QCode, a scripted podcast media startup, hired former Apple Podcasts marketing executive Steve Wilson as chief strategy officer.
At QCode, Wilson will oversee partnerships, marketing, distribution and collaborate on content strategy. He joins the company after nearly 15 years at Apple, where most recently he headed marketing for Apple Podcasts and partnered with podcasters and networks.
“Steve has directly shaped and bolstered the podcast industry over his many years at Apple,” Rob Herting, CEO and founder of QCode, said in announcing his hire. “We are confident he will help take QCode to the next level in podcasting.”
“The through-line in my career has always been a passion for how technology and amazing content can enhance people’s lives,” Wilson commented. “Podcasting empowers individuals to share their voice with the world and promote storytelling which engenders connection and empathy. I’m excited to be joining QCode, which is at the forefront of this medium and helping to carve a way forward for scripted fiction in the space.”
Wilson’s hiring comes on the heels of the company’s announcement of several other appointments earlier this month, including the hires of Sandra Yee Ling as VP of production and Michele Zárate as director of development. In October, L.A.-based QCode announced $6.4 million in Series A funding led by Sonos, the wireless and smart speaker maker.
Herting, previously a CAA literary agent, formed QCode in 2018 in partnership with production company Automatik and management firm Grandview.
QCode shows that have been picked up for TV and film adaptations include Shana Feste’s scripted erotic drama “Dirty Diana” starring Demi Moore (at Amazon Studios); “The Left Right Game” from Jack Anderson starring Tessa Thompson (also at Amazon); and “Carrier,” a first-person POV fiction thriller starring Cynthia Erivo, who is set star in and produce a feature film adaptation from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. In addition, Chernin Entertainment last year picked up rights to adapt QCode’s first series, “Blackout,” a scripted apocalyptic thriller starring Rami Malek produced with Endeavor Audio.
Other QCode originals include thriller “Borrasca,” produced by and starring Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale”), and “Hank the Cowdog,” based on the popular kids’ books, written and directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Matthew McConaughey.