Steve Jones is Content Director at Crowd Network.
Based in Manchester, Crowd Network is a rapidly growing audio-on-demand network on a mission to become Europe’s largest podcast network by 2025.
Founded in 2020 by four ex-BBC employees, the network develops its own IP and is home to popular podcasts including The Joe Marler Show, Murder in House Two and We Didn’t Start The Fire.
Jones previously worked at the BBC for more than a decade starting out as a producer before moving onto the role of Assistant Editor.
He was the creator of That Peter Crouch Podcast, responsible for Rugby Union Weekly and Football Daily and was part of the management team for BBC Radio Sport.
Here’s how a recent week in his life went…
Monday
I usually start with a “top-secret” Teams meeting with Crowd’s other directors. Work chat starts after a discussion about Tottenham’s latest defeat or somebody’s weekend in North Wales…. We’ve got a lot of exciting work in the pipeline with new shows and partnerships coming up, so it’s a great way to start the week with such a buzz (and a bit of sports commentary, of course).
There’s a Crowd Stories – the name we give to our investigative podcasts – meeting on a Monday morning too, where the producers behind The Secret History Of, dot com, Death of a Rock Star and We Didn’t Start the Fire set out priorities for the week. We are all about making our listeners feel part of something bigger than themselves, so these meetings are where we bounce ideas off each other – the bolder the better.
One of our senior producers is heading to Estonia this summer for a new series of The Secret History Of, so there’s a bit of logistics chat about that trip, but all seems in hand. Then for the rest of Monday I’m in the studio recording our new boxing show, which will be launching in August with a very special world champion fighter, turned full-time podcaster. More to come on this soon…
Tuesday
I spend Tuesday morning editing the latest The Joe Marler Show episode – which is released every Wednesday. It’s a great podcast to be part of, you never really know what you’re going to get. Joe brings on some fascinating celebrities, for sure, but also people you’ve never heard of, who you’ll now never be able to forget from prison governors to bomb disposal experts. Funny, sometimes daft, and always honest, editing the show is a great way to start the morning.
At lunchtime I have a meeting about a potential live tour for one of our shows, trying to work out which venues to book and how many tickets we can realistically sell. Live podcast shows are an exciting new venture for us. Our first one sold out in just ten hours, which was a real honour, and we’re thrilled to be working on more opportunities for the near future.
And then there’s a conversation with Sport Social Podcast Network, who are our new hosting partners for Crowd Sports. They’re busy selling adverts for shows later this year, and they’re based in Manchester too, so it’s great to catch up with them.
Wednesday
Halfway through the week already? Kicking the day off with a catch up with George, who runs our marketing, is usually how it begins. He’s tried a lot of new tactics over the last few months to accelerate the growth of our shows. At Crowd we’re open to working with everyone, so it’s always nice to see what new relationships he’s started building.
I listen to the latest edit of dot com, which has a new series about Russian ransomware out later this month. The plan is to drop all four episodes on the same day, so it’s an exciting time for that project.
My day is made even better after receiving an update from the team that two of our pods have been nominated in the British Podcast Awards! F**ks Given, for the Best Sex & Relationships Podcast category and American Vigilante, up for the Best True Crime Podcast crown. Two very different podcasts but a real showcase of the range of shows we produce. Then, of course, planning team celebrations takes up some time in the day. I get to see new artwork for another podcast launch and feedback on various options with the team.
Thursday
I start Thursday by listening to the final edit of We Didn’t Start the Fire, which is released to Apple subscribers on Fridays. I do this while walking the dog. Her name is Daphne – she’s a fan of the pod too, I’d like to think.
Then I have a pilot for a new entertainment show at 10am and a photoshoot with a new presenter at 12. I always find photoshoots quite weird because I can’t really add a lot. I just stand there watching clever people make things look cool. The last hour of the day is spent reviewing the pilot episode and planning next steps for a new show.
Friday
Friday is mainly loaded with one-on-ones with producers, checking in with where our latest shows are up to and getting everything in place for another action-packed week. And it’s a chance to listen to all the Crowd episodes I’ve missed from the week so far. This is my favourite part of the day, reflecting on all the brilliant work the team are doing across Crowd Stories and Crowd People (home to our personality-led shows), it’s always such a positive way to end the week.
And just like that the week is over! We’re growing incredibly fast at Crowd. Our aim is to become the fastest growing network in Europe, so the weeks certainly fly by whilst we’re on this journey.
