About Christopher George Axmann
I'm a full-stack media strategist.
Operating at the intersections of creativity, design, and data analytics, I help brands effectively leverage digital platforms and martech innovations to achieve marketing goals.
Operating at the intersections of creativity, design, and data analytics, I help brands effectively leverage digital platforms and martech innovations to achieve marketing goals.
I’ve held positions as the director of digital media at an advertising agency on Madison Ave, as a strategist behind MTA/MMM analytics for the Lexus brand, and even as the founder of a multi-media company reaching tens of millions of listeners each month. Through each of these professional experiences, I’ve sharpened my passions for both the art, and the science, of reaching the right audience, with the right message, at the right time.
Part 1: Almighty Baller
My story begins with a blog I started at almightyballer.com as an NBA blogger and podcaster. I hosted an Apple Podcast award-winning show called “Deep Positioning: NBA Strategy and Analytics with Chris Axmann” that was ranked #21 in the sports category on Apple Podcasts in 2016. The Almighty Baller Podcast Network produced shows that covered all 30 NBA teams individually through shows like Sixers Science, The Cleveland Cavalytics Podcast, and the Laker Film Room podcast. Multiple hosts on the network launched successful careers in sports data analytics, later working for NBA front offices like those of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Content produced by the Almighty Baller Podcast Network contributed to a wave of consumer interest in sports data analytics, through content created using tools like NBA Advanced Statistics and Second Spectrum.With a network of 40+ podcasts that averaged 7 million monthly downloads in 2017. The network was the second largest basketball podcast publisher until the network was later acquired by Lineups.com, a sports betting data science company.
Part 2: Almighty Baller Media
I formed Almighty Media LLC after bringing in outside investors to Almighty Baller LLC and expanding into history podcasts, true-crime podcasts, and 24-hour NBA talk radio via the Almighty Baller Radio station on Dash Radio. At its peak, the company represented 90 podcasts with 31 million aggregated monthly downloads across 3 branded podcast networks: the murder.ly True Crime Podcast Network, the Recorded History podcast network, and the Almighty Baller NBA Podcast Network.
Almighty Media produced several award-winning podcasts, including:
Crime Junkie, described by Rolling Stone Magazine as “the best True Crime Podcast of 2018”, and described by the New York Times as “a new podcast aimed at heating up the “coldest of cases.””
The Through the Wire Podcast, described as “groundbreaking” by Drew Miller of Bleacher Report, and hosted by Kenny Beecham, who Front Office Sports described as “somebody we’ve seen take off and become a next-level star.”
Swindled, nominated for the Best True Crime Podcast at the 2018 iHeart Media Podcast Awards, and winner of Discover Pods Best Overall Podcast of 2018.
The World War II History Podcast with Ray Harris, about which Oprah Magazine claimed “if you’re a World War II buff, you won’t find a more in-depth look.”
Almighty Media pioneered the monetization of podcasts through the use of programmatic MP3 ad insertion and listener segmentation using behavioral and demographic data. In addition to monetization, the company provided branding and graphic design, automated audio mastering and production, RSS feed hosting and distribution, and custom designed websites with branded assets. Almighty Media also helped podcasts reach new audiences by coordinating marketing online through Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram, and offline through hosted events and creator collaborations.
Part 3: Almighty AdLarge Media
AdLarge Media acquired Almighty Media LLC to combine their firm’s expertise as a prominent Madison Avenue advertising agency, with my company’s explosive growth, innovative digital content strategy, and data analytics expertise. Together, we successfully launched the agency’s transformation from legacy radio broadcasting giant, to industry-leading digital audio powerhouse.
On the creative side, my team and I wrote and produced engaging ad campaigns to monetize podcasters’ content through audience-relevant brand partnerships. On the client side, I collaborated with teams from brands like Gilette, Geico, Postmates, and Casper to implement those campaigns with dynamically inserted audio messages that targeted audiences through robust demographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation and analysis. As the director of digital media, I managed the development of a dynamic ad insertion system based on listener data collected through a proprietary cross-platform listener ID system that my team developed in concert with Spotify’s Megaphone.fm. I also personally redesigned and modernized the agency’s online visual brand identity.
By fostering collaboration and aligning interdepartmental goals, my team achieved remarkable results and fully realized our shared vision of a modern, full-service, digital-centric agency. When my company was acquired, AdLarge Media’s annual revenue from podcast advertising was less than $400,000. After one year, annual revenue from podcasting exceeded $3,800,000 at the agency. After two years, projected annual revenue from podcasting reached $7,200,000 – approximately 18 times greater than before the acquisition took place.
Part 4: AdLarge Christopher.Media
I left New York City in early 2020, and started working with clients as a digital marketing consultant. Since then, a lot has happened:
I personally designed & developed the christopher.media website using Wordpress, and created the site’s graphics and user interface using Adobe Photoshop, Indesign, Procreate, Figma, and other design tools. I wrote each case study based on experiences working with clients across diverse industries.
I survived a pandemic and learned to work remotely!
I consulted with Meta on advertiser retention after an update to iOS data policy interrupted event tracking and audience targeting for brands advertising on Facebook and Meta’s other platforms. I worked with a team from Genpact to develop custom audience strategies created through machine learning and A/B testing, conversion lift testing, brand lift testing, and other experiments.
I developed a campaign analytics strategy in consultation with a mixed team from Lexus and Point B. I was the lead consultant responsible for planning the integration of Neustar’s multi-touch attribution and media mix modeling solutions to measure the incremental impact of campaigns run by the 3 agencies that market the Lexus brand.
Part 5: Who knows?
By constantly adapting to new technologies and evolving circumstances, I deliver results even in roles that carry complex and multifaceted responsibilities. As a consultant, I bring a hands-on approach to strategy, holding myself and others accountable and supporting team members by rolling up my sleeves when extraordinary efforts are needed to meet deadlines and exceed expectations.