1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,400 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, Welcome to the episode of butter Nomics. I'm 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: your host, Brandon Butler, found in CEO of Butter atl 3 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: And Today. Man, we got somebody special in the building. Man, 4 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:11,120 Speaker 1: we got the one, the only, mister Greg Mike, Greg Mike. 5 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:13,159 Speaker 1: How you doing, sir, I'm doing great. Thanks for having me. 6 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: Appreciate it. Oh man, thanks for pulling up. And I 7 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: got to ask now because we're gonna have a long conversation. 8 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: It's gonna be good. But I need to know do 9 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: I need to address you as Greg Mike everything? I 10 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: gotta say the whole thing. I can try call quest 11 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: or like, did I just call you Greg? Mister Mike, Like, 12 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: how do you want me to do it? Whatever? 13 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 2: Whatever is comfortable. But now most people just Greg or 14 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 2: GM or whatever. Greg is easy? 15 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: Cool man, it's not. 16 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 2: It's a shortened it's a shortened name for my legal name, 17 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: which is a mouthful. So it's a lot easier than 18 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:38,319 Speaker 2: the legal name. 19 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, I just had to ask people. Man, Like 20 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: I said, I got some people and say, you gotta 21 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: say the whole thing. I'm like, it's just the first 22 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:44,959 Speaker 1: middle name. Man. 23 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 2: Cool. 24 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: Hello, appreciate you pulling up. Man, Look, you do a 25 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: lot of work around, a lot of amazing work around Atlanta, 26 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: your artists all over the place. You can't miss it. 27 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: I've seen it for years, been a fan of it. 28 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: So I'm really glad you had a chance to pull up. 29 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: Im gonna have a great conversation day, man. So thanks 30 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: coming to button Nomics. 31 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 2: Appreciate it. Stoke to be here. 32 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: So look, man, one of the things we you know, 33 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: instead of telling people tell us about yourself and all 34 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: this kind of stuff, what I like to do. I 35 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: have to ask chat cheapt to write a bio about 36 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: all our guests. And I read you the bio that 37 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: chat ChiPT has about you, and you tell me, is 38 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: chat cappin? Is it on point? Is it missing anything? 39 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna read you when I wrote it and 40 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,119 Speaker 1: said who is mister Greg Mike and Atlanta? What chat 41 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: cheapt said about you? And I got the good version too, 42 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,759 Speaker 1: So it came back to some good stuff like you got. 43 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: You got a couple pieces on here, man, Some people 44 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 1: just have like one or two lines. Okay, so you're 45 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: ready for this. Let's hear it all right, let's do this. 46 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: Greg Mike is one of the artists who helped Bill, 47 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: who helped shape the visual language of modern Atlanta. He 48 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: grew up on graffiti, built a whole universe of characters 49 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: that people recognize instantly, and turned that style into a 50 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: global brand. His signature character, Larry Loudmouth shows up on 51 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,639 Speaker 1: walls from the belt Line to Miami to the Swiss Alps, 52 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: and his work has been featured in museums, festivals, and 53 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: major collaborations across art, music, and tech. He's founder of 54 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: the ABV Gallery and ABV Agency at Creative House he 55 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: started back in two thousand and eight that now works 56 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: with brands like Nike, Coca Cola, Google, Facebook, the Atlanta Braves, 57 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: and artists across the world. ABV is a gallery, a 58 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: production studio, and home base for his expanding creative world, 59 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: including murals, installations, merch art, toys, and digital work. He 60 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: recently opened a new ABV Gallery inside a converted church 61 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: in East Atlanta Village and launched a new chapter of 62 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: his work with the New Chapter Exhibition. His pieces have 63 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: been collected by people like Justin Bieber, Diplo, Swiss Beats, 64 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 1: and more, while staying rooted in Atlanta's culture and neighborhood. 65 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: At this point. He's not just an artist, he's an entrepreneur, 66 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: a builder, and someone who understands how to take an 67 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 1: idea that starts on a sketch pad and turn into 68 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: a full business ecosystem. That's mister Greg. Mike, what do 69 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: you think about chatchibt Man? It's an all points of 70 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: missing anything? What's up? 71 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 2: That was very nice, Yeah, and I mean I think 72 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 2: they pretty much covered everything. Definitely some interesting facts there. Yeah, 73 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 2: I mean that's a lot. 74 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,239 Speaker 1: The Swiss Alps that jumped out to me talking about 75 00:02:58,240 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: the Swiss Alps. 76 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, Swiss Alps pay there for a festival called Vision Art. 77 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:03,519 Speaker 1: Seeah Man, there was a lot of interesting stuff on 78 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: the Swiss Alps. Tell me about that. How that happen? 