Alan Kraft & Jim Kabakow – Wild Business Growth Podcast #319: Media Horizons, Bin 113, Wine Across America

Have fun. That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth podcast guests, Alan Kraft & Jim Kabakow. Alan & Jim are the Co-Founders & Managing Partners of Bin 113. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth podcast Summary

Episode 319: Alan Kraft & Jim Kabakow – Media Horizons, Bin 113, Wine Across America

Alan Kraft & Jim Kabakow, the Co-Founders & Managing Partners of Bin 113, join the show to share their journey from starting, growing, and selling Media Horizons to building the wine marketing company for wineries in all 50 states. Hear how to start a marketing agency, how to add more services to your business, how to sell your business, the marketing opportunity for wineries in the US, and Alan & Jim’s favorite wine regions outside the US. This episode covers everything from expensive wine to the Super Bowl. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• Why are Alan & Jim so passionate about wine
• Where did the idea to start your own marketing agency come from
• How do you find your first clients
• What is Bin 113
• Sandra Guibord
• The Law of Syllogism
• What’s Alan’s favorite wine story about Jim
• College Baseball

Connect with Alan & Jim on LinkedIn, Bin113.com, and check out Wine Across America.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Wine
  • [0:26] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:35] Connect with Alan & Jim on LinkedIn, Bin113.com, and check out Wine Across America
  • [3:08] Why are Alan & Jim so passionate about wine

• The Media Horizons Story
  • [6:24] Where did the idea to start your own marketing agency come from
  • [8:08] What got Jim to join Media Horizons
  • [8:33] Angel Investors
  • [8:58] Internet
  • [9:31] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [11:00] Wall Street
  • [11:10] How do you find your first clients
  • [12:38] IBM Selectric Typewriter
  • [14:32] How do you add more services to your business
  • [15:49] How did Alan & Jim grow Media Horizons
  • [16:39] Zoom
  • [17:41] How do you sell your business
  • [19:27] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Alan & Jim
  • [19:28] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [19:30] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• The Bin 113 Story & Wine Across America
  • [20:44] Why is wine an appealing industry to work in
  • [21:33] Airfield Estates
  • [22:38] The Winery at Bull Run
  • [23:15] What does Jim love about the wine business
  • [23:28] Wine & Spirit Educational Trust (WSET)
  • [25:38] How do you get the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
  • [26:34] How big is the WSET Level 2 Pin
  • [26:54] What is Bin 113
  • [28:52] Jeff Giordano
  • [31:07] What is Wine Across America
  • [31:15] Sandra Guibord
  • [31:37] The Law of Syllogism
  • [32:38] “Virginia – The Birthplace of Wine in America“
  • [33:42] Subscribe to Wine Across America on YouTube
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [35:09] What’s Alan’s favorite wine story about Jim
  • [37:02] Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian
  • [37:44] What position did Jim play in baseball
  • [38:02] What’s the difference in competition level between high school baseball & college baseball
  • [39:18] “Alan Kraft – Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Media Horizons” on The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
  • [39:31] What’s the craziest Super Bowl Alan has been to
  • [41:03] Burgundy, France, Beaune, France
  • [41:35] Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, Italy, Veneto, Italy, Amarone Wine
  • [41:55] Jerez, Spain (Sherry)
  • [42:15] Connect with Alan & Jim on LinkedIn, Bin113.com, and check out Wine Across America
  • [42:28] What are Alan & Jim’s Final Thoughts
  • [42:53] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [43:02] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Alan & Jim
  • [43:08] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [43:10] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [43:13] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [43:17] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Alan Kraft & Jim Kabakow on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And watch Wine Across America with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!