Acast has expanded its operations in Australia, making its first Victoria-based hire and reinforcing its growing footprint in the region. Bryce Crosswell has been appointed group sales lead, Victoria, and will be based in Melbourne — responsible for spearheading growth in this market, working to help brands and agencies include podcasting in their audio marketing strategies.
Crosswell joins Acast from his previous role of group sales manager at JCDecaux, where he spent the past nine years forging his career in the out-of-home industry. Crosswell’s credibility, knowledge of the Australian media landscape, and the strength of the local relationships he has built throughout his career, offer the perfect fit as Acast moves to make a larger presence within the Victorian market.
Acast’s expansion into Victoria comes at a time of tremendous growth for the company, having just reported net sales growth of 89% for Q3-21, compared to Q3-20.
Podcasting continues to boom in Australia, with PwC’s 17th annual Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook report forecasting that commercial expenditure in Australian podcasting will hit $105 million AUD in 2022 — up from just $5 million AUD in 2017.
Since entering the Australian market in 2017, Acast’s presence has grown significantly, with high-profile podcasters such as Osher Günsberg, Meshel Laurie, and Urzila Carlson joining the Acast Creator Network and brands such as Google, Samsung, McDonalds and Microsoft investing in podcast advertising with Acast.
To keep up with business growth and to meet the demand of local advertisers, Acast has been busy building its Australian team, going from six employees to 23 in the past 12 months.
Bryce Crosswell, Acast’s group sales lead, Victoria, said: “I first got hooked on podcasts for the educational aspect, but have since been captivated by the storytelling capabilities podcasts have to offer — and I’m quickly learning that it’s those same storytelling capabilities that make podcast advertising so unique. There’s huge potential for advertisers in this space, so I’m eager to lead the expansion of the commercial team into Victoria and to help local brands reach listeners across Australia and the world.”
Henrik Isaksson, managing director, Acast Australia and New Zealand, said: “One of our key objectives this year has been to broaden our presence across Australia. Having seen a real demand from clients in Victoria, we know that now is the perfect time to put boots on the ground in Melbourne. Having Bryce as part of the team represents the next stage of growth for Acast in Australia and that local touch point will prove invaluable for Victorian advertisers wanting to tell their story with podcasting.”