Ollie Wards
ARN has appointed Ollie Wards director, video and social, a newly created role designed to support the company's transformation into a cross-platform entertainment business.
Wards will report to chief content officer Kerri Elstub, tasked with leading ARN's digital video and social content strategy, growing audience reach and engagement across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
With iHeart set to expand into video in the coming months, Wards will scale and amplify ARN's content across the iHeart platform, while also driving distribution across Spotify, Apple Podcasts and beyond.
He has been tasked with strengthening partnerships with major platforms, developing new content formats and delivering new revenue streams.
"Ollie is one of the most respected digital and content leaders in the country, with a sharp instinct for what audiences connect with and how culture moves across platforms," said Kerri Elstub, ARN chief content officer.
"As we continue to evolve into a true entertainment company, video will play an increasingly important role in how our content is created, experienced and shared. Ollie will be instrumental in scaling that capability."
Wards joins from TikTok, where he served as director of music for Australia and New Zealand, leading the platform's music strategy and driving cultural impact through artist growth, trends and industry partnerships, including TikTok Trending, developed in collaboration with iHeart.
Wards spent a decade at triple j as content director before joining TikTok.
Earlier in his career, he worked in commercial radio production and branded integrations in the UK with Global, where he created a number of award-winning campaigns.
The appointment comes as ARN continues to expand its digital ecosystem through its global partnership with iHeart, scaling video content production across its leading shows and podcasts.
New iHeart features including iHeart Highlights, which delivers short-form vertical video within the app, will support the rollout of full-length video podcast distribution and upcoming video ad insertion, creating new opportunities for ARN content to be shared and monetised.
"We'll be evolving how ARN makes great content for wherever audiences discover it," said Wards.
Wards has officially started and is based in Sydney.
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