He talks about his first few months in the role, the process of stepping up to Chief Exec, and the recruitment landscape right now, plus tons more.

We take stock of where he's at with his business and work, as well as checking in on developments with Stephen, and taking an indepth look at the agency scene and wider Sheffield business landscape.

Steel City Business is brought to you by conversational content experts Sound Media.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

They talk all things podcasting, Crossed Wires, and Sheffield.

This was done as part of the Loose Lips fringe event at Leah's Yard as part of Crossed Wires, on Sunday 6 July 2025.

Steel City Business is brought to you by Sound Media - find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

She tells us about her 20% rule and how it keeps the brand on its toes!

Plus we dig into some talk about where Sheffield is heading.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

You may know her for The Great Escape, Gameshow Allstars, Sheffield Business Runners - or maybe one of the other many things she's involved in. Or maybe you don't know her at all yet.

Regardless, you'll learn something new about Hannah in this conversation with James and Stephen.

Steel City Business is brought to you by conversational marketing experts Sound Media.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

We explore Jan's journey including two spells at Jaywing among other roles.

Among the topics of conversations are home working - something Jan has been an advocate of since long before the lockdown days.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

So we got together for a look back over her career so far, including her perhaps inventing podcasting before it was a thing.

We discuss how things have changed and what the future of communications might have in store.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

It's not all sales and marketing chat though - they discuss Rob's niche in working closely with businesses in the lubrication space, his early working life in the music and entertainment industry, all things Sheffield, and his community Dads in Business.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

This episode was recorded at the offices of the wonderful Ride Shotgun.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

James meets Daniel Blaney to talk about the story of Ferrio, but also to discuss his role as organiser of the Sheffield Start-Up Meet-Up.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

This episode was recorded at the offices of the wonderful Ride Shotgun.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

It all starts with being told off for something he didn't do at junior school.

You'll here reference to another podcast James and Tim recorded together during this episode and you can find that here > https://player.captivate.fm/episode/85859c17-3a99-4db4-b259-0ecd94ef657f/

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Maria's had a long career in marketing dating back to the early 90s and we probe how things have changed - and interestingly, how they haven't.

Among other topics of conversations are the rise of the fractional role, avoiding paralysis by analysis, and whether mega agencies are on a problematic path.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

This episode was recorded at the offices of the wonderful Ride Shotgun.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

In that time, ecommerce has changed entirely, and the sleep industry has been through something of a revolution as well.

Join CEO Steve Adams as he takes us a fascinating journey through the last two decades, including all the ups and downs including one moment where a simple coding error led to half the business' pages being wiped off Google.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

We discover how much the lockdown years accelerated the development in the space, as well as finding out what kind of projects they work on - from annual company conferences to streaming live surgery in hospitals.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Christina has had an amazing and unusual journey - from building tanks to breaking world records - which she shares with us.

We also talk Tribosonics, the tech scene in Sheffield and the north, and female leaders in the sector.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious. This episode was recorded at Ride Shotgun in Sheffield.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

There's a few threads here, as Ride Shotgun is the temporary home for the podcast with our usual studio out of action.

And it also just so happens to be the new workplace of our co-host Stephen Kenwright, back in the world of work after 18 months mainly watching Disney, by the sounds of it.

But aside from those factors, there is a great story here of an agency which started life with a laptop and mobile phone in Andy's spare room, and now spans not only several cities, but countries too, with ambitious plans to continue to grow.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

It's super exciting hearing all about Leah's Yard ahead of its opening on 24 August - something unique, contemporary, and with that Sheffield 'secret sauce'.

Much of the conversation is spent discussing the future for Sheffield City Centre as we stand at an exciting crossroads with tons of development going on and starting to fruition.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

There's some really interesting key findings - lots of positivity, along with a few challenges.

