Meet the 29 power players of podcasting who are pushing original audio production forward as the industry surges toward $1 billion in ad revenue

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Meet the 29 power players of podcasting who are pushing original audio production forward as the industry surges toward $1 billion in ad revenue
podcast industry power players 2x1

Barstool Sports; Eric Lee/NPR; Sandy Honig; Wondery; Samantha Lee/Business Insider

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  • Podcasting is on the rise, with the industry expected to generate $863 million in ad revenue this year and more than $1 billion in 2021.
  • As the medium becomes more popular, media companies are increasing their efforts with on-demand audio, while independent studios dedicated exclusively to podcasting are stepping up to bat against audio veterans.
  • Business Insider rounded up a list of the most influential people in the podcast production industry, from well-known hosts and founders to executives at major media companies and boutique podcast studios.
  • Click here for more BI Prime articles.

Podcasts are infiltrating the ears of listeners around the world, with hosts of most popular shows launching entire media companies and entrepreneurs landing increasingly large advertising and acquisition deals.

In 2019, Spotify spent more than $200 million to acquire podcast company Gimlet Media. And in 2020, the podcast industry is expected to reach $863 million in ad revenue, and top $1 billion in 2021, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

According to "The Podcast Consumer," an annual series exploring the podcast audience in the US by Edison Research and Triton Digital, more than 50% of Americans over the age of 12 have listened to a podcast.

With podcast content in high demand, Business Insider took a look at the most influential people involved in original content production. This list of power players recognizes those who have topped the download charts, used podcasting to create social change, or are leaders driving the industry forward.

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At podcasting and radio powerhouse NPR, audio leaders Anya Grundmann and N'Jeri Eaton are focused on curating content that will diversify NPR's storytelling and reach a broader audience. And iHeartMedia's Conal Byrne is innovating across industries, and capitalizing on Hollywood's recent interest in optioning podcasts to adapt for the screen.

As the podcasting industry grows, its audience is becoming increasingly dedicated.

Barstool Sports has built a podcast following so obsessive that the vast majority of the company's merchandise is tied to a podcast. Fans of "My Favorite Murder" and "Pod Save America" loved those shows so much that the hosts were able to launch entire podcast companies of their own. "This American Life" host Ira Glass is a household name, and two of his colleagues on the show went on to launch one of the most successful podcasts of all time: "Serial."

At some older podcast companies, content is becoming king. Cadence13 is a longtime fixture in the industry, as founding partner Chris Corcoran helped to launch and monetize several major networks. Now, Corcoran is working to establish Cadence13 as a production studio in its own right, with a focus on influencer podcasts in particular.

And even with established media companies pushing to dominate the podcast industry, smaller studios are launching and finding success.

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Wondery, the top independent publisher of podcasts (according to Podtrac), doubled its audience in 2019, up to 20 million unique listeners per month and more than 50 million monthly downloads total.

Specialty podcast studios are helping to lead the charge for podcasts in genres outside of the daily news briefing, a category dominated by New York Times podcast "The Daily."

Tenderfoot TV, which has made a name for itself in the true crime genre with unscripted and semi-scripted podcasts, has more then 500 million downloads to its name, including 340 million on mega-hit "Up and Vanished." Podcast boutique Wonder Media Network is using podcasting to empower women, while Revolver Podcasts' Jack Hobbs is serving bilingual audiences around the world.

Here are the key players in podcast production, who are innovating across genres and pushing the industry to new heights (organized alphabetically by company name):

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