Crowd Network, the home of UK athlete-owned podcasts, has signed Darragh Kelly as director of strategic and commercial partnerships.
Kelly joins Crowd from Platform Media, where he executed the commercial growth strategy of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, transforming it into one of the UK’s most commercially successful sports podcasts. There, he was pivotal in spearheading campaigns and working with significant brands.
Prior to Platform Media, Kelly led brand partnerships at Pitch International, Takumi, and was the global strategy manager at DAZN. He has a wealth of experience in evolving monetisation pathways across podcasting, social media, and experiential platforms. He is also passionate about boosting investment in women’s sports and has worked with brands to produce authentic women’s rugby content.
In his new role, Kelly will shape Crowd’s commercial brand partnerships strategy and identify partners that align with its network of shows and talent. He will also develop Crowd’s women’s sports offering, partnering with brands that are committed to investing in its growth.
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Alongside Kelly, Crowd has also welcomed Sam Sheringham as an executive producer to build on the success of its latest chart-topping sports podcast For The Love Of Cricket, hosted by Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad. An SJA Award-winning journalist, Sheringham was formerly the audio lead in the BBC’s Sport and Documentaries department. Phoebe Street has also joined Crowd as a producer, previously at England Rugby. She will be responsible for content production across Crowd’s women’s sports offering.
Mike Carr, CEO of Crowd, said: “It’s fundamental that the brands we partner with are authentically aligned with our shows and hosts. Our athlete-owned podcasts have huge potential for commercial growth and I’m looking forward to seeing how Darragh’s expertise can help us supercharge our partnerships. His track record of commercially growing some of the biggest sports podcasts in the industry will be an incredible asset to our team, building on the names already in our network, and pushing boundaries of creative brand offerings.”
Kelly added: “The creative and commercial opportunities for athlete-owned podcasts are still vast, especially with new multi-channel partnerships and the roster of sporting talent that Crowd works with.
“Crowd’s existing partnerships stand out for their authenticity. I’m ambitious about how we can take these to the next level and offer creative and advantageous solutions that benefit our shows and our brand partners, especially with the huge potential in social media and live events. Women’s sports especially still lack genuine investment, and I’m passionate about the impact that onboarding new brand partners can have on closing the gender gap that still exists.”
Crowd is one of the fastest-growing independent podcast networks in Europe and works with a host of national brands and sports talent. The team produces shows with former Lionesses Jill Scott and Karen Carney, as well as rugby stars Ben Youngs, Dan Cole and Joe Marler, and cycling legend Geraint Thomas.
