‘The Rest Is’ producer Goalhanger is creating an in-house advertising sales operation offering partnerships across audio, video, social media, newsletters, live events and branded content.
The move away from relying on deals put together by external agencies comes as the production company reported sales of £38m in 2025 and said it is on track to reach one billion full-episode views and streams in 2026.
Goalhanger director of commercial operations Josh Akers said: “We’ve been building out our in-house commercial capabilities across partnerships, delivery and creative production over the recent years to give us greater ownership of our revenue, building closer relationships with our media agency and client partners. That enhanced infrastructure will be pivotal in supporting this next phase of the business’s growth.”
Commercial deals have included incorporating hosts asking questions to Google Gemini on The Rest is Football and actor Tom Holland being interviewed by The Rest Is History host Tom Holland as part of a commercial deal with NBC Universal to promote film The Odyssey.
Head of partnerships at Goalhanger Charlotte Robbins said: “Brands come to us not just to access our audience, but because of the way we work with our hosts. We’re very always-on and have a real startup mentality, so commercial, production and talent aren’t these separate silos – we all sit around the table and work out what’s actually going to work for the brand and, just as importantly, for our audience.
“Our hosts only want to work with brands they genuinely like, and I think that comes through. It makes for much more authentic & creative partnerships that really do the heavy lifting. Most meetings start with ‘we’ve never tried this but…’”
Goalhanger is understood to operate a generous revenue share model with its show hosts.
In September, Goalhanger sold 26,000 tickets across 22 shows during the inaugural The Rest Is Fest at London’s Southbank Centre.
Former WME executive Tom Miceli has joined Goalhanger as head of IP development, overseeing television and film development, licensing, co-productions and formats.
In June last year, Conrad Withey was appointed as Goalhanger’s first chief revenue officer. In August this year, he announced a new role as CEO of Clubclass Media which is working with Amol Rajan on his new venture The Amol Rajan Connection.
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