Kate Runde promoted to VP of Acquisitions; Troy Otte Promoted to VP of Production Operations

February 14, 2022, Los Angeles – Podium is thrilled to announce that Kate Runde has been promoted to VP of Acquisitions and Troy Otte has been promoted to VP of Production Operations. They have both contributed enormously to Podium Audio’s business in the years since they joined the company so this promotion is much deserved and highly celebrated. Kate will continue to report directly to Publisher Victoria Gerken, and Troy will continue to report to Emily Derr, Head of Production.

“I’m thrilled to be stepping into this new role within the organization,” said Runde. “Podium’s explosive growth has been nothing short of incredible, and the considerable efforts of every member of the team have set us on an exceptional path for the year ahead.”

“Watching Podium Audio grow over the past seven years of my tenure has been a wild ride — truly an amazing company to work for and I’m honored to take on a greater role and help us to continue to produce the highest quality audiobooks in the industry,” said Otte.

Runde brings eighteen years of industry experience to this new role. Since joining Podium in November of 2019, she has substantially expanded the number of titles released annually, grown the company’s relationship with dozens of literary agencies, and helped to lead Podium’s genre expansion. Prior to joining Podium, she served as the Director of Publicity for Vintage Books and Anchor Books (Knopf Doubleday Group) at Penguin Random House, working on media, events, and publishing strategies for hundreds of authors, including Jon Krakauer, Jennifer Egan, Toni Morrison, Richard Russo, Lawrence Wright, Tom Hanks, Andre Agassi, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Oliver Sacks, Justice Stephen Breyer, and Emily St. John Mandel. 

Otte has more than ten years of audiobook production experience and eighteen years experience as a recording engineer. His introduction to audiobooks came while freelancing for Brilliance Audio, which later turned into full time employment. He eventually went on to own and operate Featured Audio, serving the post-production needs of narrators and publishers alike. Joining Podium Audio in 2018 he has produced hundreds of audiobooks as well as managed day-to-day operations with Podium’s post-production team.