How Nick Viall Went From ‘Poor’ to $30 Million Podcast Deal
Nick Viall is making a killing with his major podcast deal.
Viall, 44, launched his “Viall Files” podcast in 2019 and turned it into a media empire. It’s been widely reported that the former Bachelor star signed a $30 million deal with Libsyn, which partnered with his Envy Media production company for a multi-year ad sales, distribution, and hosting agreement.
“As someone who grew up pretty poor, it was cool to tell my parents about the deal size and, honestly, tell them, ‘I don’t think we ever have to worry about money again,’” he told Like & Subscribe newsletter author Natalie Jarvey on Thursday, May 8, during an candid interview.
The former reality star — Viall appeared on two seasons of The Bachelorette, one season of Bachelor in Paradise and then starred as the season 21 Bachelor — spoke about creating his own “value” through the years as a podcast host. His first major move was putting full podcast episodes on YouTube, which became “hugely important” to the “Viall Files” success, he said.
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“You’re going to see other creators, hopefully like myself, producing content that might live on YouTube, or you might have an opportunity to sell it to a platform like Netflix or Hulu,” Viall explained.
“I’ve been acting like The Viall Files has been competing with the top 1 percent of podcasts ever since it existed,” he added. “Now I feel like I actually am.”
Viall also explained that he tried to mimic his personal success with other shows under the Envy Media umbrella, like “Disrespectfully,” hosted by Vanderpump Rules stars Katie Maloney and Dayna Kathan, and “Humble Brag,” hosted by Real Housewives franchise alums Crystal Kung Minkoff and Cynthia Bailey.
“We can apply our playbook of what’s made ‘The Viall Files’ successful to the other shows we want to produce,” Viall explained.
Libsyn announced their deal with Viall in April, revealing in a statement that they would be extending their partnership with the reality star for the next three years.
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Libsyn Ads chief revenue officer Rick Selah called Viall a “consummate professional” and makes it “seamless” to work with across brand campaigns. “We’re ecstatic for the opportunity to continue bringing millions of dollars of revenue to ‘The Viall Files’ for years to come,” Selah added.
Viall shared a statement of his own at the time.
“Over the last six years, I’ve had the pleasure of having the best job in the world,” he wrote, in part. “My mission has been to create the ultimate destination for the things I love: pop culture, relationships, reality TV, and more. The team at Libsyn have been the best partners imaginable in helping me reach that goal.”
