Kate Young Getting Into the Podcast Game With PopSugar

Kali Hays

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Kate Young is no stranger to collaborations, but hosting a podcast is new.

The stylist, with celebrity clients such as Sienna Miller, Margot Robbie, Selena Gomez and Sophie Turner, among many others, is teaming with PopSugar for the launch of a podcast underwritten by sole advertiser Sorel, a footwear brand also getting into the space for the first time. The project is titled “The Step” and will have Young sitting down with six notable women for weekly 30-minute discussions on the moment that led to their success.

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Although Young has a number of brand collaborations under her belt, including Target, Tura, even the liqueur St. Germain, and she is relatively well known among her peers, this is one of her first forays into being a media personality, and she was pleased to be approached for the project.

“The idea is really inspiring,” Young said. “I can’t wait to talk to these powerful, interesting women about how they do what they do and what decision they made that led them to where they are now.”

Her first guests will be actor — and styling client — Nina Dobrev, sports broadcaster Ros Gold-Onwude and blogger and motivational speaker Mama Cax. Young’s conversation with Gold-Onwude will be recorded at a live event in New York next week.

As for making this a partnership with Sorel, PopSugar’s chief revenue officer Geoff Schiller said it will bring the brand’s “unstoppable movement to life.” Natalie Hayes, Sorel’s vice president of global brand marketing, said the podcast is more of an avenue to “translate our brand values of supporting women…in an engaging way that fits in with her busy life.”

“Bringing inspirational women together to share experiences and provide insight is something we hope will have real value to our audience,” Hayes added.

Sorel is far from the only brand or corporate entity moving into podcasts. Coach started one earlier this year, and now-bankrupt Barneys New York has one, too, as they all push to connect with consumers in more modern formats while also getting their messaging across in their own way. Goop started one last year, as well, and has since launched two more, one for men and one on beauty. Even e-commerce platform Shopify has one, as does giant bank J.P. Morgan. For now, this is just a one-off series for Sorel and PopSugar, although a spokeswoman said an expansion has not been ruled out.

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