Before “PPC” was even a term, Fred Vallaeys was helping Google build it. Now, he is on a mission to help marketers make sense of the monster it’s become.

Fred unpacks his journey from those early Google days to founding Optmyzr, revealing how marketing transformed from the simplicity of goto.com to our current maze of touchpoints.

He mentions five essential roles modern marketers must embody, from "PPC Doctor" diagnosing campaign ailments to "PPC Chef" combining ingredients in ways automation never could. 

For anyone feeling swallowed by GA4 complexity or wondering if their job might vanish to algorithms, Fred offers refreshingly practical wisdom about layering your expertise on top of platform automation.

Connect with Fred: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederickvallaeys/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Jessica Postiglione couldn't find a fiber supplement that actually worked. So she made one.

This chat reveals how Bonny grew from personal frustration to thriving brand by tackling an uncomfortable topic with humor and brutal honesty. 

Jessica spills the real secrets behind successful DTC brands while exposing why most fail miserably. You'll get practical strategies for finding your first customers, why Meta still delivers despite skeptics claiming otherwise, and how authentic branding builds tribes that sell your product for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn building community isn't just theory—it's the playbook that transformed her solution for better pooping into a business that customers literally thank her for creating.

Connect with Jessica: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-postiglione-81073615/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

How do you take a small, mission-driven food brand and land deals with giants like Ben & Jerry’s, JetBlue, and DoubleTree?

In this episode of Catching Fire, we sit down with Marlo Giudice, a powerhouse entrepreneur and VP, Sales at Partake Foods from a startup idea to a national brand. Marlo shares the realities of launching a consumer product through her own personal experience, navigating the cutthroat world of retail, and using data-driven storytelling to win shelf space against industry giants like Oreo.

She also reveals:
🔥The cold call that landed a game-changing partnership with Ben & Jerry’s
🔥Why getting on retail shelves is easy—but getting off them is hard
🔥How Partake’s mission-driven brand (Black-owned, women-led, and B Corp certified) opened new doors
🔥Why numbers, not hype, are the secret weapon in sales conversations

Whether you're a founder, marketer, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is packed with insider strategies you won’t want to miss!

Connect with Marlo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlo-giudice/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

On this episode of Catching Fire, we sit down with Jess Kamada - Managing Partner of Swizzle Ventures, who recently closed a $6.6 million fund focused on advancing women's health and wealth. With 15+ years in growth marketing and experience working with 12 unicorn companies, Jess shares her journey from agency founder to VC, revealing the "Efficient Growth Framework" that guides her investment strategy. 

In this episode discover:

• Why sustainable growth must be built on loyal customers, 
• How to find your "growth moat" in today's challenging landscape, 
• Why only 2% of VC funding goes to women-led companies—and how she’s changing that. 

Whether you're a founder, marketer, or investor, this episode delivers practical insights on building authentic communities, achieving the right unit economics, and finding product-market fit in women-focused sectors.

Connect with Jesse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesskamada/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

#VentureCapital #WomenInVC #GrowthMarketing #StartupFunding #FemTech

In this raw and revealing conversation, discover how dark comedy became a powerful tool for a veteran's mental health, why authenticity trumps production value, and what it takes to build a community-driven business from scratch. Whether you're an entrepreneur, creator, or someone fascinated by the power of niche storytelling, this episode offers invaluable insights on turning pain into purpose and building a business that truly serves its community.

Featured highlights:

• Why Hollywood gets military stories wrong

• How to build a Netflix-like platform with zero entertainment background

• The unexpected power of dark humor in healing trauma

• Building a business through community authenticity

Connect with Danny:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannydiazmaher/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

In this week’s episode, former Meta executive Sakshi Chadha pulls back the curtain on Silicon Valley's most controversial moments.

From managing Facebook's 2020 election integrity team to witnessing the platform's dramatic shift under recent political pressures, Sakshi shares unprecedented insights into how social media giants really operate.

Join host Bryan and Sakshi as they dive deep into Meta's evolution from its "Wild West" days to its current AI-driven future. 

Highlights include:

• Behind-the-scenes look at Facebook's election integrity efforts

• The real story behind "data selling" controversies

• How AI is disrupting traditional business models

• Practical advice for startups in a post-pandemic world

Connect with Sakshi:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sakshi-chadha-7360727/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal.https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media.https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

What happens when you treat talent as partners, focus on creative agility, and refuse to cut corners in production? You get Blitz Creative.

After transitioning from entertainment to branding, founder Jared Blitz built his sports-focused content studio around these principles, crafting high-impact branded content while keeping production lean, talent-first, and storytelling-driven.