79 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's probably one of the wildest. You know, you 80 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 2: get a lot of people that ask there, like you know, 81 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 2: what's your favorite project you ever worked on, or where's 82 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 2: the craziest place you've ever painted? And I think the 83 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 2: Swiss Alps is definitely top of that list. And that 84 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 2: was one of those where just you know, random email 85 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 2: comes through from a curator just found the work online 86 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 2: and a festival called Vision Art Festival in Switzerland. It 87 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 2: happens on the top of a ski resort where they 88 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 2: do it during the summer and artists go up on 89 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 2: the mountain and they paint like the cinder blocks that 90 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 2: hold the ski lifts. So that was just one of 91 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 2: those like, you know, pinch myself kind of moments, like, Wow, 92 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 2: I guess this whole career thing's working out. You know, 93 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 2: I'm sitting on top of the Swiss Alps looking down, 94 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 2: you know, I'm seeing cows and you know, it's the 95 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 2: middle of the summer, and looking down at the village 96 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 2: and looking up at the snow capped mountains on the 97 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 2: other side of the Swiss Alps, and yeah, I think 98 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 2: it was just one of those one those like really moments, 99 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 2: you're like, all right, we did it, you know. 100 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: You know what's always interesting to me is I've done 101 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: a lot of different things in my career, and I've 102 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: been a lot of places, and there are moments when 103 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: I take a step and I kind of think to myself, 104 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: It's amazing what knowing how to use a keyboard is 105 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: done for me. And it sounds like that's kind of 106 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: one of those moments for you, right, It's amazing with 107 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,039 Speaker 1: just knowing how to make art and be creative. It's 108 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: able to take you all across the world. Have you 109 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: ever had a moment like that? Yeah? 110 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 2: I try to, you know, And this is something that 111 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 2: I'm like constantly dealing with. And I was literally having 112 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 2: a conversation with similar with my wife this morning. Is like, 113 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 2: it's so easy to get caught up in the grind 114 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 2: and the hustle. Yeah, you really do have to like 115 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 2: force yourself to take those moments, because I feel like 116 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: you get so caught up in this like whirlwind of 117 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:46,039 Speaker 2: like trying to like move the goal post forward, and 118 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 2: then you hit those goals, and then you never sit 119 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 2: back and like take a breather and really enjoy and reflect. 120 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 2: So as I get older, I think I'm trying to 121 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 2: do more of that because I think when you're young, 122 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 2: you just have such big aspirations and dreams and then 123 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 2: before you know, twenty years later and you look back 124 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 2: and you're like, all right, checked all those boxes, but 125 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 2: he you know, doesn't make am I happy? Like? Where 126 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 2: am I at? This? 127 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: And that? 128 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:08,160 Speaker 2: So? 129 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: So how do you so when somebody asks you what 130 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: you do? How would you explain what it is you do? Now? 131 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean a lot of times people, you know, 132 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 2: you meet somebody for the first time and they're like, 133 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 2: what do you do? And I mostly now just say 134 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 2: I do stuff in the art business, the art world, 135 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 2: because you know, I think just saying I'm an artist 136 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 2: is very limiting when I do have the gallery and 137 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 2: the Mural Festival and all these other things that chat 138 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:34,239 Speaker 2: said nicely about me. But yeah, that's usually the intro, 139 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 2: which usually spawns a bunch of different questions on what 140 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 2: do you mean what do you do in the art world? 141 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean it's all I mean the way 142 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 2: that I look at it as like art and business, 143 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 2: like the art of business too, on how those worlds collide, 144 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 2: like creativity and business together. You know. 145 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I always talk about I think I'm in the 146 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: business of creativity. 