Page 54 - Adnews Magazine January 2022

Meet the Team
DIANA LEE•ACCOUNT MANAGER
What’s the hardest part of your role?
There are so many players within Australia’s audio market and that can make it quite a cluttered space to get share of voice so we’re constantly having to work to elevate the Acast brand and that of our podcast partners. In addition to that, one of the tricky parts of the job is
simply keeping up to date with the huge breadth of podcast content. I try to squeeze as much podcast listening into my days as possible — it’s a pretty extensive playlist.
What do you wish people better understood about Acast?
The one thing we always get questions on is how Acast actually works, in terms of our content
and the way it’s distributed. We don’t own any podcasts — instead, we champion our creators’ independence, and their choices to manage and monetise their shows in the ways that are right for them. For distribution, we’re platform agnostic — meaning we host the podcasts and distribute them to
all podcast players such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you might listen to your podcasts.
What are you looking forward to in 2022?
I’m loving the move towards
audio storytelling, not just with
the podcast content itself but also the ads within them — and our Sponsored Stories ad format is something that is helping bring that to the fore. In 2022, I’m looking forward to seeing brands get creative — and especially seeing visual brands telling their stories through the spoken word. I want to see them push the envelope and really use audio as a blank canvas.
GUY SCOTT-WILSON•AUNZ CONTENT DIRECTOR
What’s the most exciting part of your role?
Podcasting is a rapid-growth medium, and it’s not often in your career that you get a chance to contribute to an industry being built from the ground up. At the 2021 Australian Podcast Awards, you could really see how much the industry has developed in
just the past four years since Acast launched in this market
— and there are continual periods of innovation and consolidation that keep us on our toes as this podcasting thing scales.
What goals do you have for the next 12 months?
Next year is going to be about creating additional revenue
streams for creators, who are already doing really well through the advertising model. We’ll
be getting even more of our creators using Acast+, a paid subscription model that gives them the opportunity to offer their listeners additional experiences such as bonus content and early episode releases. Giving audiences greater choice, while diversifying revenues, is a really attractive proposition for podcast creators.
What do you wish people better understood about Acast?
We’re a partnerships business. Every dollar that comes in the door gets split with a creator, so we’re as invested in the success of our content partners as
they are. We care deeply about audience growth and ensuring our podcasters can reach as many listeners as possible in the most immersive environment in the world.
www.adnews.com.au | January-February2022 54