In this episode, Jared shares:

• Why brands need to invest in creativity, not just media buys

• The secret to making brand content feel fresh, fun, and authentic

• The intimate connection between branding and entertainment

• How he pulled off a wildly creative ‘90s sitcom-inspired campaign

Connect with Jared:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredblitz/

https://www.blitzcreative.la/

Latest work with Cristian Mcaffrey: 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C__Zg8Iybdy/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jaredblitz_can-you-create-a-90s-sitcom-with-christian-activity-7274453222843387904-kEu7/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Peter Jonas has had a fascinating journey through the tech world. A former executive at Facebook, Uber, and Compass, he went from launching Facebook’s mobile app install product to co-founding his own company, Thirdwave, which gives developers and businesses deep insight into user behavior with blockchain data. 

In this episode, you'll discover:

Why Web3 wallet IDs have the potential to revolutionize ad targeting

Parallels between the early days of mobile app installs and the current blockchain market

The power of small teams for avoiding bureaucracy and providing quality service

The importance of simplicity and elegance in branding

Connect with Peter:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbjonas/

https://thirdwavelabs.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

There’s no bigger buzzword than “data-driven.” Tap In Digital co-founder Kirk Nielson actually earns the description – and he’s making one big bet based on data:

The importance of investing in brand marketing.

Kirk is in the business of solving one problem for clients: where to spend their next dollar for maximum impact. In this episode of Catching Fire, which is a precursor to an exciting service launch coming soon from Playbook Media, he shares:

How performance branding accelerates growth through better brand marketing

The limitations of media mix modeling and how to work around them

How non-marketing factors affect your marketing efforts

Why it’s so important to unify product and marketing

Connect with Kirk:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-nielson-4039023b/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Are click-based attribution models holding your marketing strategy back? 

In this special solo episode, Bryan introduces a new Playbook Media service called performance branding: a game-changing approach that shifts marketing dollars from traditional low-funnel spending to educating consumers earlier in the buying cycle. The end result? Higher conversion rates and better customer loyalty.

Discover: 

• The evolution of marketing, from traditional brand spend to direct response (DR) advertising

• The limitations of click-based attribution models, and what you should be doing instead

• How performance branding improves storytelling and reach to drive conversions

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 
Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

As a single mom, business owner, and cancer survivor, Chelsea Jones knows what it means to be resilient. At Chelsea & Rachel Co., her UX design and Shopify development agency, she inspires her team to design creative, eye-catching websites. And as an e-commerce expert, she knows how to use those designs to drive tactical results for clients. Most importantly, she does it all with an abundance of energy, positivity, and gratitude.

Discover:

• Why integrating online and offline channels matters more than ever

• The importance of conversion rate optimization and customer lifetime value

• AI’s role as an intelligent enhancer and a creative catalyst

• The importance of energy, positivity, and “rowing the boat” to get through tough times

Connect with Chelsea:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-jones101/

https://chelseaandrachel.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

As the founder of Successive Technologies, teacher-turned-entrepreneur Mark Bavisotto acts as a trusted tech concierge for business leaders. As the Chairman of education tech venture EduTrust, he works on another passion project: the intersection of teaching and AI. From tech to teaching to self-improvement in general, Mark has no shortage of insights to share.

Discover:

• Why higher education is broken—and how we might fix it

• How AI caters to diverse learners and empowers teachers

• Why we need a middle ground between high school and college

• Practical tips for adapting a growth mentality in your own life

Connect with Mark:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbavisotto/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

If you still trust your blended CAC, you might be burning cash.

In this episode of Catching Fire, Bryan Karas sits down with Austin Harrison, CEO of Northbeam—our Partner of the Month and a quiet force behind some of the fastest-scaling brands in the game. They get real about what’s broken in attribution, why creative is more than just an accessory to your brand, and how media mix modeling might be the underdog in your marketing strategy.

Austin doesn’t sugarcoat it. He explains why Northbeam bets on directional accuracy over perfection and how they’ve earned the trust of brands during the most chaotic shifts in digital marketing (yes, including post-iOS14).

Want to stop flying blind with your ad spend? This one’s got the insights most marketers aren’t talking about but should be.

Connect with Austin: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maustinharrison/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Personal branding is Owen Sammarone’s personal brand. From his early career in college basketball, to a stint in finance, to launching a six-figure business from his laptop, Owen has picked up plenty of priceless insights on how to drive engagement and stay authentic. These days, as the founder and CEO of Unleash the Knowledge, he helps founders, consultants, and executives attract their dream clients on LinkedIn.