147 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know. 148 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: I look, they don't want me to open up photoshop 149 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: or start being creative. I'm dangerous, not in a good way. 150 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: But I do think one of my superpowers is removing 151 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: obstacles for my team and helping them kind of figure 152 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: out like what we're trying to accomplish, and then also 153 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: just like creating space people to like, you know, just 154 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: do their own best work. Even though I probably suck 155 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: at doing that kind of stuff. You know what, Now 156 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: you're not from Atlanta originally, right now. 157 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 2: I was born in Danbury, Connecticut, northeast, and then my 158 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 2: parents split when I was pretty young and I moved 159 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 2: down to South Florida like West Palm area, and spent 160 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 2: most of my childhood years down there, high school and 161 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,039 Speaker 2: all that. Were you like a creative child or yeah, 162 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: always creative, always drawn to creativity, you know, into art, music, 163 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 2: all that, just everything creative as a youngster and you know, 164 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: got into graffiti and skateboarding, and I think that was 165 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:47,919 Speaker 2: like really what opened up my eyes to like street 166 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 2: art and the artwork. And I remember as a kid, 167 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,119 Speaker 2: just like you know, living in Connecticut. We were pretty 168 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,039 Speaker 2: much in the south south West area Connecticut, and I 169 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 2: used to take the train like the you know, down 170 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 2: to into New York City on the weekends and I 171 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 2: would just like stare out like the windows of the 172 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 2: train just see like all this graffiti, and my mind 173 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 2: would go crazy, like I'm like, how are these people 174 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 2: paying this? What does it say? What does it mean? 175 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 2: And uh, that just opened my eyes to just like 176 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 2: street art, graffiti art, and like yeah, I just think 177 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:18,760 Speaker 2: it's like such like a cooler aspect than just like 178 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 2: a traditional painting or a landscape piece, you know, And 179 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 2: I've always just like fell in love with it. 180 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's something I've I've I've learned somewhat a little 181 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: bit about graffiti. It's very interesting to me, like even 182 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: just like how it's done and like how it's placed. 183 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 1: And you know, people I guess like tagging on top 184 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: of other people's stuff, And I still understand how those 185 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: guys get up on top of those signs and stuff 186 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: like that. That's the one thing I will never understand 187 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: is just how does somebody get all the way up 188 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: here and do that? 189 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 2: Ladders and now people are using harness and rock climbing gear. 190 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: I'm crazy. 191 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's next level. But you know what a. 192 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: When when you came to Atlanta, Like what made you 193 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: think that, like this is a place that you could 194 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: really start to expand yourself creatively. 195 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, honestly, Like you know, I grew up when I 196 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 2: grew up in South Florida, I've always been super into music. 197 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 2: You know, I still DJA. I started djaying in college 198 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 2: and you know, used to mess around freestyle and all 199 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 2: that back in the day with my friends like growing 200 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 2: up South Florida loved outcasts. Outcast was like, to me, 201 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 2: super magical and like just the world they created like 202 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 2: visually in auto you know, through music and sound, and 203 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 2: they used to always talk about Atlanta and in my head, 204 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 2: Atlanta you know, with these like at aliens, and they 205 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 2: crafted it as like this magical, out of this world place. 206 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 2: So like as I'm like, you know, thirteen fourteen, fifteen, 207 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 2: as a kid, you know, bumping outcasts in my room 208 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 2: through like some you know, makeshift speaker system, I just 209 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 2: was like getting you know, like almost like brainwashed, like 210 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 2: you got to go to Atlanta. Atlanta, It's like it's, 211 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 2: you know, out of this world. So I think honestly, 212 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 2: to me, a lot of that was like them painting 213 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 2: that picture of what Atlanta was. And then growing up, 214 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 2: I went to Florida State for art, and I used 215 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 2: to just come up here on the weekends just because 216 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 2: I got like kind of burnt of the whole like party, 217 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 2: college football scene, and I was like, there's got to 218 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 2: be something bigger out there. So I was like, you know, 219 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 2: I look at the map, like what's the next bigger city. 220 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 2: And then obviously knowing about Atlanta as a young kid, 221 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:14,559 Speaker 2: I was like, let me go to Atlanta. So I 222 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 2: used to shoot up here on the weekends. And I 223 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:19,439 Speaker 2: think that was just like the eye opening awakening for 224 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 2: me because you know, I think I was, you know, 225 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 2: sophomore in college. All these other kids are just partying, 226 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 2: and I'm focusing like on my art and how I 227 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 2: can start businesses, and like I said, like the creativity 228 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 2: aspect of it, how those worlds meshed together. I started 229 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 2: going to the museums, going to the boutiques, going to 230 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 2: you know, shows, festivals, and I just like fell in 231 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 2: love with just Atlanta and just like how unique and 232 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 2: diverse and like, you