for all listeners. Episodes will be released over the next year on a bi-monthly schedule.

Hosted by Nick van Der Kolk, Love and Radio features interviews and stories ranging in topics from mysterious kidnappings to the secrets and hilarity of journal entries to fascinating animal facts. Its immersive music, unexpected twists and turns, and strange but highly memorable characters have captivated audiences and critics since it began production in 2005.

Love and Radio became the first podcast to win top prize at the Third Coast Festival Competition (for the episode “The Wisdom of Jay Thunderbolt”) and has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Neiman Lab. Notable fans of the show include Ira Glass (This American Life), Roman Mars (99% invisible), and Had Abumrad (Radiolab).

Seasons 8 and 9 of the show, previously available exclusively on Luminary, will be available for free on all platforms, expanding the reach of these fantastical episodes to eager listeners everywhere.

“Gumball empowers creators by streamlining the sponsorship process and allowing podcast makers to focus on what they do best: realizing the innovative and stellar work that they envision,” said Nick van der Kolk, host and creator of Love and Radio. “Choosing to partner with them was a natural choice and I’m excited to work together!”

Episodes of Love and Radio drop every other week on Wednesdays starting July 20, and they support 1-minute dynamic pre-roll and 1-minute dynamic mid-roll ads.

Marty Michael, CEO at Gumball, said, “As a longtime fan of Love and Radio, I can’t wait to see it thrive on the marketplace. With the addition of the show, we’ve reached nearly 80 new podcasts on Gumball in 2022 alone. We’re excited to continue adding quality podcasts to our offerings and attracting quality advertisers in turn.”

Advertisers can start their next ad campaign on Love and Radio on Gumball today.

Exile Content Studio Names Daniel Batista As Chief Digital Officer

~ jen

Exile Content Studio, recently acquired by Kevin Mayer and Tom Stagg’s Candle Media, announced it has hired Daniel Batista as Chief Digital Officer. In his new role, Batista will oversee Exile’s podcast and digital content studios.

Exile Content Studio Chief Executive Officer Isaac Lee said,”In this next phase of Exile’s growth, Daniel will play a critical role in realizing our vision to create a content ecosystem built around compelling IP.”

Exile Content Studio President Alejandro Uribe said, “Our strategic growth gains further strength in welcoming Daniel Batista as Chief Digital Officer. Daniel is a well-respected, seasoned veteran, with extensive experience across media and entertainment including TV, film and digital. He will be instrumental in scaling our podcast business and leading the digital content team to bring value across all of Exile.”

Prior to joining Exile, Batista served as a consultant to actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez and producer Ben Odell’s 3Pas Studios advising on expansion into new revenue streams and was the Co-Founder, President & COO of BESE, a digital media studio and publisher founded by actress Zoe Saldaña.

Before co-founding BESE, Daniel served in executive roles at Mitú, a leading digital-first media brand for Latino youth, and theAudience, a celebrity social media publishing startup backed by William Morris Endeavor. Prior to entering the digital media startup space, Daniel was a management consultant in L.E.K. Consulting’s Media & Entertainment practice and spent eight years in global finance and distribution roles in television and film at three major studios.- Universal, Warner Bros and Paramount – based out of Los Angeles, London and Mexico City.

“I’m thrilled to join Exile to further its growth in the podcast and digital space by working with top talent and investing in IP,” said Batista. “With Isaac and Alejandro’s leadership and Candle Media behind us, Exile is poised to become the market leader in US Hispanic, Latin and Spanish content across all platforms.”

Daniel received his MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management and his BS and BA from the University of California, Berkeley in Business Administration and Psychology, respectively.

Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast Partners With BiggerPockets Media Network

~ jen

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading ‘Podcasting As A Service’ platform announced a new exclusive advertising partnership with BiggerPockets, the leading real estate investing media network, on AdvertiseCast. Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast is the industry’s premier podcast advertising marketplace, empowering brands to effectively target and reach a highly engaged and surging podcast audience. The seven-figure deal makes AdvertiseCast the exclusive channel partner representing the BiggerPockets ad inventory.

BiggerPockets’ mission is to help people find personal freedom and financial flexibility through real estate investing. Under the terms of the deal, AdvertiseCast is supporting the podcasts within BiggerPockets network: Bigger Pockets Real Estate, BiggerPockers Money, The Real Estate Rookie Podcast, and BiggerPockets Daily. The BiggerPockets network boasts the largest real estate investing community with two million-plus members; the number one real estate investing podcast with 110 million downloads since 2013; and two of the top 20 Business podcasts.

