Acast appoints Daniella Murphy to spearhead UK+ Acast Creative team; promotes Jack Preston

Acast today announces the hire of Daniella Murphy as Acast Creative Director UK+ to lead Acast’s dedicated in-house creative team from London. Murphy and her team of podcast creatives will continue to work with the UK’s most loved and listened-to shows to create brilliant brand stories for advertisers, ensuring a great listener experience for anyone pressing play on an Acast podcast.

As well as focusing on creative innovation within audio, Murphy will develop campaigns for brands that expand beyond audio across multiple platforms. She joins Acast from Havas, where she led creative solutions for its media and entertainment clients including the BBC, UKTV, PayPal, giffgaff, Kia and The Open University.

Prior to that Murphy worked at Wavemaker and OMD UK, where she played an integral role in developing the media agency’s in-house creative offering. Her work has been recognised by the likes of Campaign and at Cannes Lions, and in 2018 she was named one of Media Week’s rising stars.

The appointment signals further expansion of the eminent podcast company’s in-house Acast Creative team, which develops bespoke, innovative campaigns to deliver brilliant brand stories in podcasting and beyond. Launched in 2019, Acast Creative offers solutions such as long-form audio formats and campaign amplification including social, experiential and product launches — all rooted in Acast’s leading podcasting talent.

Murphy will continue to work closely with Acast’s top podcasting talent to build on the 58% increase in brand spend Acast recorded in the UK last year.

Jack Preston, Director of Acast Creative UK+ & US, said: “Throughout her career Dani has consistently demonstrated herself to be a talented creative, and joins us with years of invaluable experience and a track record of delivering innovative and culturally relevant campaigns.

“The team is currently undergoing a period of expansion, so it’s crucial we have the right person in place to lead all these positive changes — and I’ve no doubt that Dani is that person.”

Daniella Murphy, Acast Creative Director UK+, added: “Having been lucky enough to work with Acast in my previous role, I know what a brilliant team I’m joining — coupled with the fact I’m able to work in podcasting, a medium I absolutely love.

“Beyond the incredible storytelling and top-tier talent, podcasts are one of the few digital spaces that truly respect the relationship with its audience, allowing brands to connect with podcast fans in a meaningful way. And there’s so much opportunity that’s yet to be unlocked."

Jack Preston, who previously held the position, has been promoted to the global role of Director of Acast Creative UK+ & US. He’ll continue to work with Murphy to grow Acast Creative’s offering within the UK+ region, but with a focus on leading the expansion of Acast Creative within the US market.

Working alongside recently appointed Shantae Howell, Acast’s Creative Director for the Americas, Preston will support Acast’s mission to offer US-based advertisers a more creative approach to telling their stories within podcasting.