Sony Music Entertainment bolsters global podcast division with key new advertising sales hires

Sony Music Entertainment’s (SME) Global Podcast Division today announced new executive hires that will lead the division’s advertising sales business, including seasoned media sales executive Nick Southwell-Keely, who has joined the Company as Vice President of Podcast Advertising Sales. Southwell-Keely will be based in New York and report to Emily Rasekh, Senior Vice President, Podcast Business Operations and Development.

In his new role, Southwell-Keely will focus on building the division’s advertising revenue and developing strong relationships with a range of brands, agencies and ad-sales partners. He will also lead and execute innovative ad campaigns in collaboration with content partners and producers to continue growing the business globally. Southwell-Keely joins SME after serving as head of US Sales and Brand Partnerships at Acast, where he played an instrumental role in diversifying Acast’s revenue streams and helped build the company’s insight hub for customers. Southwell-Keely has more than 16 years of experience selling integrated media solutions to premium global brands and agencies, across digital, programmatic, video, and social.

“As we continue to expand our podcast division, we are excited to welcome a new team of experienced executives to grow our advertising business and bring in new revenue streams,” said Rasekh. “Nick has a vast understanding for the podcast ad sales space and we are confident in his vision for building and executing our strategy globally alongside a great team.”

Southwell-Keely added: “I am thrilled to take the next step in my career by joining a company that has been a leader in audio entertainment for decades and I greatly look forward to developing new ways to highlight why our roster of premium shows is the number one destination for advertisers.”

In addition to Southwell-Keely, Steph Beran-Sanderson will join the Company as the new Head of Branded Podcasts in the US, where she will prospect, develop and manage branded podcasts for existing and new clients. With over a decade of digital media experience, Beran-Sanderson was most recently the Head of Marketing for Meet Cute, where she led brand and growth strategies. The team based in New York will also include Brett Schreiber, who recently joined SME as Account Executive, Podcast Ad Sales.

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About Sony Music Podcasts

Sony Music Podcasts is a division of Sony Music Entertainment, a global leader in audio at the intersection of music, podcasting, entertainment and technology. Through our diverse global partnerships with leading creators and our team of sales, marketing and business development professionals, Sony Music Podcasts uses our core strengths to help the podcast community achieve greater levels of success. In alignment with our creator-first philosophy, we drive impactful storytelling through compelling content everywhere.