“With its tremendous listenership growth, advertisers are increasingly turning to the intimate and highly captive podcast storytelling medium for its efficacy in driving measurable brand outcomes,” said Dave Hanley, Chief Revenue Officer at Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast. “Real estate investing is certainly a hot topic of interest for many and BiggerPockets has built a massive real estate investing community that’s highly desirable for many advertisers to reach and we look forward building on our partnership to further support the growth of BiggerPockets’ network of podcasts.”

“We are excited to expand our partnership with AdvertiseCast,” said Lisa Shroyer, General Manager of Media for BiggerPockets. “Having worked together for years already, we believe AdvertiseCast has the best team and platform in the industry to help us take our podcast business to the next level.”

Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast combines an industry-leading ad buying and management platform with full-service capabilities. With its comprehensive and innovative tech tools and insights, AdvertiserCast makes it easy for podcast advertisers to initiate and manage highly targeted and measurable campaigns, while providing maximum return for creators.

Pushkin Industries Acquired Creative Podcast Company Transmitter Media

~ jen

Pushkin Industries, the audio company co-founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg, announced the acquisition of the Peabody-nominated independent podcast company Transmitter Media, marking a ramping up of Pushkin’s in-house production capabilities for both editorial and commercial opportunities.

Transmitter’s founder and CEO, Gretta Cohn, will join Pushkin Industries’ senior leadership reporting directly to Pushkin CEO Jacob Weisberg. Transmitter’s existing staff will continue to work on current projects as a newly formed department within Pushkin. This milestone marks Puskin’s first corporate acquisition.

“We’re delighted to welcome the team from Transmitter, which Gretta has built into one of the best audio production companies anywhere. Their track record and reputation for bespoke production speak for themselves,” said Jacob Weisberg. “At Pushkin, Gretta will continue to lead an ambitious team of producers and manage their superb client work, while taking on a senior leadership role at our company.”

“Pushkin makes some of the most dynamic and thought-provoking work in audio,” said Gretta Cohn. “Our producers are thrilled to join world-class audio talent – on both sides of the mic – and grow with a company whose commitments to inclusivity and editorial rigor reflect ours. I know our team will thrive at Pushkin.”

Transmitter Media was founded by Gretta Cohn in 2017 and developed and produced the critically acclaimed podcasts Finding Fred, Meltdown, and Rebel Eaters Club. In January 2022, they announced a multi-year strategic partnership with TED Audio Collective to produce a slate of ambitious podcast storytelling and conversation shows, including WorkLife with Adam Grant, which they’ve been partnering on since its inception in 2017, Am I Normal with Mona Chalabi, Body Stuff with Jen Gunter and TED Business. Transmitter’s clients and partners have included The New York Times, ESPN, Spotify and New York Magazine, among others.

This acquisition, brokered by Room Tone, comes on the heels of Puskin’s recent first-look deal with A24, the indie studio behind TV shows and movies like “Euphoria” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once”.

Pushkin is launching five new podcasts this fall, including shows with journalist Lauren Ober and bestselling author Emily Nagoski as well as co-productions with partners such as Bloomberg and Somethin’ Else/Sony Music Entertainment.

Additionally, Pushkin will be publishing an original audiobook with actress, writer, and director Lake Bell in November and has upcoming audiobook projects with Steve Martin and the estate of Mary Oliver slated for 2023. iHeartMedia is Pushkin’s exclusive sales and distribution partner. Granderson Des Rochers represented Transmitter Media, and Gunderson Dettmer represented Puskin Industries.

Crowd Network Bolsters Senior Team

~ jen

Crowd Network (Crowd), a fast-growing Manchester audio-on-demand network, has welcomed Rob Roberts-Facey to its team as a senior producer, joining the BBC. Roberts-Facey will work closely alongside Tom Fordyce, Crowd creative director, to develop at the network, Crowd Sports.

Having previously worked as creative lead for BBC Sport, Robert-Facey also worked across Match of the Day, Sports Personality of the Year and sports documentaries for BBC One. With over 11 years’ experience at the broadcaster, he has been involved in coverage of the biggest sporting moments of the last decade, from World Cups to the Olympics.