Find the report here: https://thejobsfoundation.com/sheffield-forging-steel-and-embracing-tech/

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

She chats to us about her journey into freelancing and her many and varied extra curricular activities including Sheffield Creative Mornings and Sheff Girls Lift. She does a lot of stuff!

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious, where this episode was recorded.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Fair to say plenty has happened in that time, not least a ruddy big pandemic!

But James' business has changed lots - but what hasn't changed much recently is his team. It's this which prompts a long conversation about culture and staff retention.

At the time of recording, it was just a few days after James returned from the Boston Marathon, so there's plenty of talk about that as well, along with plenty of other topics.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious, where this episode was recorded.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Gerry tells us about the company's journey and the huge changes in the marketing world since 1999.

And to mark the anniversary, they're giving away time - have a listen to find out more.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious, where this episode was recorded.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

This leads us to a discussion generally about doing work stateside, growing pains, hiring and firing, and some unpopular opinions on marketing and technology (and lots more, of course).

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious, where this episode was recorded and filmed.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

As it's ten years since the law allowing them was introduced, and also Nelly's ten year business anniversary, it seemed the perfect time to get together for a chat.

Nelly took James' wonderfully colourful headshots a few years back and they've become mates since so expect a very friendly conversation with no subject off the table.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious, where this episode was recorded.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

They're a Swedish company making heat pumps.

Don't worry if you don't fully know what a heat pump is or how it works, all is explained by Matt.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Hosts James Marriott and Stephen Kenwright met up with founders Sam Newton and Mike Crocker to get the full lowdown on the business.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious, where this episode was recorded and filmed.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

But this isn't really a chat about video production or marketing. Joada tells James about her background and unlikely journey into becoming a business owner, and why helping young people is so important to her.

Joada was a remarkable and inspiring guest - we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

But, why? What are they doing differently?

Well James went along to their HQ in Neepsend to meet founder Daniel Bumby and learn more about Simoda's secrets.

It's not all tech talk - we also discuss space and the final frontier, why Daniel hates butter, a bit of music and football, and our mutual friend Dave.

It's a really good 'un. Enjoy!

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Instantprint have recently announced a £5m investment in their sprawling factory at Manvers, so James went along to meet Laura Mucklow, head of Instantprint.

We talk about some amazingly nerdy printing machines, female leaders in the print industry, future expansion plans and - of course - business cards.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Katy previously worked with Stephen at Rise at Seven, as one of the first employees of the agency, before her and two colleagues broke off to start their own.

It's a really interesting story, with Katy not particularly having a long-standing aim to run an agency.

We talk about the health of digital PR and the campaigns Bottled Imagination are working on, legal hurdles, how the trio make decisions (including the one thing they have disagreed on so far) and tons more.

Check out Bottled Imagination at https://bottledimagination.com/

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious, where this episode was recorded and filmed.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

(You may have spotted we've moved episode releases to Tuesday instead of Thursday now, mainly so it's easier to talk about "this week's episode" for a few more days tbh)

Giorgio Cassella and Sam Biggins are joint Managing Directors and join James to talk about their respective journeys and their work to turn it into a true people-first business.

Plus they now have their own podcast which is ruddy marvellous (full transparency: James helped them set it up). You can check it out by searching for People Over Pixels in this very podcast app.

And find out more about Evoluted at https://www.evoluted.net/

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

No spoilers, but it's definitely worth a listen.

James spent an afternoon at Kitlocker's huge operation near Attercliffe to find out more about the work they do for an impressive array of clients, ranging from seriously huge like the Premier League all the way down to grassroots teams and even individuals.

Mike shares the full story of how they got here, worts and all, including totally messing up their first ever big order!

This is a really great listen and a cracking guest - enjoy!

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

She joins hosts James Marriott and Stephen Kenwright at The Kurious studios to reflect on her background working at several agencies, including Rise at Seven, before starting her own design brand, Skyhi Creative.

