Acast has announced the appointment of Simon Baggs as senior creator network development manager for Australia and New Zealand.
Baggs will further grow the leading independent podcast company locally by attracting new names to the medium and working closely with local podcasters of all sizes to help them to find their audience, build and grow their shows, and make money from their craft.
Throughout his 20-year career in the audio industry, Baggs has worked on both sides of the mic – attracting huge audiences through his work as a host and executive producer in some of the most competitive markets in Australia.
Baggs is known for his creative and ambitious approach has played an integral part in some of the best-known radio campaigns in the country, such as ‘Bring Ellen Down Under’, and more recently his runway gig on Facebook that saw Queensland band Sheppard perform live on an international airport runway during the pandemic.
Baggs joins the existing Australia-based Acast Creator Network team – Jordon Lott, Adam Rollo and Olivia O’Flynn – and will also work alongside Tim Batt, who is based in New Zealand.
Guy Scott-Wilson, creator network director, Acast Australia and New Zealand, will continue to lead the team as they further supercharge a thriving, profitable, fair and sustainable open ecosystem for Australia and New Zealand’s podcasters.
Baggs said of the appointment: “Acast is a company that believes in the importance of the creator-listener relationship in podcasting, and everything it does is with creators in mind first and foremost.
“That’s a core value that strongly aligns with my own, and I’m looking forward to helping further that mission in Australia and New Zealand.
“I love storytelling through audio, and want to help more Australian creators and personalities build their own successful audio brands in this medium, without having to get the approval of the network overlords,” he added.
Scott-Wison said: “Simon joins us with huge knowledge and experience in the Australian audio industry, and I think that will translate perfectly into the work we’re doing in podcasting.
“The relationships he’s built over the course of his career, along with his shared vision for the future of audio, makes him the perfect person to help even more local creators make the successful pivot to podcasting,” he added.