In this episode, you’ll learn firsthand why they call him Owen “LinkedIn Growth Guy” Sammarone. Discover:

• How to boost engagement by giving your audience a peek behind the scenes

• What authenticity and vulnerability really mean for your marketing efforts

• Essential books every budding entrepreneur should read

• Why stepping away from projects is key for doing your best work

Connect with Owen:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/owensammarone/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/unleash-the-knowledge/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Nick Baily is the founder of From Day One, a media outlet and conference series focused on helping corporations figure out what they stand for—and how to put those principles into action. As an expert on corporate values, Nick has produced over 1,000 pieces of original journalism on the topic. And as a three-time founder himself, he’s got plenty more priceless insights for entrepreneurs at every stage in their journey.

In this episode, discover:

• What the music business taught him about disruption, labor, and capital in the economy

• Why corporate values matter—and the consequences of getting them wrong

• The pros and cons of current corporate DEI practices

• How to pinpoint the problems you’re equipped to solve as an entrepreneur

Connect with Nick:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbaily/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Dave Sifry describes himself as a “nerd by birth, geek by training, and entrepreneur by choice.” Over an eclectic career working everywhere from Wall Street to Japan, this 9x founder has made it his mission to understand customer needs and serve them as well as he possibly can. As the CEO of Warmstart, he helps users boost their email response rates with thoughtful, personalized messages powered by AI.

In this episode, discover:

• How to get to the root of customer problems and needs.

• How to get your customers paying for your product from the start

• Why AI and your professional network are a match made in heaven

• How to build a “defensible moat” through network effects and customer success

Connect with Dave:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsifry/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Omer Menashe is a serial entrepreneur, mentor to early-stage startups, and the founder of Clyr, the leading expense management platform for out-of-office teams. From a childhood business selling popsicles to becoming a three-time founder, Omer has a fascinating story and gained plenty of insight along the way.

In this episode, unpack:

• The unexpected joys of working from home during the pandemic as a father

• How to practice social selling: building relationships over pitching sales

• How AI can streamline your marketing, revamp your content, and solidify your presence online

• The importance of support and mentorship for entrepreneurs everywhere

Connect with Omer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/omer-menashe/

https://twitter.com/hiOmerMenashe

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

From a stint at Google helping small businesses maximize their marketing, to starting his own freelance agency, to founding his dream company in climate tech, Felix Remennik’s entrepreneurial journey has been nothing short of remarkable. For the past year, Felix has served as Director of Growth at Harvest Thermal, a company committed to bringing energy-efficient heat pump systems to households across the US. The ultimate goal? Reduce carbon emissions by 90%.

In this episode of Catching Fire, discover:

• The importance of setting realistic expectations for clients and freelancers

• How to find investors and acquirers who truly understand your mission

• Why podcasts and influencer partnerships are vital for marketing

• Why there’s never been a better time to enter the climate tech space
  

Connect with Felix:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/felix-remennik-0a485524/

https://www.harvest-thermal.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

With a journey spanning multiple countries, industries, and roles from programmer to COO, Natalie Kaminski is a veteran at turning tech ideas into reality. At JetRockets, she’s led a global team that specializes in helping non-tech businesses launch successful tech platforms for 15 years and counting.

In this episode, Bryan chats with Natalie on:

• Why personal engagement with customers always trumps a quick cash grab

• The importance of avoiding “yes people”

• Why you should always look for opportunity in a crisis

• How to take control of the hiring process and put quality over cost

Connect with Natalie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliekaminski/

https://jetrockets.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

“It all started when we found a puppy in a dumpster,” begins the About page on the website for K9 Sport Sack. For founder and CEO Joseph Watson, the rest is history. 14 years ago, Joseph and Jen Watson experimented with various carriers for their new puppy before designing their own: a backpack built for comfort and durability. They haven’t stopped looking for new ways to keep the Sport Sack as durable and dog-friendly as possible since.

In this episode, Bryan chats with Joseph about:

• How K9 expanded its reach with the power of in-person marketing

• Why it’s key to cater to customers instead of viewing them as a profit center

• How to create a marketing halo effect with a good referral program

• The importance of never giving up as an entrepreneur

Connect with Joseph:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-watson-45849b17b/

https://www.k9sportsack.com/collections/all-products

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Ryan Estes is committed to turning founders into influencers—and getting them paid. He helps leaders meet their goals with two different ventures in the podcast space: Kitcaster books founders and execs on top podcasts, while Wildcast is a B2B podcast advertising marketplace.