We talk about loads of stuff, including:

• Working with actual proper music stars including Fatboy Slim
• NFTs / digital collectables / monkey jpgs
• Building an agency vs being a freelancer
• Mental health

Check out Amy's work here >> https://www.skyhi.xyz/

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

Adam Bradley is a familiar face on the networking scene around South Yorkshire and has quietly been leading an amazing period of growth and success at Corrosion Resistant Materials.

James went along to find out more about Adam, the business, and the changing face of the wider industry.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

James meets Greg Hewitt from the Sheffield Action on Plastic group to find out about their campaign and what they're working towards.

It's super relevant at the moment and especially for venues including pubs, bars and coffee shops.

Find out more about the group here: https://sheffieldactiononplastic.co.uk/

She told James all about it, including the challenges and obstacles along the way - a stark reminder of just how imperfect the world of work is for some people.

We touch on mental health and general wellbeing among a host of other topics.

Find out more about Hayley and her awesome work at https://www.find-narrative.com/

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

You could say his mantra is different.

James Marriott went along to Mantra Media's headquarters at Ikigai House in Sheffield City Centre to meet Johnny and hear more about his story.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

James Marriott is joined by regular co-host Stephen Kenwright, exited founder of Rise at Seven. We welcome Tom Scott who founded Little Mesters agency in 2020.

The agency grew quickly, but soon hit troubles and had to let all its staff go, leaving just Tom.

Tom talks frankly and honestly about a challenging 18 months - contrasted of course by Stephen's journey as Rise at Seven grew exponentially before his decision to leave.

Both have plenty to say about their contrasting experiences.

Steel City Business is brought to you by audio marketing experts Sound Media and supported by The Kurious.

Find all episodes and loads more about us at steelcity.business and get in touch by email to james@steelcity.business

At a time where most businesses are barely thinking a few weeks ahead, it's difficult to start imagining another industry revolution is around the corner.

James meets Tim Woolliscroft, a digital innovation consultant based in Sheffield, to talk it all through.

Read Tim's full blog and his thoughts on lots more at https://digitaltim.uk/

- How Can Podcasting Help You Through The Coronavirus (And Beyond)? Read this

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

We chat about their work to date and their new video marketing relief scheme.

Find out more about Open House Pictures here: https://www.openhousepictures.co.uk/ and the Video Marketing Relief Scheme here: https://www.openhousepictures.co.uk/packages

- How Can Podcasting Help You Through The Coronavirus (And Beyond)? Read this

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

But as more and more people take it, can it really help your business to grow?

James chats to Mark Asquith, CEO and co-founder at Rebel Base Media to talk about the truth of what podcasting can do for you and your brand - and how to get started.

- How Can Podcasting Help You Through The Coronavirus (And Beyond)? Read this

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

More people are working remotely, at home.

What does that mean for team morale, and what can you do to keep spirits up?

James meets Nathan Angus from Wildfire Agency to discuss what they're doing to keep team building firmly on the agenda.

Find out more about their socially distanced team building activities at spreadlikewildfire.co.uk

- How Can Podcasting Help You Through The Coronavirus (And Beyond)? Read this

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

Nimble, founded by Chris Roberts, is thriving - we met up (remotely, of course) to find out more.

- How Can Podcasting Help You Through The Coronavirus (And Beyond)? Read this

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

But Hayley Koseoglu certainly isn't afraid of a challenge.

Now she works as a business consultant while also helping her husband's business to thrive too.

Hayley chats to us about her career path which led her into consultancy, and her aims for the future.

** Please note this episode was recorded before the Coronavirus outbreak, so please excuse any references which seem out of place **

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

When Hugo Russell realised it was time for the cleaning industry to keep a bit of a cleaning up of itself, it set him on a path to success.

We chat to Hugo about his journey so far - and what may lay ahead.

** Please note this episode was recorded before the Coronavirus outbreak, so please excuse any references which seem out of place **

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

It's a word we see and hear all the time - and what it means to me might be different to what it means to you.

