February 5, 2024
Blue Wire, a leading sports podcasting company, announced three promotions to its executive team on Thursday. Andrew Rotondi was named Chief Operating Officer, Luke Pagano was named Chief Revenue Officer, and Brittany Machado was named Senior Vice President of Business Affairs.
“Andrew, Luke and Brittany have demonstrated the characteristics we want in Blue Wire leaders," said Founder and CEO Kevin Jones. “They craft solutions to problems, build strong relationships, and have been selfless time and time again to benefit the organization. Blue Wire prides ourselves on promoting from within, and we look forward to continuing the journey of growing our company with Andrew, Luke and Brittany at the helm.
Rotondi joined Blue Wire in 2021 and most recently served as SVP of Network Operations. He also hosts one of Blue Wire’s most popular podcasts Bronx Pinstripes, covering the Yankees. Rotondi will be leading company operations, content, podcast network recruitment, ad operations and Blue Wire’s new technology dashboard build.
“I'm extremely confident where Blue Wire is positioned right now,” said the new COO Rotondi. “Our flexibility when it comes to working with creators, sponsors, and partners allowed us to adapt throughout 2023 and yielded a profitable Q4. I'm not only excited about the future of podcasting, but about the advancements Blue Wire is planning in 2024.”
Pagano joined Blue Wire in 2021 after 10 years with Turner and Bleacher Report and most recently served as VP of Sales. Pagano will lead Blue Wire’s revenue, marketing, third-party sales relationships, talent recruitment and hiring, as Blue Wire continues to invest in its direct sales team.
"It's an incredibly exciting time for Blue Wire's revenue operation as we continue to evolve the way we immerse brands within our creator's sports content ecosystems spanning audio, video, social, and more,” said new CRO Pagano. “The podcasting space is one of the hottest emerging channels in terms of consumer engagement and impact for brands, and our network is well positioned for strategic growth in 2024 and beyond. I'm so excited to be taking on this new role as CRO and look forward to collaborating with our entire team of talented and creative folks who are driving our industry forward."
Machado originally joined Blue Wire as one of its first hires in 2020 after stints with Sundance Institute and Warner Brothers. Machado will lead all legal operations, talent negotiations and renewals, investor diligence and will assist Jones in business development efforts.
“Blue Wire is in an exciting phase right now with our ability to serve an evolving marketplace,” said new SVP of Business Affairs Machado. “As a startup we’ve been thoughtful about our business operations and client services, both of which are stronger than ever and well-positioned for growth. This year we’re looking forward to expanding our core business and taking some smart, innovative swings.”
Blue Wire’s 225 podcasts reached 140M podcast downloads in 2023 and partnered with more than 130 advertisers. The company was founded by Jones in late 2018 and has raised $12M from investors. The team reached profitability in October of 2023.