What's better in this world than toys? Not a lot... and. we think so too. That is why we spoke this month with Rory Edwards and Richard Sutcliffe, they work for Goliath one of the best toy brands out there! You may remember them as being the makers of the Thunderbirds toy range or you may have amongst all your board games a couple of theirs that the kids just keep begging to play! So we spoke with them all about what it is like to work in a toy company. The safety that goes in to a Goliath produ...
May 02, 2025•45 min•Season 7Ep. 5
What does it mean in the modern day to be a content creator? Well we have gone a long way from the idea of someone in their bedroom with camcorder and a ukulele... They are the future of entertainment empires and Brian Saviano a.k.a Bricks'o'Brian is not an exception to that. BrIan has been building his brand over the years and a community that follows which has evolved in to one of his brightest ideas known as the Pro Gamers Guide. A series of children's books to inspire kids who want to be the...
Apr 15, 2025•45 min•Season 7Ep. 4
(read in a historically inaccurate news seller of the victorian era) Hear all about it! Hear all about it! The Rocket Fuel podcast has Newsworks on show to talk about their latest research! Yes that is right! We are back with the latest episode of Rocket Fuel. This month we have Heather Dansie join us for a chinwag about Newsworks and their latest research all about how young people engage with the news. It is super interesting and fascinating what they have found about the news habits of Gen Z....
Mar 18, 2025•49 min•Season 7Ep. 3
2 months in and aren't you so lucky to have 3 whole episodes of the best podcast about youth marketing, audience and culture! We do like to treat you. This episode is a special episode as today is Safer Internet Day. An international day to get together and spread the festive cheer about one of the most important things in modern history, the topic how we navigate and create a safe environment for young people on the internet. So who better to talk to than Rachel Barber Mack! She is works for Me...
Feb 11, 2025•33 min•Season 7Ep. 2
We love a trip out here at Rocket! Nothing better then having an excuse for a change of scenery and a coffee with clients old and new and talking shop. So thats why we LOVE The Toy Fair. This year we headed out to Olympia in West London to see what happening in the world of toys! This year we spoke with the amazing people at Precise TV all about the latest trends in marketing via gaming and their big investment. We speak with Wilton Bradley who own the brand you may know called Xootz about what ...
Jan 27, 2025•32 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Hello! How was your winter break? We are back! Yes your favourite podcast about youth marketing, audience and culture has returned! We even have some good news for your 2025. We are gonna be in your feeds EVERY SINGLE MONTH! Yep at least 1 episode each month for the entire year of 2025. We will still be speaking to leaders and shakers in the youth marketing audience and culture spaces but we will also be doing some extra episodes like this one. This episode we decided what better way to kick 202...
Jan 15, 2025•13 min
Don't be sad. I know it's hard to hear but this is our final episode of this season. But do not worry as we have a hell of an episode. James Erskine (the host) gets his once a season treat of interviewing someone where it gets rather nerdy. James Brown is a journalist, author, music reviewer, cultural observer and visionary genius that kickstarted the world of "lad mags" with his magazine Loaded. James talks to James (don't worry its not that confusing in the podcast) about it all. His roots bac...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 6Ep. 6
In the penultimate episode for this season we talk to someone who really knows what kids are watching today. Emily Horgan is a kids media specialist and consultant who previously worked for Disney, Jetix and even The Wrestling Channel who now runs a podcast called The Kids Media Club all about what the youth of today are watching, what they will be watching, and what are brands and media empires doing it engage with your children. We chat about all that including the rise of YouTube dominance on...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Hello again! We are glad you have returned! Welcome back to the Rocket Fuel podcast. Where James (your host) talks with an interesting guest from the world of youth marketing, culture and audience. Today your guest is social media manager superstar Xandrina Allday. She is amazing! She has a new book out that she has authored featuring letters from the current gen social media manager to the next gen social media manager. James even has his own letter in the book where he takes a lesson from the ...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Good news! You are still on the right feed. Today we talk with potentially the future answer to the creator economy in terms of getting creators paid for their content within a timely manner and making sure they feel supported in their content. JD and Scott have been helping to building the tech and business behind this idea and they even have acquired the support of none other than Simon Cowell! Lounges tv hopes to be the next big platform where creators new and established will want to host th...
