Catherine Browne is shaping the business model that helps creators take their media business beyond a single platform. As Vice President of Revenue and Partnerships at Podium, Night’s creator-first, video-led podcast network, she has helped build a top-ten network of more than 45 creator-led shows. Together, they reach over 50 million monthly video and audio impressions.
We spoke to her about what makes a show worth signing, where the money is heading and how creators can turn a podcast into a real media business.
Can you tell us about your background and how you first began working in podcasts and the creator economy?
I joined the podcast industry in late 2019 at a startup called Wondery. It was later acquired by Amazon and became one of the biggest podcast networks in the industry. Prior to Wondery, I had been working in TV on the linear ad sales team at Discovery Channel. I felt that advertising was so disconnected from the on-air talent, and major television networks weren’t able to move fast on creative briefs. Podcasting solved for a lot of that. Nimble teams, working directly with talent who made the ads themselves. Back in 2020, podcasting was much scrappier than it is today – but we’ve managed to maintain the creativity of the space, just adding layers of commercialization and scalability.
What attracted you to the podcast industry, and how has your role within it evolved?
I now lead Podium, a top-ten, creator-first podcast network. My role is to oversee the network across monetization and sales strategy, talent acquisition, licensing, and next-gen ad tech. I started in the industry on the sales side, working closely with brands testing podcast advertising for the first time. Now managing Podium, I love working closely with our creators, learning what excites them, and building brand sponsorships that are different from what everyone else is doing. Our team at Podium is the best at what we do because we think like creators when we build brand campaigns.
You’ve helped bring more than 15 creator-led shows into the network. What do you look for when considering a new podcast or creator partnership?
It’s been so exciting signing 16 new podcasts in the last year. Growing and evolving Podium’s roster is something I’m really proud of. Down to brass tacks, we focus on internet-native creators with video-first podcasts who have built cross-platform fandoms and engage with those audiences regularly. What we prioritize most is the inner circle, the core of loyal fans who show up for everything and not just the episode. That group is what makes a show worth buying. Spotify’s data shows that superfans stream nearly 20 times more of a show than casual listeners, and 2.5 times more likely to still be with a show after six months. Content wise, we’re seeing a ton of success with gaming and nerd culture shows, as well as female lifestyle and pop culture. We’re constantly diversifying the roster and adding new partnerships as our content strategy develops.
What separates a creator with a strong audience from one who can build a successful and sustainable podcast?
Not everyone can build a successful podcast. But when they do, the fandom is unmatched. We see a lot of viral TikTok and Instagram creators, as well as actors and athletes start podcasts that don’t develop into sustained audiences. What makes a podcaster stand out is their ability to pull fans into their orbit and engage them throughout their online ecosystem. These podcasters chat with their fans in the YouTube comments, post podcast clips on their personal social media pages, and host live events to meet their communities. Trisha Paytas, who we work with, does an incredible job of this. She’s been posting on YouTube since the mid-2000s and has grown her following to more than 20 million across platforms. She launched “Just Trish” in 2023, and it hit more than 50 million streams in its first eight months on the way to becoming one of the top podcasts in the industry, using the full power of her online universe to stay connected with her fans.
How do you help creators develop their podcast beyond simply growing its audience?
At Podium, we give talent the infrastructure and resources to be successful. We believe that allowing creators to drive the vision and strategy for their podcast is the most important thing we do. We work closely with each podcast on our roster to support what they individually need for growth – whether that be marketing support, audience development strategy, brand partnerships or new revenue streams.
What are the biggest commercial opportunities currently available to creator-led podcasts?
Creator-led podcasts are at an inflection point with commercialization and scale. The space is dominated by traditional :60 midroll ads, but the future is with custom cross-platform integrations. Take Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend” for example. During the Super Bowl this year, we worked with Pepsi to create a one-of-a-kind campaign with the goal of going viral. Pepsi brought an eight-foot polar bear (not a real one) from their Super Bowl commercial “The Choice” on set with Theo Von to play an interactive game in which they prove Pepsi Zero Sugar is the preferred soda. This segment was extended across Theo’s socials and gained a ton of traction online. It’s not too often you see a polar bear on the set of a podcast! These are the types of first to market campaigns that will drive the future of podcasting.
