Netflix hired N’Jeri Eaton, previously head of content for Apple Podcasts, to lead podcasting for the streaming giant’s marketing division.
Eaton is joining Netflix as director of podcast programming, according to a spokesperson. She will be part of the company’s editorial and publishing team, which will be headed by Michelle Lee, former editor in chief of Allure who is joining the company this month. Lee reports to Netflix CMO Bozoma Saint John, the marketing veteran whose past stints include Apple Music, Endeavor and Uber hired by the company a year ago.
“I’m thrilled to join @netflix as the Head of Podcasts,” Eaton tweeted Thursday. “16 years ago, I watched three DVDs from Netflix a day while working the late night lab shift at a university. My obsession for storytelling has taken me all kinds of places but this is truly a dream!”
Netflix has produced several podcasts, which — like Apple’s own original podcasts — largely have been promo companions for its original TV series and movies. Netflix has produced podcasts for Martin Scorsese’s film “The Irishman,” TV shows including “The Crown,” “The Witcher,” “Shadow and Bone” and “Stranger Things,” as well as “Netflix Is a Daily Joke,” a short-form podcast series that is literally a joke (or comedy bit) each day.
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Eaton announced her departure from Apple in a July 2 tweet. She had joined the company in August 2020. “I’ve spent the last year working with incredible colleagues. I had a front row seat to the launch of Apple Podcasts Subscriptions which allows creators of all sizes to monetize their content,” she wrote. Eaton also called out the launch of the Apple Podcasts Spotlight program, which highlights emerging podcast creators (she called out “Celebrity Book Club,” “Pantsuit Politics,” “Spinsters,” “This Is Uncomfortable” and “Teenager Therapy” podcasts).
Prior to joining Apple, Eaton worked at NPR for four years, most recently as senior manager of program acquisitions. At NPR, she sourced new talent, partnerships and content including “Believed” (a Peabody Award winner), “White Lies” (a Pulitzer Prize finalist) and “No Compromise,” an investigative podcast about gun rights activists (which won the 2021 Pulitzer for audio reporting).
Before NPR, she was content development and initiative manager at Independent Television Service (ITVS), which funds and presents documentaries on public television through distribution by PBS and American Public Television. At ITVS, Eaton managed two of the organization’s largest funding initiatives and was a consulting producer on almost 80 films.
Eaton holds bachelor’s degree in film/cinema/video studies from Emerson College and a master’s in journalism, documentary film and video from UC Berkeley. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and cat, Rube Goldberg.
Netflix’s hiring of Eaton was previously reported by Bloomberg.