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/

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/