Independent podcast company Acast has launched a new podcast series today with comedian Jessi Cruickshank hosting as part of the platform’s expansion in the Canadian market.
The weekly series titled Phone A Friend features the comedian in conversation with real-life friends and celebrities talking about moments in pop culture, The Real Housewives, Taylor Swift and so on. The podcast follows the success of her Facebook Watch video series New Mom, Who Dis? about the realities of motherhood, which gained over 100m views.
“I’ve always had a face for podcasting,” said Cruickshank. “Now I’ll finally get to use it on a platform where I can say all the things I can’t say anywhere else. Because you can’t get in trouble from a podcast, can you? Wait… can you?”
The first episode is premiering today with actor and screenwriter Dan Levy on as the first guest, marking a reunion between the two since they both co-hosted the MTV aftershow for The Hills over 10 years ago.
As part of the partnership, Acast will both distribute the series to all accessible podcast platforms as well as manage its sponsorship and advertising strategies using dynamic ad insertion and keyword targeting. Sports equipment company Peloton has already been announced as one of the podcast's advertising partners.
This podcast is also part of Acast's continued investment into the Canadian podcast market, having recently launched a study on podcast advertising in North America and how well podcast listeners respond to that.
“Jessi’s entrance to the world of podcasting brings a true luminary to the space and marks one of the most significant podcast launches by a Canadian entertainer to date,” said Acast Canada managing director Heather Gordon. “It’s a point of pride for us that Jessi entrusted Acast to launch Phone a Friend, allowing us to provide fans with an intimate new channel where they can engage with her and giving brands unparalleled access to a media heavyweight.”
