Netflix has officially hired N’Jeri Eaton as its first director of podcast programming. Eaton was previously head of content for Apple Podcasts and senior manager of program acquisitions at NPR.
Eaton shared her exciting news in a tweet. She wrote, “I’m thrilled to join @netflix as the Head of Podcasts. 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!”
In a tweet on July 2, Eaton revealed that she was leaving Apple.
She wrote, “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 was also able to be a part of the launch of the spotlight program at Apple with the goal of highlighting emerging talents in the podcasting community.
Before joining Apple, Eaton was with NPR, most recently working as senior manager of program acquisitions. While there, according to Variety, she worked on sourcing new talent, partnerships, and content, including the Peabody Award-winning “Believed,” and the 2021 Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative podcast “No Compromise.”
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Apple first dominated the podcast business with iTunes podcasts, but now other companies like Spotify and Netflix are jumping on board. In her new role, Eaton will manage Netflix’s original podcasts. So far, the streaming giant’s podcasts have primarily been companions to shows and movies available to stream on the platform, including The Irishman, The Crown, The Witcher, Shadow and Bone, and Stranger Things. Netflix also released episodes of a comedy podcast titled “Netflix Is a Daily Joke.”
On Thursday, Netflix extended Shonda Rimes' mega-deal, covering both her production company Shondaland and her producing partner Betsy Beers. The new deal also includes feature films, gaming, VR, merchandising, and more. Shondaland has expressed an interest in audio and podcasts, so this could be something that Eaton and Rimes collaborate on with Netflix.