Nov 05, 2024•59 min•Season 6Ep. 3
You found us again. And today we are sticking to what we know best, talking about youth audience with a young person. Ali Suleman is one of those young people that you meet, have a small conversation with and walk away thinking "that guy is gonna rule the world". In university he started a podcast with his friends from his class to help other people like him at university navigate the world of finance and hopefully land them a job. The podcast has become a HIT and now Ali walks into networking e...
Oct 29, 2024•54 min•Season 6Ep. 2
WE ARE SO BACK! That is right your favourite podcast about youth culture, youth audience and youth marketing is back on your feeds! In the 1st episode of season 6 we talk to maybe one of the biggest household names there has been in the world of publishing. Guinness World Records is a company that in 2025 will be celebrating its 70th year and we are talking to Nicholas Brookes who is the Marketing Director behind the brand. We talk with him about his journey and how he ended up marketing a book ...
Oct 22, 2024•39 min•Season 6Ep. 1
In our 1st of something a bit new we are launching a yearly bonus episode between seasons. This is what we are calling Retro Rocket Fuel! It will feature an episode from the back long followed by James's take on how thing may or may not have changed in the world since then and if the our guests rocket fuel stands the test of time or not. In our retro episode we take you back to 2019/20 just before the world changed dramatically. James (the host) Erskine spoke to James (the guest) O'Malley! James...
Jun 12, 2024•50 min
In this special bonus episode of Rocket Fuel James is taking a back seat and we have the amazing Managing Partner of Rocket Sophie Thirwell hitting the mic and being our host for this International Womens Day special. Sophie will be talking with 3 members of the Rocket Team about their experiences in their specialist fields. 1st we will have Chelsea Baldwin who is one of our Campaign Managers who also works in making content too. She will be talking you through how audiences today view IWD and h...
Mar 06, 2024•53 min•Season 5Ep. 8
In our final episode James get to be the radio geek we know him for with our guest George Butler who is not just a radio presenter on Fun Kids Radio breakfast show which is a station serving not just the latest tunes to an audience of 8-15 year olds but is ALSO the Head of Commercial Marketing at Bauer Media Group! James and George discuss his history of radio industry and where its going. They also chat about how commercial radio and the BBC compliment and provide together a fantastic audio eco...
Feb 28, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 7
On this penultimate (I know so sad) episode for this season of rocket fuel we chat with the Chief Fun Officer over at Griddly Kids… Yes that is their official title! James chats all things Griddly… who are they… where did they come from and why they think its so important to have education be fun for children! They also chat about STEM and how implementing activities in the category of can help children have a head start on learning with out realising that they are. Then we talk Reisa’s all impo...
Feb 21, 2024•25 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Uju Asika is a writer, blogger and creative consultant. She is the author of Raising Boys Who Do Better: A Hopeful Guide for a New Generation (DK/Penguin Random House), Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World (Yellow Kite/Hachette UK) and the delightful picture book A World for Me and You, illustrated by Jennie Poh (Hachette Children's Group). She is also our latest guest on the rocket fuel podcast! James and Uju chat all things kids, parents, parenting and all things n...
Feb 14, 2024•27 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Nathaniel Hunter is someone who is taking play into the future. His company D1srupt1ve (no the 1’s are supposed to be there) partnered up with the toy giants Mego to bring back a classic some of our listeners may recognise. The 2-XL robot. It has had many forms over the years but this time its pushing the world just a little bit further with the thanks to AI. We talk with Nathaniel about AI ethics and the future of it. How it works in a family setting to improve mental health in a semi-screen fr...
Feb 07, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 4
We are on location! Yes how exciting we were at one of the most interesting events in the calendar year The Toy Fair in London. We went along and were very kindly guests of the kind people at Precise TV and we got chatting with them about what they do and how they help their clients reach audiences more effectively in a growing digital world. We then hit the floor and met up with Casdon the people behind your child's favourite real world role play activity be it Henry Vacuums, Dyson, DeLonghi es...
Jan 31, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Annie McCosker and Izzie Fernandes from the Community Youth Organisation FLAARE talk with James this week about how brands can connect with Gen Z audiences by including their voices to influence not just the marketing but the products and even the brands its self. How their Community Youth Organisation is making the entrepreneurs of the future where the talented young individuals can start creating their next business today. And then they also chatted about how brand and business can get involve...