know, just the city. It's unlike 233 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 2: any other city in the world that I've ever been to. 234 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 2: You know, it has everything here, you know, and it's 235 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 2: like it still has that. I think it reminded me 236 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 2: a little bit too, of like up North, where it's 237 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 2: like with all the trees and like, you know, it's 238 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 2: like the city within the forest. You know. It had 239 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 2: a little bit of like up North Connecticut, New York 240 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 2: vibes with like all the you know, the trees and 241 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,439 Speaker 2: you can drive thirty forty five minutes outside of the 242 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,959 Speaker 2: city and be in some mountains similar like New York 243 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 2: if you go to Upstate New York. But then it 244 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 2: also had like that South Florida like city Miami vibe 245 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 2: of like you know, big buildings and you know felt 246 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 2: like a real like you know, real city, you know 247 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 2: at the end of the day. So I think that's 248 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 2: why I like fell in love with It was like 249 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 2: a perfect mix of like all the things that I 250 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 2: was into, and it was just like I just looked 251 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 2: and saw that there was like tons of opportunity for 252 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,319 Speaker 2: everything that I wanted to do creatively. You know, there 253 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 2: wasn't any street art or urban art you know galleries 254 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 2: at the time. I think when we opened, we were 255 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 2: like one of the first hand handfuls of like small galleries. 256 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 2: It just because that art movement hadn't really like exploded. 257 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 2: You know, there was a there's always been a great 258 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 2: graffiti scene here, but I think once like street art 259 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 2: and murals and all that stuff got popular, you know, 260 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 2: there needed to be like a home for that. 261 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I think it's interesting too, like Evan 262 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: haven't grown up out here. And I mean again, I'm 263 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: obviously people, I'm the biggest outcast fans in the world. 264 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: I mean shout out to Drea and big graduations on 265 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame actually have done work with them 266 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: in different things. And it's even it's even funny too, 267 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: like just connecting with them sometimes, like why is Big 268 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:13,280 Speaker 1: Boy calling me? You know what I mean? Or like 269 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: why is Killer Mike calling me? Right now? That's that's 270 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: the crazy part about Atlanta. But you know, you said 271 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,839 Speaker 1: something that was really interesting where you kind of saw 272 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: an opportunity. And I think that's one thing I would 273 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,559 Speaker 1: even kind of take a step back and kind of 274 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: call out, right, I think a lot of times, even 275 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: even as magical home as special as Atlanta is a place, 276 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:29,719 Speaker 1: when you grow up here, sometimes you take some things 277 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: for granted. And one thing I've kind of noticed is, Yeah, 278 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:35,239 Speaker 1: when people come from other perspectives, they just see opportunities 279 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: that we don't necessarily see. And I feel like it 280 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 1: kind of feels like that's what you're kind to say, 281 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: and right, like like there was there were some pieces here, 282 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: but it felt like you kind of came in with 283 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:43,719 Speaker 1: a little bit of a fresh perspective and you really 284 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: kind of saw some of the opportunities other people might 285 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: have overlooked. Is that is that accurate. 286 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:49,439 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think just being like in the scene and 287 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 2: like being a part of it too. You know, you 288 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 2: start to realize because I started traveling a lot from 289 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 2: my art. So I would go to San Francisco, i'd 290 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 2: go to La I go to Miami for Oarbasil, and 291 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 2: I'd come home. I'd like be on these like crazy 292 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 2: emotional like highs where I'm like, you know, I'm hanging 293 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 2: at the hanging at these galleries with all these street 294 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 2: artists and it's like feels like family and you're riding 295 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 2: these like emotional roller coasters. And then you come home 296 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,599 Speaker 2: and you're like, Okay, where's that in Atlanta? You know 297 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 2: what I mean. It's like I felt like if I 298 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:17,960 Speaker 2: I was like, why do I have to go to 299 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 2: these other cities to experience you know, these street art 300 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 2: galleries and urban art galleries? You know, why not just 301 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 2: create something in our backyard? And I think that's where 302 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 2: it came from. And that's like been a big thing 303 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 2: with my whole Like, you know, business career is I 304 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:33,440 Speaker 2: don't have I can't look back. You know. I do 305 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 2: have goals and things, you know, I'll write vision boards 306 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 2: and things like that, but I don't have like a 307 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 2: business plan that