Apoorv Bhatnagar

Co-Founder

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India9 yrs 9 mos experience
Highly Stable

Key Highlights

  • Pioneered India's podcast infrastructure.
  • Achieved over a billion views monthly.
  • Built a top-tier female audience for podcasts.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Media and Entertainment strategist with expertise in podcast monetization and brand partnerships.

Contact

apoorvbhatnagar02@gmail.comLinkedIn

Skills

Core Skills

Podcast Infrastructure StrategyPodcast Economy Monetization

Other Skills

Storytelling Brand IntegrationsMulti-Platform Distribution StrategyCreator-to-Business DevelopmentArtist ManagementCrisis ManagementTalent ManagementBrand PartnershipsNegotiationBridging GapsSocial Media Optimization (SMO)Business DevelopmentTeam ManagementManagementBuilding Business Partnerships

About

India doesn't have a podcast industry yet. It has scattered content and undefined economics. At CREW, I'm building the infrastructure that changes that. We don't chase every deal, we architect long-term positioning. We do partnerships that compound and partner with creators who are building categories, not chasing trends. I work with a focused roster: Raj Shamani (Figuring Out, India's #1 podcast) and Naina Bhan (Moment of Silence, top-10 nationally). Together with my partner Ridhima, we're proving that podcasts aren't just content but scalable media businesses. We've structured multiple 8-figure deals, defining blueprints for how podcasts monetize in India. Today, the Figuring Out universe delivers over a billion views monthly across platforms. Moment of Silence has built what most brands can't buy—an 80%+ top-tier female audience in a single concentrated community. The work: podcast monetization that builds equity, creator-to-business transformation, platform partnerships that shape distribution, and long-term IP that competes globally. We've proven that podcast integrations, when done through storytelling, create compounding value for brands. If you're looking to maximize this opportunity, this is a conversation worth having.

Experience

9 yrs 9 mos
Total Experience
2 yrs 5 mos
Average Tenure
--
Current Experience

Crew talent and brand solutions

Co-Founder

Apr 2024 – Present · 2 yrs · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India · Hybrid

  • Pioneering India's Podcast Infrastructure
  • CREW is the force behind India's podcast ecosystem.
  • Founded by Ridhima and me, we've partnered exclusively with India's most influential podcasters:
  • Raj Shamani – Founder and host - Figuring Out with Raj Shamani, India's #1 podcast
  • Naina Bhan – Co-host - Moment of Silence, Only female podcast in Top 10 Podcast in India
  • Our core mandate:
  • Architect brand integrations as seamless storytelling partnerships.
  • Design frameworks that accelerate creator-to-business transformations
  • Forge platform-specific distribution strategies that redefine how podcasts scale in India
  • Build long term IPs, componding value for brands
  • Proven impact:
  • More than 1 billion monthly views across channels and platforms (Figuring Out)
  • Moment of Silence: Commands an 80%+ premium female audience demographic
  • Multiple format innovations now adopted industry-wide by brands and platforms
  • Established the definitive monetization blueprints shaping India's podcast economy
  • We are relentlessly selective. We do not pursue volume, we engineer compounding advantage.
  • Every opportunity is rigorously vetted against three non-negotiable criteria:
  • Will this asset endure for five years or longer?
  • Does it create lasting equity or merely extract short-term value?
  • Are we uniquely positioned to execute it at the highest level?
  • If a partnership fails to deliver value or breakthrough insight to our audience, we decline it - no matter the financial incentive.
  • At CREW, we don't follow trends. We set the standard.
Podcast Infrastructure StrategyStorytelling Brand IntegrationsMulti-Platform Distribution StrategyPodcast Economy MonetizationCreator-to-Business Development

The plug media

Co-Founder and The Chief

Feb 2019 – Dec 2023 · 4 yrs 10 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

  • ◦ Worked with over 500+ brands and executed more than 1800+ campaigns - still counting
  • ◦ Collaborate with brands for creator partnerships, providing growth strategy to creators and influencer marketing.

Represent

Brand Partnerships

Jan 2019 – Apr 2024 · 5 yrs 3 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

  • ◦ Specialized in creating and implementing brand solutions, producing engaging content, and organizing live experiences for artists and musicians
  • REPRESENT is all about digging deeper into artist management - exploring brand solutions, content production and curating live experiences for musicians.
  • Started with working on live experiences for them, ended up collaborating with brands for various intellectual properties and producing video content for the music releases.

On stage talents

Talent Manager

Jul 2017 – Dec 2018 · 1 yr 5 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

  • ◦ Worked with some of the top musicians in the country like Shirley Setia, Armaan Malik, Amaal Malik, Zaeden, Lost Stories, and DJ Chetas
  • ◦ Managed day-to-day operations, coordinated music releases, secured show bookings, and curated shows across the country.

Deepsounds entertainment

Operations Executive

Feb 2016 – Jun 2017 · 1 yr 4 mos · New Delhi, Delhi, India

  • From providing consultation to night clubs for offline promotions to getting involved in the execution of brands and entertainment solutions for the music industry - I was heavily involved in executing operations at Deepsounds Entertainment.
  • One of the major highlights of the job was to manage on-ground activities and logistics for artists like Hardwell, Ellie Goulding, Armin Van Buuren, Alexandra Stan during their India Tours.
  • Managed to do that successfully for more than 500+ domestic and international music artists.

The lalit suri hospitality group

Promotional Consultant

Apr 2014 – Jan 2016 · 1 yr 9 mos · New Delhi, Delhi, India

  • Right from college, networking has been my thing. Started as a consultant for one of the most renowned nightclubs of India - Kitty Su. I’d look into offline promotions by hiring local promoters for event amplification.
  • Some other key aspects of the job included :
  • Allocation of fixed budgets among local promoters
  • Motivating the team by introducing incentive models
  • Supervising the outreach by the promoters
  • Monitoring the potential conversions

Education

Jagannath International Management School,Vasant Kunj

Bachelors — Mass Communication/Media Studies

Jan 2013 – Jan 2016