Currently home to chart-topping podcasts The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club and The Joe Marler Show, Crowd planes to officially launch the new sports division next year. Roberts-Facey and Fordyce will lead on the expansion of the network’s existing sport shows and development of new podcasts, with more high-profile sports stars set to join in 2022.

Crowd Sports will join the network’s existing content divisions. Crowd Stories, including the likes of critically acclaimed Murder In House Two and American Vigilante, brings trailblazing investigations and documentaries to life. Crowd People, home to podcasts including The Sam and Billie Show and Go Love Yourself, sees listeners get closer to some of the most popular names in entertainment.

Roberts-Facey’s appointment bolsters Crowd’s senior leadership team, which has undergone significant growth since its 2020 launch. Having started as a team of four, the network now counts 18 amongst the business and is set to welcome further new hires later in the summer.

Mike Carr, CEO of Crowd Network, said: “It’s fantastic to have Rob on board, given his experience in leading productions for some of the biggest global sporting events and shows. It stands him in good stead as we look to grow our sports podcast offering, work with more brilliant names and brands in spot, and continue to develop original shows that listeners truly connect with.

“As we expand the shows, talent and brands that we work with, we’re focused on having the right people in the team to support this, who have the drive and energy to push us forward. Rob in particular will be vital to developing our sports specialism, alongside Tom, as we look to officially launch Crowd Sports next year. I’m excited to welcome him into the team.”

Rob Roberts-Facey, Senior Producer at Crowd Network, said: “Having watched Crowd go from strength to strength over the last two years, I am thrilled to be part of the team. Its productions are quality, and the focus on connecting listeners with the shows, hosts, and people behind the podcasts is something I’ve always admired. To be able to play a part in this and work closely alongside Tom and the team again, is brilliant. We have so much scope to grow – from the names we work with, to the podcasts we bring to listeners – and I am incredibly excited to help take Crowd Sports to the next level.”

Just Sleep Joins The Acast Creator Network

~ jen

Just Sleep, the popular sleep podcast, has joined the Acast Creator Network.

Being told you have a voice that could send someone to sleep can go one of two ways. For a motivational speaker, it’s not great news – but for podcast host Taesha Glasgow, sending people to sleep is her job.

In 2021, Taesha launched Just Sleep – Bedtime Stores for Adults. Originally as a sleep aid for her husband, the idea was straightforward: Taesha read a short story, recording using a simple microphone and her smooth, calm voice gradually helped her husband fall asleep.

It worked, and Taesha developed the format, recruiting her now well-rested husband to edit the show, and has since released more than 130 episodes that have racked up more than four million downloads.

Just Sleep will be supported by Acast’s range of monetization and growth options – with a focus on sponsorship and direct listener support through Acast+ subscriptions.

Taesha Glasgow, host of Just Sleep, said: “The podcast started as a personal project but has grown dramatically. I get messages almost every day from listeners that struggle with insomnia and the show has become part of their nightly routine. Now working with Acast, we will help even more people around the world fall asleep faster and sleep better.”

Sam Shetabi, Creator Network Director, UK at Acast, said: “We’re seeing a growth in creators developing wellbeing podcasts and sleep aids like Just Sleep, because podcasts are the perfect companion to help calm our busy minds – and Taesha has created the best podcast to help wind down and fall asleep. It’s already a firm favorite at Acast, and we’re looking forward to helping her bring her podcast to new listeners around the world.”

Just Sleep – Bedtime Stories for Adults is now available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Samsung Free, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

SALT Boosts Development And Production Team With New Hires

~ jen

SALT, the leading audio-first media company behind some of the biggest breakout podcasts including Dave Chappelle’s The Midnight Miracle, announced Kenzi Wilbur joins the team as VP of Partnerships and Development and Robert Adler as Head of Post Production. Wilber and Adler’s appointments signify a pivotal moment for SALT as the company continues to build out its slate of originals and scale production infrastructure while continuing to marry the best-in-market talent to best-in-class creative.

Wilbur joins SALT from Luminary, where she co-led the founding content team at Luminary to build and produce the company’s founding podcast slate including: The Midnight Miracle, Russell Brand’s mediation podcast, Above the Noise; New York Magazine’s Tabloid; and Lies We Tell from Alex Ginny and Jigsaw Productions. Wilbur is a James Beard Award-nominated podcast host and producer who started her career in audio at Food52, where she was head of editorial and oversaw all editorial content, strategy and production,

Under Wilbur’s leadership, SALT is in production on a slate of new podcasts featuring top-talent, narrative and nonfiction stories including Become, a new first-of-its-kind health and wellness podcast series; the premiere Web3 native interactive audio experience in partnership with Jenkins the Valet; and a new show celebrating the music behind social change in partnership with Repairers of the Breach, a movement-building nonprofit organization behind Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, drawing on the unfinished work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.