I started, you know, twenty years ago. 308 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:41,440 Speaker 2: When I started that said Okay, this is exactly how 309 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 2: everything's mapped out. I feel like for me, it's been 310 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 2: like it's all just like feeling it as it's going 311 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 2: right and growing organically and not rushing into things where 312 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 2: it's like, you know, you start a gallery and then 313 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 2: that goes well and you grow it small, you know, 314 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,320 Speaker 2: take small risks, right, but then it's like you're like, Okay, 315 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 2: there's not a mural festival that also does music, so 316 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 2: I'm like, maybe we should start that. But I feel 317 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 2: like it's been those like small baby steps that just 318 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 2: happen organically and naturally where it's like you're not just 319 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 2: like pulling it out you realize there's a need for it, right, 320 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:15,200 Speaker 2: versus just like coming up a little wild idea. 321 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I think it's kind of like what 322 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: we were talking about even before we you know, before 323 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:20,480 Speaker 1: we started recording, right is. I know for Butter, I've 324 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:21,559 Speaker 1: kind of felt a similar way. 325 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 2: Right. 326 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: I think there are things that I see that I 327 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:26,959 Speaker 1: feel like needs exist, and I've kind of started to 328 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: use this platform to kind of help put those things 329 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: into existence. And I think that's the beauty of the 330 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: human mind, is the ability to manifest things that start 331 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: as a thought. Like everything started as a thought. Literally 332 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: every single thing that you see you interact with started 333 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: in somebody's mind and they and they manifested into reality. 334 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: I think that's the beauty of the human mind and creativity. 335 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: It seems like you've kind of done a similar thing. 336 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 1: How did you kind of start to create this whole 337 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: creative world with all these the visual language and the characters, 338 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: Like how do I all all that start to come about? 339 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 2: So I've always just like even when I was doing graffiti, 340 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 2: when I was growing up as a kid, I was 341 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 2: always more interested in like the characters. You know, graffiti's 342 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 2: mostly about letters and style of how you're tweaking letters. 343 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 2: But I was always interested in like characters. And I 344 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 2: think that just like from like as a young kid, 345 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 2: you know, growing up and being like stuck in front 346 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 2: of a TV screen when your parents have to work 347 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 2: all the time, and you know they're like here you go. 348 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 2: I mean the same way you know parents throw iPads 349 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:21,680 Speaker 2: in front of kids, now keep them busy. I mean 350 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 2: for me, it was nineteen nineties. You know cartoons, right, 351 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,600 Speaker 2: you know, I grew up on the Disney cartoons, love 352 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 2: going to like disney World, you know, fall in love 353 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 2: with Walt Disney's whole world that he built. That was 354 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 2: more than just like a visual on a screen, right, 355 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 2: It's like it becomes like a whole three D world. 356 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 2: So like, I think for me that was a big 357 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 2: inspiration point. And then yeah, I think just seeing all 358 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 2: that mixed with the characters that come from like the 359 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 2: graffiti world, and then seeing like all the skateboard graphics 360 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 2: back in the day, I just started drawing my own 361 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 2: characters and it was like, you know, just that like ADHD, 362 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 2: you know, repetitiveness of like just keeping my mind and 363 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,240 Speaker 2: drawing characters. And a lot of times, like even you know, 364 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 2: in the graph world, it's like you're writing your name 365 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 2: over and over and over. It's almost like an obsessive 366 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 2: compulsive behavior a little bit kind of I always talk 367 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:13,960 Speaker 2: to people about It's like, have you ever been on 368 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 2: a phone call and you'll just sit there and you're 369 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 2: writing your name or doing your signature over and over 370 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 2: and over again, And then you get off an hour 371 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 2: long call and you look at the notebook and it's 372 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 2: just like random doodles and your name signature whatever. I 373 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 2: was like, I feel like that's a lot of like 374 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 2: when I was drawing my characters, was just coming out 375 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 2: of that where it's like you're absorbing so much information. 