NPR has named Collin Campbell SVP Podcasting Strategy and Franchise Development

Acting NPR Chief Content Officer Edith Chapin has named Collin Campbell Senior Vice President of Podcasting Strategy and Franchise Development. He will start in December and be based at NPR West in Culver City.

“Podcasting is a natural way for NPR to tell stories with depth and character in addition to explanatory journalism. Collin brings the mix of journalism and podcasting experience that will build on NPR’s groundbreaking work with podcasts and refine our work for the ever changing media landscape,” said Chapin.

Until recently Campbell was Executive Editor for New Show Development at Gimlet Media, leading the process of producing new shows for the award-winning podcast studio. He helped create and launch several successful limited series, including Conviction (with Peabody winner Habiba Nosheen), Crime Show, Welcome to Your Fantasy, 544 Days (with the Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian) and other projects. Before that he was Executive Producer for Original Content at Audible where he created a portfolio of groundbreaking on-demand audio programs, including Sincerely, X, in partnership with TED; Evil Has a Name, a definitive account of the Golden State Killer case; and Making of a Massacre, an investigative project in collaboration with ProPublica.

“NPR’s role as a home for distinct voices and a defender of democracy is important to me and it will succeed and thrive under a leadership team that knows how to combine mission-driven journalism with a sophisticated understanding of audiences and the business of podcasting. I am excited about this opportunity to help shape that future,” said Campbell.

Campbell got his start in public radio 2003 as associate producer for Morning Edition at WNYC where he co-created two national programs with significant podcast audiences, The Takeaway and Freakonomics Radio. Later at KPCC he led a cross-platform content team at one of the largest public radio stations in the country, overseeing all daily show production, talent, new program development and production staff. At KPCC he built and hired teams, launched new programs and transformed a culture rooted in broadcast radio. Campbell played an active role in the station’s efforts to expand the public radio audience and serve diverse communities.

Campbell attended the University of California, Berkeley, and went to Columbia Journalism School where he’s been an Adjunct Instructor and Advisor at the Graduate School of Journalism.