James Carbary – From podcasts to media brands (+ company pivots and brand villains)

In this episode of Agency Breakthrough, Kuba and Gray chat with James Carbary, founder of Sweet Fish Media, about his journey pivoting the agency from a blog writing shop to a trailblazing podcast studio to now building full “media brands” for B2B companies.

James shares the breakthrough moment that changed everything for Sweet Fish—realizing podcasting alone was limiting and expanding to broader media brands that allow wider reach across channels.

James also discusses the books that have shaped his thinking, and shares examples of consumer media brands that are doing it right.

The conversation explores the role of guests vs solo shows for thought leadership; the importance of identifying your “villain” and uniting your market against it; and much more.

👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot

📣 Shotouts and mentions:

📚 Books:
Love Does by Bob Goff
The Intentional Father by John Tyson
Start With Why by Simon Sinek

👨‍🏫 People to follow:
Jay Acunzo
Drew McClellan

💬 Other mentions:
Audience Plus (Anthony Canada's company)
Own That Show - a media brand analysis show James does with Anthony Canada
Kauffman CPA - an accounting firm James recommends
B2B Growth Show - Sweet Fish's long running podcast
PeerSignal and Keyplay