How important is video to the future of podcasting, particularly when it comes to discovery and audience growth?
Video is the future of discoverability in podcasting. When podcasting was only available via an RSS feed in audio format, discovering or sharing a new show wasn’t the seamless experience it is today. For example, you previously would share a link to a podcast over SMS. Now with video as a key medium in podcasting, hosts frequently distribute clips of their show across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, which can be easily shared with new viewers. In fact, a 2026 study from Sounds Profitable found that 40% of listeners discover their favorite podcasts on YouTube, and that YouTube and social together account for 61% of all podcast discovery. With our launch of the podcast The Hidden Third in October 2025, hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller, YouTube Shorts was the primary form of discoverability and audience growth for the show.
What are some of the most common mistakes creators make when launching or developing a podcast?
There are three key mistakes I often see when creators launch a podcast. First is not posting clips cross-platform. YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels (even hidden from the main feed), and TikTok are the trifecta for discoverability. Post the catchy sound bites as much as possible in the first few weeks to drive subscribers and engagement. It matters more than people think, because 73% of weekly listeners now consume their favorite shows across more than one format. Second, you need to understand and listen to your audience. Our show The Yard does an amazing job of engaging with theirs, and their fans even have a Reddit subthread praising their ad reads. Third, trying to do it all alone. Production, audience strategy, platform relationships, and monetization are four different jobs, and most creators only want to do one of them. That’s where a partner like Podium comes in. Our goal is to meet partners where they need the most support, whether that be development, editorial features on platforms like Apple or Spotify, or delivering brand partners from episode #1.
How do you see the relationship between creators, podcast networks and platforms evolving over the next few years?
We’re going to see creators continue to evolve into multi-dimensional businesses. Partners and platforms will evolve to meet their needs for growth and commercialization. Long gone are the days when podcasts were just an audio feed. Successful podcasters will be video-first, engage across their social platforms and at live events, offer merch, and more. Podium will continue to support our partners, and as a part of Night, service the full ecosystem of creators.
What advice would you give to a creator who wants to turn their podcast into a wider media business?
A creator looking to turn their podcast into a wider media business needs to know everything about their audience and the value they bring to them. From basic demographics, to the cities they live in, what activities they participate in, to what causes matter to them. That’s what tells you which wider businesses they’d actually engage with, and which problems they’d pay someone to solve. We work with Abbey Sharp and she’s a great example of this. Abbey is a registered dietitian, having gained online fandom through TikTok as “The No BS Dietitian.” She has a thriving online community through her recipe site and YouTube channel, two books, online coaching, and now her podcast “Bite Back with Abbey Sharp.” Her media ecosystem centers around the trust she has with her community.
Finally, what excites you most about the future of creator-led podcasting?
What excites me most about the future of creator-led podcasting is the wide open space to be original, unique, and authentic. I see my role at Podium as helping build the infrastructure to scale creators being themselves. I want to see more brands take risks and build cool stuff alongside our partners. Creators will bring ingenuity and authenticity, and we’ll complement that with the trust, commercial process, and structure in order for brands to say yes. I’m excited for the future where there are even more polar bears on set (metaphorically, at least).
Catherine’s message is clear: a podcast is no longer just a show. It’s the centre of a wider creator business. The creators who succeed are video-first and post clips across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to be discovered. They also invest in their inner circle of superfans, the people who turn up for everything and not only the episode.
For brands, the opportunity is moving beyond the standard 60-second ad read towards bold, cross-platform campaigns built with creators, not just placed around them.
For creators, the lesson is to know your audience inside out and to accept that production, growth, platform relationships and monetisation are four separate jobs.
The right partners can help with all four. Whether you’re a creator, a talent manager or a brand, the chance to build something original in podcasting has never been bigger. As Catherine puts it, the future needs more polar bears on set.
