James is the content director at Gorilla 76, where he leads the agency’s writers and videographers, shaping the standards that make Gorilla’s content what it is. He started with Gorilla in 2021 as a copywriter. Today, his team looks to him as their advocate and translator in leadership conversations.
He seeks to embed himself more deeply in the economic mechanisms that underpin the modern world and find the stories worth telling within them.
James started his career in magazine journalism. Before joining Gorilla, he reported on the St. Louis food and beverage industry for Sauce Magazine and learned that strong editorial standards compound content quality over time. His edits carry strategic weight, not just stylistic polish.
James has contributed to the broader marketing community as co-host of the Purposeful Marketing Podcast, producing 122 episodes over more than two years. He’s also guest-hosted Industrial Marketing Collective Live, led workshops and panel discussions at Industrial Marketing Summit, and presented on podcasting and at the Midwest Manufacturers Trade Show & Conference in 2024.
James earned bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and English, with a creative writing emphasis, from the University of Missouri. He lives in St. Louis and spends much of his free time at a nearby lake, river or park. Outside of work, he loves to cook, writes fiction and makes music.
