The Catching Fire Podcast

Bryan Karas
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  • MARKETING

Any successful venture starts with great ideas, but it takes great marketing to make them stand out. In the Catching Fire Podcast, we delve into outstanding products and ideas that have gone to market and what it took to get there. Listen to conversations with inspiring startup founders and marketing leaders. Rethink your team’s approach to marketing in an increasingly crowded digital landscape. Learn how to make your ideas “catch fire.”

  1. JUN 18

    From 82 Videos a Day to AI Empire with John Gargiulo

    In this engaging conversation, Bryan Karas speaks with John Gargiulo, founder of Airpost, about his journey from Airbnb to launching a successful AI video editing company. They discuss the evolution of video marketing, the challenges faced by direct-to-consumer brands, and the role of AI in enhancing video production quality. John shares insights on the importance of balancing performance and brand marketing, the dilution of user-generated content, and the future of AI in the marketing landscape. The conversation emphasizes the need for authenticity and quality in advertising, as well as the potential for AI to revolutionize the industry. Welcome to the Catching Fire Podcast, where we talk to founders and marketers about great ideas and how they spread! Learn about branding, marketing, and what large and small businesses do to make waves in their markets alongside our host: Bryan Karas! Did you learn something today? Tell us in the comments! Connect with John:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gargiulo/ 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/

    41 min

  2. JUN 11

    Inside Waymo’s Growth Playbook

    Waymo’s Ori Herschmann joins Bryan Karas to share his journey as a growth marketer behind some of the world’s most well-known brands. Ori unpacks what modern growth marketing really looks like by highlighting the role of creative, AI, personalization, and product-market fit. If you care about building sustainable growth, Ori Herschmann’s insights are essential. Welcome to the Catching Fire Podcast, where we talk to founders and marketers about great ideas and how they spread! Learn about branding, marketing, and what large and small businesses do to make waves in their markets alongside our host: Bryan Karas! Did you learn something today? Tell us in the comments! Connect with Ori:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ori-herschmann-54758731/ 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/

    43 min

  3. JUN 4

    SEO that Pays: Driving Revenue, Not Just Traffic

    Your website gets traffic but your brand isn’t seeing revenue.  SEO expert Eli Schwartz reveals why most SEO strategies fail at making money and shares the product-led approach that transformed companies like Zillow into billion-dollar machines.  Discover on this Catching Fire episode why branded searches convert like crazy, which technical tactics still matter, and how to build search strategies that turn browsers into buyers instead of just ranking for keywords nobody cares about. Connect with Eli:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/ 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/

    40 min

  4. MAY 28

    30-year MarComm veteran reveals why your brand is losing customers

    Here’s a fiery discussion with the final boss of marketing that you must face, Scott Robertson.  Scott is a Fractional CMO who has over 30 years experience in marketing, and has gone on to start his own PR & marketing agency RobertsonComm. He has also published his own magnum opus called - “Just Stop It:Your Survival Guide to Marketing Myths, Mistakes and Misgivings.” In this week’s Catching Fire episode, Scott just rips the bandaid off marketers and founders by explaining why their brands are not successful, how to stop talking about yourself and more about your customer, and how AI shouldn’t be the thing that breathes life into your brand. Connect with Scott:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/wscottrobertson/ 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/

    52 min

  5. MAY 21

    The Future of PPC: How Humans Win in an AI World with Fred Vallaeys

    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/

    53 min

  6. MAY 14

    Problem, Product, Profit: How Jessica Turned Constipation into Cash

    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/

    50 min

  7. MAY 7

    What Most Marketers Get Wrong About CAC—Northbeam’s CEO Explains

    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/

    39 min

  8. APR 30

    Private Credit is the Next $1.7T Opportunity. Here’s How to Build for It

    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/

    56 min
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About

Any successful venture starts with great ideas, but it takes great marketing to make them stand out. In the Catching Fire Podcast, we delve into outstanding products and ideas that have gone to market and what it took to get there. Listen to conversations with inspiring startup founders and marketing leaders. Rethink your team’s approach to marketing in an increasingly crowded digital landscape. Learn how to make your ideas “catch fire.”

Information

  • Creator
    Bryan Karas
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Catching Fire Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Catching Fire Podcast