Ryan has a ton of insights to share on marketing, content, and how budding creators can get the ball rolling. We talk through:

• Common hurdles with starting your own podcast and how to overcome them

• The importance of founder-led marketing initiatives, including guesting on other podcasts

• Why authenticity equals engagement—even if it’s only an illusion

• Tips for marketers on how to measure the impact of podcast advertising

Connect with Ryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/estesryan/

https://x.com/goryanestes

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Helping startups run smoothly is James McKay’s singular objective. In this episode of the Catching Fire podcast, learn how the founder and CEO makes it happen with the power of revenue operations. Discover:

• Why usage-based business models blow recurring revenue out of the water

• How he accelerated growth at the unicorn Clearco in just six months

• Tips for balancing business and family life

• Why it’s so important for founders to build a strong culture—for their companies and themselves

Connect with James:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mckay-ven/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Let’s get to know the host behind the Catching Fire Podcast! In this episode, Bryan hands over the host mic to the Catching Fire podcast producer, Sarah Little, who dives into Bryan’s entrepreneurial journey. 

Listen in and discover:

• The influences that shaped Bryan’s entrepreneurial path

• The challenges of starting and running two bootsrapped businesses 

• An unstoppable framework for hiring talent (and your internal team!)

• The 3 biggest mistakes companies make wasting advertising dollars - and how to prevent them.

This is your chance to get to know the host, Bryan Karas. Thanks for listening.

Connect with Sarah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-little-a55bb5155/

https://www.linkedin.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

In this episode, Bryan sits down with serial entrepreneur Chris Tolles, co-founder of Transparency Analytics and advisor at Common Crawl, to talk about what really drives innovation, from the explosion of private credit to the invisible data powering AI.

Chris shares wild stories from the trenches: selling a startup to Netscape in 6 weeks, building a $50M media company, and opening a sports bar before diving back into tech. He talks about the future of startups, offers advice on choosing co-founders, and reveals how a tiny nonprofit powers every major LLM today.

If you're building in tech, finance, or AI, don’t miss this one.

Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tolles/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

What’s the number one most important thing to look at when vetting crypto companies to invest in? In the latest episode of the Catching Fire podcast, cryptocurrency and blockchain expert Shaam Pamidi has the answer, plus a whole lot more. Learn all about:

• The nuts and bolts of blockchain, including differences between layers

• Early-stage investment tips for VCs

• How founders can make innovation more than a buzzword

• Tips on how to save yourself from a million dollar scams 

Connect with Shaam:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaampamidi/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

In this episode, Bryan and special guest Jason Neufeld dive into e-commerce strategy, D2C vs. Amazon Marketplace, mistakes to avoid when going into a product launch, & more. Don't miss out on a chance to enhance your e-commerce marketing program.

Connect with Jason:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-ecommerce/

Connect with Bryan:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/
• https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Are you a marketer looking for a competitive edge in data-driven decision making? Co-founder and CEO of Rockerbox Ron Jacobson has you covered.

Built for complex brands, Rockerbox is a measurement platform that centralizes ad data across all media channels to help marketers attribute conversions and optimize media investments.

In this episode, Bryan chats with Ron about:

• How AI is changing the measurement landscape,
• The ins and outs of media mix modelling
• Why multiple measurement methods are always better than one.
• The importance of company culture
• Why the best advertisers are also the best storytellers.

And more!

Connect with Ron:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjjacobson/

Connect with Bryan:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/
• https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

The first episode of the Catching Fire Podcast with special guest Canberk Beker, Head of Growth at HockeyStack.

HockeyStack is more than an attribution platform—it’s an all-in-one command center for B2B revenue teams that helps marketing drive pipeline and sales close deals faster.

In this episode, you will learn about:

• Where marketing ends and product begins.
• Why all B2B companies should be testing the waters with CTV.
• Why you should always be ashamed of your first product.
• The drawbacks of traditional attribution.
• Why it’s so important to put users first.

Great leaders don't stop at great ideas—they cut through the noise and make them stand out. They make them "catch fire."

Connect with Canberk:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/canberkbeker/

Connect with Bryan:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/
• https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Karthik Kalyanaraman built his company on blockchain, only to see the market vanish beneath him. With the world moving on, the pressure was real. Sleepless nights, silence on Discord, and raw uncertainty forced him and his team to reinvent everything from scratch. 

In this episode, Karthik shares the gritty truth behind the creation of LangTrace and what it takes to keep moving when quitting feels easier. 