“Making The Midnight Miracle with SALT was the beginning of a really beautiful working relationship I knew I wanted to last well beyond the first season,” said Wilbur. “I could not be prouder of working with the team – and their creative superpowers – at SALT as we continue pushing the boundaries of what’s next in audio.”

Adler joins SALT from Spotify, where he designed the process that Spotify used to engage production companies in the space to scale podcasting globally. Adler also led production and post operations for Spotify’s internal podcast studio, Studio 4, where he oversee operations for all titles including “Stay Free: The Story of The Clash”, “Dissect” and “Nosy Neighbors” among others. Prior to Spotify, Robert worked in video production and post production, notably for Phillymack Management, creating digital content for world-renowned artists including Demi Lovato, Nick Jones, and DNCE.

What began with award winning and genre-defining work in audio fiction has quickly grown into SALT becoming the pre-eminent one stop partner for creating audio storytelling and brands. SALT’s appointment comes on the heals of the releases of Til This Day with Radio Rahim and Become, a new health and wellness podcast series on Amazon Music produced and developed by SALT, signifying the company’s ongoing expansion beyond talent-led fiction and continuing to explore new ways to break boundaries in audio.

“We’re entering a golden age of audio and those who value talent and quality first will come out ahead,” said Nick Panama, SALT CEO and Co-Founder. “Kenzi and Robert will bring with them a treasure trove of exceptional experiences combined with an eagerness to make SALT the home for the best creators in the world who want to platform in audio. Couldn’t be more grateful to welcome them to the team as we grow our ambitions.”

Libsyn’s Podcast Monetization Platform Glow Experiences 167% Revenue Growth

~ jen

Liberated Syndication Inc.. (“Libsyn”), the leading ‘Podcasting As A Service’ platform, announced that Libsyn Glow, a podcast monetization platform that the Company acquired in April 2021, has experienced a 167% revenue growth. The tremendous uptick underscores Libsyn’s mission to empower creators to reach their full potential, including the monetization of content through membership programs and listener-supported revenue.

Glow enables Libsyn podcasters, as well as those on other hosting sites, to benefit from a multitude of monetization options and tap into significant podcast subscription revenue streams. The digital platform, which offers ad-free, private feed podcast paywall and subscription billing, makes it easy to start a paid membership program and offer exclusive content to podcast audiences. Podcaster also have the option to accept monetary support from listeners, using the same secure and seamless Glow payment system.

“Libsyn Glow’s growth trajectory demonstrates a strong desire from podcasters to monetize their content on their own terms and an increased willingness from audiences to pay for premium content from their favorite creators,” said Yvette Menase, Senior Product Manager, Libsyn. “Whether opting for a subscription model, an advertising-driven model, or a combination of both, Libsyn offers a robust, open platform for podcasters to grow their content business and community of listeners.”

“The NoSleep Podcast began offering its premium membership program known as the ‘Season Pass’ back in 2013. Those early days were a struggle with technology not quite suited to the burgeoning platform of paid podcast content. When we moved our Season Passes to the Glow system, the process became so much easier for us and our members. The feedback from our listeners has been overwhelmingly positive. We celebrate along with Glow and the team at Libsyn for providing such a robust and supportive platform,” said David Cummings, Host and Producer of the NoSleep Podcast, a multi-award-winning anthology podcast series of original horror stories.

“Glow’s customer service and support is incredible! They not only helped us get set up with donation support for our podcast, but also aided in the creation of a special private podcast feed for our Labs Narrative Podcasting course,” said Laura Joyce Davis, Host and Writer of the Shelter in Place podcast. “I’m continually amazed and impressed by how quickly they’ve responded whenever we needed anything. This is a great platform where you get support from real people who are committed to helping you succeed.” Shelter in Place is an award-winning narrative nonfiction podcast blending open-hearted personal essays and intimate interviews.

According to a UTA study, 40 percent of U.S. consumers ages 13-54 directly pay creators for interactions and nearly half (49 percent) of those who’ve paid for creator economy services are spending at least $25 a month to do so.

