Kayla Moriarty
VP Marketing
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What She Does
Double the Elvis, double the fun.
Kayla Moriarty (she / her) is the VP of Marketing and Audience Growth at Double Elvis, the podcasting company that’s home to the most downloaded music podcast in the world, Disgraceland. She was recently named one of Cynopsis’s Top Women in Media and has won awards from Clio, Adweek, YouTube Works, and… need we say more?
We called up the Rhode Islander to learn what she’s listening to right now, how she went from social worker to TV marketing master, and what advice she would give young girls looking to enter the lawless, spontaneous world of entertainment.
What are your favorite Double Elvis shows right now?
Our biggest hit is Disgraceland and its spinoff Badlands. Season 1 is “Hollywoodland,” which is about celebrities behaving badly, and season 2 is “Sportsland,” which is about athletes committing minor crimes and misdemeanors. Then we also have podcasts more rooted in music. One of my favorites is About a Girl, which is about the women behind famous artists like Johnny Cash and David Bowie. I love it because it reframes popular stories through the eyes of the women that made them happen.
What does your role as VP of Marketing and Audience Growth entail?
I wear lots and lots of hats—I need a whole hat room! [Laughing.] At its core, I’m responsible for growing Double Elvis’s brand awareness and getting more people to listen to our shows. On my day-to-day, I oversee our social media presence and help with our newsletter, distribution strategy, and marketing. I’ve learned so much—it’s blown the roof off my head!
How did you get where you are today?
I was actually a social worker before I got into the digital marketing game, but one night I realized I wanted to get into TV. It just dawned on me! After lots of interviews and networking, I finally got my chance at Comedy Central, where my job was live-tweeting episodes of Tosh.0. Then I ended up on the brand marketing team and that’s where I honed in my skill for paid advertising. I also worked at Paramount Network, where I eventually oversaw 9 different networks including MTV, CMT, and Smithsonian.
What made you want to get into music?
Music was very healing and cathartic for me growing up. Like so many teenagers, I had my fair share of angst and depression and feeling like I didn’t fit in, so music made me feel like I had an outlet. When you’re young, you don’t really know how to express yourself and might not even understand your feelings, so having a song or artist speak to you is so healing. For me, it was Jenny Lewis and Rilo Kiley, and they’re still my favorites to this day.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from working in entertainment?
My advice is: find a mentor and be a mentor to young women, because people need it more than you think. Build a community of empowered females and help them navigate this tricky industry. Sometimes it can feel very male-dominated and toxic, so finding good leaders is critical to your happiness and success. And the same thing goes for being a manager. It’s so important to be a compassionate leader that understands we’re all human, we’re all trying our best, and that work isn’t everything. My hope is to do that for others.
Did you ever have moments when you were like, “I don’t know what I’m doing!”?
Oh my God, yes. I still feel that way sometimes! Imposter syndrome is a real thing. I have to remind myself that I’ve done good. It’s okay to have some self-doubt, but just know you have everything in you to get where you want to go. Yeah, some days are going to be horrible, and you’re allowed to spend $15 on a bottle of wine at Walgreens and cry in your apartment watching old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. But the next day you need to wake up and keep working towards that goal. Stay driven and stay committed.