Captivate appoints Rob Walch & Elsie Escobar to strengthen US podcast growth and expand offering for advertisers in partnership with DAX US and Global
Captivate, the podcast hosting, distribution and monetisation platform, today announced the appointment of Rob Walch, long-time podcast industry executive and host of podCast411, to help accelerate Captivate’s growth in the United States and further strengthen its podcast advertising and monetisation offering, in partnership with DAX US; both Captivate and DAX US are owned by Global, the Media & Entertainment group.
Walch joins Captivate from Libsyn, where he served as Vice President of Podcaster Relations, working closely with creators and publishers across the podcast ecosystem for 18 years. In his new role at Captivate’s VP of Podcaster Relations, Walch will focus on expanding creator and publisher partnerships in the US and supporting the continued development of Captivate’s commercial offering.
Captivate has also confirmed that Elsie Escobar has joined the team as Creator Success & Community Manager, supporting creator success and community growth. Elsie, also formerly of Libsyn where she spent 18 years in community management and podcaster relations, is the co-founder of She Podcasts, the world’s largest community for female-led podcasts.
As Podcast Hall of Fame inductees, Rob and Elsie bring a diverse range of expertise and industry experience to the Captivate team and will take over its In & Around Podcasting show to share fresh insights across the industry and continue to shape the medium alongside Captivate, DAX US, and Global, which recently launched Global Studios, a one-stop-shop for podcast creators, with best-in-class video and audio facilities, seamless distribution across all major platforms, and the marketing power of Global’s radio, digital and outdoor network.
Mark Asquith, Managing Director for Captivate at Global, said: “Since I began my own journey in podcasting, I’ve watched Rob & Elsie give more to the industry than anyone else. Their passion and focus is unrivalled, and I’m excited to work with them as we continue to shape the future of podcasting.”
Brian Conlan, President, DAX US, said: “As Captivate & DAX US continue to work closely together to bring a specialised experience to the US market, the appointment of Rob & Elsie adds a new dimension to our brand offering and serves to open up a new chapter in our business.”
Listen
About Global Media & Entertainment Limited
Global is one of the world’s leading Media & Entertainment groups. With a huge weekly reach, it is the UK and Europe’s largest Radio & Outdoor company.
Global is home to respected, national, market leading media brands including Capital, Heart, Classic FM, LBC, Global’s Newsroom, Smooth, Radio X, Capital XTRA and Gold Radio.
Global Player, the official app for all our brands, is at the core of Global’s content, allowing listeners to enjoy all of Global’s brand content, both audio and video, as well as award-winning podcasts, and expertly-curated playlists, in one place in app, web and smart speakers.
With an extensive and diverse portfolio, Global is also the leading Outdoor company in the UK & one of the largest in Europe with over 235,000 sites reaching 95% of the UK population.
On-air, on Global Player and with our outdoor platforms combined, Global reaches 51 million individuals across the UK every week, including 29 million on the radio alone.
Global created and operates DAX, the market leader in digital audio advertising. Through its proprietary technology, DAX connects advertisers with an audience of more than 130 million people worldwide, inserting targeted advertising into music streaming services, connected radio listening and podcasts, and operates a pioneering platform in programmatic outdoor advertising.
The company headquarters is in London’s iconic Leicester Square. Ashley Tabor-King CBE is Founder & Executive President, Simon Pitts is Group CEO, Stephen Miron is Chairman and James Rea is Chief Broadcasting and Content Officer. Ashley Tabor-King created Global in 2007.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.