You’ll hear why most AI tools fail, how “human-in-the-loop” plays out when everything is on the line, and the difference relentless adaptation makes in the real world. No startup gloss, just the reality of risk, reinvention, and hope after the crash.

This story goes beyond theory. It’s about resilience and the lessons that stick in a volatile market.

Connect with Karthik: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthikkalyanaraman/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

What’s the difference between a $20 bottle of vodka and a $50 one?

Nothing—except the story you’ve been told.

In this episode, Bryan Karas sits down with award-winning creative director Christopher Donovan (Apple, Nike, HBO) for a conversation that throws out the marketing rulebook and replaces it with something more impactful: performance branding.

Inside:

• Why brand is just another word for trust
• How to break free from transactional messaging and spark emotional resonance
• The branding misstep that could cost Tesla its audience
• Why it’s not about “more data”—it’s about better storytelling
• And why nobody falls in love with a calculator (unless you were a TI kid…)

Whether you’re building a DTC startup or leading a legacy brand, this episode will make you think differently about creative, growth, and the stories your audience actually wants to hear.

Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherdonovan001/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

When referrals dry up and your calendar's still full, it’s time for a new kind of growth. 

In this episode of Catching Fire, fractional CMO and two-time CEO Maria Trysla shares her playbook for moving from founder-led to founder-inspired sales. 

With stories from her time at Sprint, SaaS startups, and private equity-backed companies, Maria breaks down how to scale revenue without scaling stress. You’ll learn how to identify when your network is no longer enough, why retention and expansion often beat acquisition, and how aligning product, marketing, and customer success can spark explosive growth. 

Whether you’re an early-stage founder or growing a lean team, this episode is packed with practical insights, honest reflection, and a framework to help you scale smarter.

Connect with Maria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariatrysla/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Have you ever wondered how global brands like NASDAQ build massive followings online or what makes certain startups unforgettable? Join us for an insightful conversation on this week’s Catching Fire podcast, where we welcome Josh Matchiz, Partner at Redpoint Ventures and former Chief Digital Officer at NASDAQ.

Josh dives deep into his journey of transforming NASDAQ’s digital presence, explaining how he successfully captured millions of online followers through innovative and timely storytelling. 

You'll learn how to manage fresh talent, tap into cultural trends, and why high-quality creative content often outperforms huge marketing budgets.

Also, we explore the concept of "performance branding," understand the growing role of AI in marketing, and discover practical, real-world strategies for enhancing your own brand's storytelling capabilities. 

If you're a founder, marketer, or entrepreneur looking for authentic ways to elevate your brand, this episode is packed with valuable insights you won't want to miss.

Connect with Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshmachiz/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Is your marketing still stuck in the Mad Men era?

In this episode of Catching Fire, we sit down with Gary Stein, founding partner & Chief Strategy Officer at 61Hawk, to talk about how startup founders and growth marketers can stop gambling with million-dollar launches—and start building smart, iterative campaigns that actually work.

Gary spent decades inside traditional ad agencies before launching his own consultancy, and now he’s helping ambitious brands move fast, test faster, and scale with confidence. 

From using AI for synthetic ad testing to building MVPs for marketing campaigns, Gary breaks down a modern go-to-market strategy rooted in real-world feedback—not guesswork.

We cover:

🔥The Composer vs. DJ mindset in marketing

🔥Why over-investing in direct response is killing your brand

🔥How AI helps de-risk creative testing

🔥The psychology of performance branding that actually builds trust

Whether you're a scrappy founder or a seasoned marketer, this episode is packed with insights you can apply today to grow smarter—and stand out.

Connect with Gary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-s-stein/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

#MarketingStrategy #GoToMarket #MVP #PerformanceMarketing #StartupGrowth #BrandBuilding

Why do some startups win, while others stall? 

For Michael Rangel, Founder of Novo–the answer is clear: stay close to your customer and focus on real problems. In this episode of Catching Fire, Michael shares how he built Novo, a business banking platform now trusted by over 200,000 small businesses.

What you’ll take away:

🔥Why hiring full-time leaders too early will slow you down

🔥How part-time experts helped Novo move faster

🔥What Chime did to scale—and how Novo found a better approach

🔥The real reason customer focus beats watching your competitors

You’ll also hear why small businesses were being ignored by traditional banks—and how Novo took a different path by focusing on simple tools that save owners time and money.

This is an honest conversation about what it really takes to build something that lasts. If you’re building a company—or thinking about it—you’ll want to hear this.

Connect with Michael : https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rangel/

Connect with Bryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/