"Fan engagement is very important to us," said Carlson Romano, who played big sister Ren Stevens on the early-2000s Disney Channel sitcom "Even Stevens," and later voiced high-schooler-by-day, super-spy-by-night Kim Possible on the eponymous animated series. That spells both opportunity and competition for startups like PodCo, which is harnessing three unique assets to break through: widespread recognition of the shows the podcasts are themed around, a built-in audience of listeners who've aged up alongside the actor-hosts, and a sophisticated approach to data and analytics that helps keep fans coming back. Triton Digital found in a report last year that downloads of podcasts had surged by 20%, and, according to Insider Intelligence, the overall sector's value could surpass $95 billion globally by 2028. More than 200 million Americans over the age of 12 were listening to podcasts monthly in 2022, according to Edison Research. The startup has already inked advertising deals with brands like Hello Fresh and Petsmart, the founders said, adding that Rooney, who serves as CEO, is personally spearheading sales efforts.īrendan Rooney, left, and Christy Carlson Romano, co-founders of PodCo. PodCo currently counts 15 staffers working to expand its portfolio to some 20 shows by next year and the company also plans to build out existing teams including social media, ad sales, and press and marketing. The objective is to rack up "millions" of listeners, "and we have pretty aggressive strategies on how we're going to do that," Rooney told Insider. Since their debut, several PodCo shows have ranked among the top 10 television and film podcasts on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, according to Chartable. The podcasts have garnered hundreds of thousands of weekly downloads since they launched in February, according to Rooney, who previously served in the Marine Corps and later graduated from Columbia University and the American Film Institute Conservatory with an MFA in screenwriting. Buoyed by its recent success, the company is setting its sights on developing at least a dozen additional podcasts in the months ahead, its founders told Insider.įrom "Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide" to the "Wizards of Waverly Pod," PodCo has specialized in "rewatch" podcasts, in which the stars of popular bygone series relive famous episodes and tackle other topics. PodCo, a startup founded by former Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano and her husband, Brendan Rooney, has carved out a unique niche with five podcasts hosted by former teen stars who are navigating adulthood in real time. Kim Possible, Ned Bigby, and Harper Finkle are back - and the popular characters from the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon sitcoms of the aughts and early 2010s are climbing the podcast charts. Hosts of some of PodCo's chart-topping podcasts told Insider how the startup found a winning formula. "Even Stevens" star Christy Carlson Romano and her husband, Brendan Rooney, founded the startup.PodCo produces podcasts themed around Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows from the past two decades.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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