Jottings of note:
Joining the forefront
“Acast is at the forefront of podcasting innovation,” industry veteran Laura Hagen enthuses, as she joins the global podcast powerhouse in the role of SVP, Americas & Global Head of Agency Relations. She comes from Zeta Global, where she led agency partnerships and strategic accounts for three years. Before that she was at iHeartMedia for nearly ten years, climbing the ladder to President of Strategic Accounts & Agency Parnerships. “I am so energized to join Acast at this pivotal moment of growth, working alongside this talented team,” she said. “Our goal is to bridge the gap between highly engaged audiences and the brands looking to connect with them.” Acast says that Hagen’s expertise in AI and proprietary data sets will fit with the company’s data-driven approach. “Our goal is to bridge the gap between highly engaged audiences and the brands looking to connect with them,” Hagen states. The podcast market is maturing at an extremely rapid pace, and I am truly excited to join such an innovative company leading the way.”
The Circle Spins
Wait — is it annual prediction time already? In the second week of October? Media news site ExchangeWire courageously thinks so, dipping its toe into the divination pool nearly 12 weeks out. (HERE) The audacity deepens as we observe that the prediction target window isn’t just next year, it is 2026-2030. Eleven prediction topics are presented, one being Podasts. It where a cirular formula is divined: “Where ears are, ad budgets follow. Where ad budgets are, more podcasts appear. And so the vicious circle spins.” Well, vicious seems harsh. But we agree with the general “sky’s the limit” attitude. Other predition categories include Flat-Earther Marketing, Generations Z, Gen Alpha and Gen Nano, and ads in AI chat.
October 8, 2025
