We’re excited to announce that we’ve brought on Chris O’Keeffe as our Executive Producer. In addition to being a masterful audio storyteller, Chris brings an extensive background as a brand content strategist and creative director across dozens of industries. He will be splitting his time with hands-on production, guiding other producers as an EP, and helping lead the JAR brand into its next growth phase.
“As soon as I started talking to JAR I knew,” says Chris. “I came on as a freelance producer for a single project and it quickly became clear we had more work to do together.”
Our CEO, Roger Nairn, echoes the sentiment: “Chris helps shore up our strategy offering, brings veteran industry insight, and gives us a regional presence in the northeast US. This is a great fit.”
Chris has been a fixture in the podcasting world for nearly a decade. In 2017 he helped develop and launch Disgraceland, the world’s #1 music podcast, for Double Elvis Productions. In 2018 he co-founded Podcation, a podcast incubator that builds live audio creation events, and has brought together creators from all over the world.
In 2019 he was an organizer and featured speaker at the Sound Education Conference in Boston. In 2022 he partnered back up with the Double Elvis team to develop and launch Lust for Live, a local audio content initiative that premiered in Boston, and soon will be live in New York and Los Angeles.
He has also written and produced narrative podcasts in the worlds of education (MIT’s Great Communicators Series), music history (Boston Venue: The Channel), and been involved in numerous shows in the audio drama space (Jupiter Saloon, Descendants, Bald Move: A Very Belter Christmas).
Since coming on board full-time in June, Chris has already made a huge impact on the success of branded shows across industries, including cybersecurity, higher ed, business comms, international finance, entertainment and more.
“What we’re doing is still new and uncharted,” says our CCO Jen Moss. “We’re partnering with brands that want to tell big, brave stories that are uniquely specific to them and their audience. Chris’ leadership when working with those brands is invaluable, and he won’t flinch when it’s time to hold each other accountable.”
“Brands that bet on audio now are going to benefit, period,“ says Chris. “I came to JAR because they have the infrastructure and processes in place to truly serve those brands in a meaningful way. I’m extremely lucky that I get to help cool organizations tell their stories.”
We’re equally lucky to have Chris join us, and we’re excited for more announcements in the near future. Have questions? Get in touch!