Podcast creators are giving rise to the ‘passion economy’ whereby creators are monetizing their individuality. And subscription models are bolstering the passion economy, enabling independent and established podcasters to scale their businesses and open new revenue streams. Subscriptions elevate the unique relationship a podcaster has with their audience and takes it to the next level by offering the creator a way to tighten the bond with their most engaged listeners, who in turn get exclusive or early-access to content.

SiriusXM And Comscore Are Bringing Predictive Audience Targeting To Podcasts

~ jen

SiriusXM and Comscore announced an expanded Agreement, bringing Comscore Predictive Audiences to clients across both AdsWizz and SXM Media. Building upon Comscore’s audience targeting to publishers and marketers across AdsWizz’s podcast ecosystem, with SXM Media to come later in 2022.

Predictive Audiences is the industry’s first cookie-free targeting capability that enables advertisers to reach audiences developed from an initial set of privacy-compliant consumer data attributes tied to cross-platform content consumption patterns. These audiences are expanded when transcription technology matches attributes to granular context for better contextual targeting and advertising reach. Leveraging Comscore’s global opt-in panels publishers and marketers will now have access to hundreds of audiences available for podcasts. Now, advertisers can target their audio advertisements to consumer audiences baed on their TV and streaming consumption, gaming habits, life stage, CPG purchase behaviors, and more, across AdsWizz’s podcast ecosystem, with SXM Media to come later in 2022.

“WIth podcast consumption skyrocketing and the regulatory environment still very fluid, it’s critical to give advertisers the ability to develop privacy-forward and future-proof audience targeting on podcasts,” said Rachel Gantz, General Manager, Activation Services, Comscore. “Our expanded agreement with AdsWizz and SXM Media means that advertisers now have even better tools to ensure their advertising is appearing in podcast content aligning with their campaign KPIs, while also giving podcast content producers a more sophisticated offering to help better monetize their content.”

“Across the SiriusXM ad platform and technology group, we are committed to embracing the future of audio with technology that puts consumers first, offering privacy-conscious solutions to give our listeners the best experience and our marketers and publishers the best results,” said Maria Breza, Vice President of Data Operations & Ad Quality Measurement at SXM Media and AdsWizz. “From AudioID to our newly-expanded relationship with Comscore, we’re taking the audio marketplace and supercharging it with the technology and insights needed for advertisers to effectively reach their target audiences in podcasts at scale.”

“As longtime collaborators with AdsWizz, we are thrilled to have the Comscore Predictive Audiences added to our stable of capabilities. Innovative tools and technology scubas this are what allow us to offer brands ways to run campaigns and support NPR’s essential journalism that give them more control over where their message will appear,” said Brett Robinson, Senior Vice President of Ad Operations at National Public Media.

IZEA Teams With Vennly To Power Sponsored Audio Across Creator Economy

~ jen

IZEA Worldwide, Inc., the premier provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for the world’s leading brands, announced it is partnering with Vennly, a leading audio software company that enables the distribution of branded audio content directly to existing channels of marketing and communications, like social media, newsletters, SMS, and web properties.

Central to the relationship, Vennly will introduce brands to IZEA’s network of influencers in the audio media marketplace, and Vennly will join the fast-growing IZEA Solution Partner Program.

The audio and podcasting industry is growing quickly, accelerated by the pandemic, and it projects to be a $95 billion industry by 2028, according to Grand View Research. This represents an opportunity for influencers and marketers alike to create value for their respective brands.

“Brands are eager to engage with creators in audio because the format offers exceptional authenticity and trust,” said Brian Landau, CEO of Vennly. “In participating with IZEA, we are not only able to better connect marketers with the right types of creators for their brand, but we enable that testimonial and branded audio content to be published directly to where their audiences already are, which maximizes reach and engagement.”

“Partnering with Vennly allows IZEA to differentiate its offering to our new and existing clients,” said Ross Yellowlees, IZEA General Manager, Emerging Markets. “As audio continues to grow at an exponential rate, this partnership further diversifies how IZEA can bring our clients’ vision to life through a variety of innovative means. We also look forward to offering IZEA’s industry leading network of creators to Vennly’s clientele to take advantage of the intertwining worlds of audio and influencers.”

To work with IZEA as a brand or influencer, visit izea.com. Follow IZEA on Twitter at twitter.com/izea.