One of the UK’s fastest-growing media companies has unveiled the first cohort for its new creator incubator, offering investment, mentorship and commercial support to six digital creators as it looks to help build the next generation of media businesses.
Goalhanger’s The Accelerator has selected six creators working across entertainment, history, politics, finance and drama for the three-month programme, with each receiving up to £10,000 in production funding alongside access to the company’s senior editorial, creative and commercial teams.
Among the successful applicants is politics and history creator Tom Nicholas who plans to use the investment to expand production of Slow News Days, his series exploring breaking news stories and political context.
The programme, launched earlier this year, was created to support creators across entertainment, lifestyle, sport, politics, science and technology, and finance, with Goalhanger describing it as an incubator inspired by the tech sector.
Rather than simply representing talent, the company says it wants to help creators build sustainable, long-term media businesses through funding, strategic support, mentorship and access to its editorial, production, commercial and audience growth expertise.
The full 2026 cohort comprises satirist and writer Cody Dahler, politics and history creator Tom Nicholas, journalist and author Sophia Smith Galer, actress and comedy writer Andrea Valls, historian and author Dr Eliza Filby, and The Receipts Podcast founder Tolly ‘T’ Shoneye.
Each creator will also receive Goalhanger advertising inventory across podcasts, YouTube, newsletters and paid media channels to help grow audiences, alongside masterclasses covering production, audience development, brand partnerships and long-form intellectual property.
The programme attracted hundreds of applications, with judges spending almost 100 hours reviewing submissions against criteria including creative ambition, commercial viability and expertise.
Jack Davenport, Co-Founder at Goalhanger, said: “Goalhanger has always been built around strong voices, loyal audiences and ideas with real momentum and that is exactly what we saw in this group. The Accelerator is not about handing over a cheque and sending people on their way, nor is it about forcing creators into a Goalhanger template. It is about giving them access to the experience, infrastructure and commercial support we have built, while protecting the thing that made audiences respond to them in the first place. They have already done the hardest bit: earning people’s attention and trust. Our role now is to help them build on that and turn it into something more durable.”
Nicole Logan, Executive Producer – Development at Goalhanger, added: “What impressed us was how clearly these creators understand their own work. They know who they are speaking to, why people keep coming back, and where they want to take their ideas next. The Accelerator gives them time, structure and hands-on support to develop that properly: refining formats, building teams, testing new approaches and thinking more ambitiously about how their creative business can scale.”
Tom Nicholas said: “After nearly a decade of making videos about politics for the internet, I’m excited to work with Goalhanger to further the sustainability of my team’s work. Amid a sea of misinformation, my experience shows there is still high demand for inquisitive, good-faith coverage of current affairs topics, even among younger audiences that legacy broadcasters struggle to engage. I look forward to scaling up our work to increase its impact both on and beyond social platforms like YouTube and TikTok.”
The announcement follows the launch of Goalhanger Ventures, the company’s new investment and partnerships arm, which is backing creator-led media businesses spanning video, social, audio, live events and commercial platforms.
Its first investments included an equity stake in Invisible Media, the business behind digital platform The Invisible Hand, and a commercial partnership with sports creator brand Backyard Cricket.
The latest initiative also comes after Goalhanger was named Britain’s fastest-growing private company in The Sunday Times 100, following rapid expansion across audio, video, live events, memberships and commercial activity.
