Crowd Network has signed Darragh Kelly as Director of Strategic and Commercial Partnerships.
Darragh joins from Platform Media, where he was responsible for the commercial growth strategy of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby sports podcasts. He was pivotal in spearheading campaigns and working with significant brands.
Before Platform Media, Darragh led brand partnerships at Pitch International, Takumi, and was the global strategy manager at DAZN.
He brings experience in evolving monetisation across podcasting, social media, and experiential platforms. He’s 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, Darragh 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.
Alongside Darragh, 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, Sam 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. Phoebe 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.”
Darragh 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.”