Abby Abrames has an established track record behind her, working in several positions before branching out on her own.

We catch up to hear her story - and see what she thinks marketing is all about.

** Please note this episode was recorded before the Coronavirus outbreak, so please excuse any references which seem out of place **

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

Jon Asquith can explain why - and what sets him aside from the other business coaches out there at the moment.

He's been working with companies across Europe for 15 years - from multinationals to start-ups.

** Please note this episode was recorded before the Coronavirus outbreak, so please excuse any references which seem out of place **

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

And it truly is a journey - she travelled the world before settling back down in Sheffield to set up Vantage 66, her social media agency.

She has some great stories to tell, and some great thoughts and tips on how to use social media effectively.

(Please note this episode of Steel City Business was recorded before the Coronavirus outbreak)

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

Each episode features a company or organisation based in or around the city - from the big ones right down to the sole traders. If it’s happening in Sheffield, we’ll be covering it.

It’s brought to you by the team at Rebel Base Media, the Sheffield-based podcasting experts. 

Find out more at steelcitybusiness.com - and if you want to get in touch please email hellothere@rebelbasemedia.io

In this special episode of Steel City Business, James is joined by Ben Kearns from 24 Seven Cloud to explore how we can continue in the face of the current crisis.

Companies who might never before have offered remote working now find themselves quickly having to adjust to that very situation.

And as thousands of people begin to work from home for the first time, we give our top five tips to effective home working.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

But for a business, power cuts of any length can be a nightmare. From revenue grinding to a halt, to losing valuable data - you have to be able to keep going.

That's where Jonathon Morley and Secure Power come up.

He met up with James to explain more.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

Twinkl is one of the city's biggest employers along with millions of users right around the world.

But what do they do, and how have they got so big so quickly? James met up with chief product officer Helen Fulson and chief operating officer David Angrave to find out.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

Stephen Kenwright is on course for just that with Rise At Seven.

He's co-founder and Technical Director and met James to share the story of an amazing journey - and what comes next.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

But that's not all; she's also a leading figure in Sheffield Digital and firmly established in the business scene.

James met her to find out her own adventure to date... and what's still to come.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

We've had 20 Prime Ministers in that time and the EU was still 68 years away from being formed back in 1925.

That's when Graysons Solicitors first set-up in Sheffield.

A lot has happened in the years since, but Graysons in still going strong - adapting and changing along the way.

James caught up with partner Anne Rogers to find out more about the Graysons story... and what the next chapters have in store.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

In that time he's been all over the world and thinks he's picked up the characteristics needed to succeed in business - or as he puts it, thinking in '3D'

We met up to find out more.

Find Andy here: http://www.andyhanselman.com/

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

Steel City is a leading producer of just about anything branded you can imagine.

We met up with MD James Biggin to hear about their 40 years in business here in Sheffield.

Find Steel City merch here: https://steel-city.co.uk/

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

While Brexit grabs all the headlines, he's helping brands around the steel city forge their way into a whole new market - and a big one at that.

We talk about what Mosaic International is all about and why every company in Sheffield should be looking towards SE Asia.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

It's a fairly modest dream, but then Lorraine is a modest person.

We chat about her journey to setting up Open Narrative and her first two products she's launched - and those hopes for the future.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

We meet up with Managing Director Jonathan Herbert and Director Matthew Hutton.

Find out how the industry has grown and the challenges they've overcome along the way - and some of the awe-inspiring buildings they've designed.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

We meet Managing Director Dan Broadbent to find out about the company’s origins and continued growth - despite setting up in the midst of recession.

Steel City Business is the Sheffield Business podcast, highlighting the great stuff happening within the business community here in Sheffield.

We're dedicated to promoting the amazing things happening in and around our city.

Our trailer gives you an insight into who we are what we do.

If you'd like to get in touch, email hellothere@rebelbasemedia.io

No business is too big or too small for the podcast. If you'd like us to come and see you just drop us a line.