Jan 24, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 2
In this new season and latest episode of Rocket Fuel, B2B Marketing Manager at Student Beans, Harriet McCulley, shares insights into her professional journey, the dynamics of marketing to the Gen Z audience, and the importance of authentic brand communication. Harriet discusses her transition from journalism to digital marketing, her drive to become a T-shaped marketer, and her entrepreneurial endeavors. Speaking about her role at Student Beans, she highlights the emphasis on events marketing, s...
Jan 17, 2024•29 min•Season 5Ep. 1
This week James talks to Richard Clare from Immediate Media and more specifically all the LEGO Magazines & MEGA where he is the editor We take a deep dive into who is and why he LOVES magazines getting into the nitty gritty of how the magazine has developed and why somethings make look familiar to an older audience of the original MATCH magazine. We talk about how in a digital age what will the future of magazine be? Can they keep up? Is there a universal positive of magazines over screen ti...
Feb 16, 2023•34 min•Season 4Ep. 8
A small word of warning this episode has some quite frank language and the occasional word bomb may be dropped. This week James talks to Jamie East the presenter, broadcaster, punk singer and journalist. Who paved his way almost accidentally by being someone who was willing to look at what was there and tell them where they needed to go. We take a deep dive into who is Jamie East and what makes him tick. We talk about the days Big Brother's Bit On The Side and what was Holy Moly and how did it c...
Feb 02, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Welcome back to Rocket Fuel! This week James sits down with Rachel Beech. She and James go way back and catch up with Rachel's newest and best venture yet... We Are Fetch. An amazing app and network system revolutionising the way we all do the school run and more. We talk to her about where she got started and why being a tech head helped her get ahead of the game and why working with todays younger humans is rewarding in multiple ways. We also discuss We Are Fetch, why was it needed, how it wor...
Jan 19, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Welcome back to Rocket Fuel! This week James sits down with James Gilmore. A fascinating individual who is the Founder & Managing Director of leading teen media company W!ZARD Radio Media. We talk to him about how and why this all started back 11 years ago from his bedroom as a kid. We also discuss W!ZARD Radio Media what its is and what the future holds for it as they expand into the world of talent management and record labels and the challenges of having 2 brands that work side by side bu...
Jan 05, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Welcome back to Rocket Fuel! This week James sits down with Ian Shepherd, founder of The Social Store and co-founder of Electrify Video Partners. Ian has 20 years experience in the industry, working in commercial roles for companies including Disney, Universal Music, WarnerMedia and BT. Ian is a leader in the influencer marketing space, working with some of the world's most popular social media creators. Ian and James talk early vision in the creator industry, commercialisation and growth. How f...
Dec 08, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Welcome back to Rocket Fuel! This week James sits down with Hannah Witton. An extraordinary podcaster, author, YouTuber and writer who has been creating content for more than 10 years. We talk to her about her views on the being an "influencer" and how this has changed over the years. We also discuss her work habits and practises she adopts day to day. We ramble around the topic of new wave creators and perspective on how agencies and brands should be implementing their influencer marketing. Our...
Nov 24, 2022•46 min•Season 4Ep. 3
This week we are with Alicia Liu. Alicia is from Spring Grass which serves as the bridge between the west and China in terms of Youth Marketing. We hear her insight on youth and parent audiences in China, recent behavioural trends and what they are looking for from brands. We chat about technology and development and uncover similarities between the west and China. Using this insight, we also ramble around the topic of what it means for brands looking to enter the Chinese market. Sophie, Head of...
Nov 10, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 2
WE ARE BACK! And we are back with a boom... specifically TikTok's Boom with the guy who literally wrote the book on it! Chris Stokel-Walker. He is back for his 2nd appearance on the show and we get straight into it. We talk about his book TikTok Boom (Available now in all good places where books are sold) We chat with him about why the move of focus from YouTube to TikTok and what this means for creators Then we ramble around the topic of what this means for China on the world stage We will be b...
Oct 27, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Charlotte Eyre is the The Children’s Editor at The Bookseller. The Bookseller is the UK’s premier business magazine for the publishing industry, and has been for over a century. Debuting in 1858, The Bookseller provide news and analysis on the industry, all the while running conferences, award ceremonies, and community spaces. Charlotte Eyre’s career began rather peculiarly. After studying French and Linguistics at Oxford University, she travelled to France one weekend to give out 75 CVs by hand...
Mar 11, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 12
