Hi,

Lydia Polgreen was a star reporter at the New York Times. Then she ran HuffPost. Now she’s helping Spotify break open the podcast business.

Polgreen took her job as head of content for Spotify’s Gimlet Media in early March, as the first wave of Covid-19 cancellations swept the nation. Co-founded by This American Life alum Alex Blumberg, Gimlet is known for its prestige-narrative podcasts, including StartUp and Reply All.

It’s an exciting time to make the jump to audio: Podcast ad revenue is among media’s fastest-growing revenue streams despite the pandemic. And Spotify has signaled its intention to be a major player with its recent strategic acquisitions of Gimlet and Bill Simmons’s The Ringer, as well as its exclusive deal with Joe Rogan.

On Nov. 18, Peter Kafka will ask Polgreen about how Gimlet fits into the Spotify family, her vision for Gimlet’s programming, and what’s next for audio. Watch live and ask Polgreen some questions of your own at Code Media@Home. This complimentary virtual event series is made possible by dentsu.