376 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 2: I always feel like my brain is constantly recording, and 377 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 2: there's like that red light that's like beeping, you know, 378 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 2: on the side, like you know, and I'm always you know, 379 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 2: looking at things visually. Whenever I'm traveling, I'm processing all 380 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 2: that stuff, and then when it comes to the art world, 381 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,640 Speaker 2: I'm releasing all that stuff. And it just happened that 382 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 2: I started drawing these, like these characters and continue to 383 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 2: draw a repetitive character, which then turned into like the 384 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 2: loudmouth character. Yeah, And if you look at it, there's 385 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,360 Speaker 2: obviously like a lot of like inspiration from like the 386 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 2: rubber Hose animation stuff, that Walt Disney stuff, the nineteen 387 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 2: nineties graphics, skateboard graphics, things like that all meshed together, 388 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 2: and that's kind of where my aesthetic and style came from. 389 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 2: But it was never like planned out, you know, my characters. 390 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 2: But there's definitely like nods to like some of those 391 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 2: you know, retro cartoons and stuff, and I think it's 392 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:22,200 Speaker 2: just like repetitiveness of creating characters, and now it's like 393 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 2: become this entire world now, which is everything from vinyls 394 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 2: to you know, soda brand and merch and collapse and 395 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 2: all that stuff. 396 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, and like one thing I even noticed about 397 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: a lot of the work that you do is it's 398 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:36,560 Speaker 1: it's bright. It's like you know, it's it's you know, 399 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: it's again not to like connect street art like negativity 400 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: or anything like that, but like your character's usually smiling, 401 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like was that you know 402 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: the colors are bright there, cluse people wn't necessarily always 403 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 1: like go to like did that part? Also? Was that 404 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: also kind of part the vision? 405 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 2: Yeah? I mean to be honest, like I grew up 406 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 2: and as a pretty angry child, you know, it's all 407 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 2: about like anarchy, and I think, like, you know, it's 408 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 2: all about you know, as a kid like getting into 409 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 2: like skateboarding and graph and all that, it's all about 410 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 2: like destruction. I think I hit a personal point in 411 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 2: my life when I was like okay, because I used 412 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:11,680 Speaker 2: to draw a lot of like dark, kind of disturbing 413 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 2: art and my parents were like, what's wrong with you? 414 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 2: You need to go to therapy? You need to go 415 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 2: to a counselor, like, which I did. And you know, 416 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 2: I think there was a certain turning point where I 417 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 2: was like, Okay, whatever is if I start like putting 418 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,879 Speaker 2: positive stuff out there and use my art as more 419 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,159 Speaker 2: of a mirror and when I'm putting these murals up 420 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 2: and canvases, like, you know, looking at it as a 421 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 2: mirror and what I hope to see and not like 422 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 2: dwelling on the dark stuff that was inside of me. 423 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,719 Speaker 2: So I started like using more bright colors and started 424 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 2: drawing smiling characters and faces. And then like the reaction 425 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 2: that I got from public people were like they're like, oh, 426 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 2: this brings a smile on my face, and then they're 427 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:50,719 Speaker 2: starting to talk to me different, which then affects my 428 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,560 Speaker 2: mood and makes me feel better, you know, and more positive. 429 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 2: And you know, I think it's like it's like anything, 430 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 2: it's like the energy you put out is what you're 431 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 2: going to get back. And I started to notice when 432 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 2: I changed my murals in my art from like looking 433 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 2: dark and disturbing to more positive stuff, you know, it 434 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 2: inspired other people and inspired myself and made me feel better. 435 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 2: So I think nowadays it's just I have to do 436 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:14,760 Speaker 2: that because even me, when I look at it and 437 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,360 Speaker 2: I see a smiling character, it brings happiness and joy 438 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,359 Speaker 2: to my life. You know, there's people that say that 439 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:21,199 Speaker 2: they drive by and they see my murals and the 440 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 2: bright colors and you know, brightens their mood on their 441 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 2: way to work or whatnot. But I think that's important. 442 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 2: And like, especially as you start doing more public art 443 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:31,400 Speaker 2: and people fly you around the world, do these murals, 444 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 2: Like I don't want to be painting stuff in people's 445 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,119 Speaker 2: neighborhoods and I'm not from that are just gonna, you know, 446 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,640 Speaker 2: make them feel down down in the dumps. Right. It's 447 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 2: like when I can bring some color and positivity and 448 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 2: bright energy, I think is a win for everybody. 449 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: Absolutely. Now, now, how did Arry Where did Larry Loudmouth 450 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: come from? Because that's like your most iconic known characters, 451 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: Like how did he come to? 452 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 2: Yeah? So again, like I was drawing this like character, 453 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 2: and I kept drawing this reoccurring mouth with this chip 454 00:18:55,560 --> 00:19:00,680 Speaker 2: tooth and it just on repetitive you know objects. And 455 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 2: I remember it was time like this was the MySpace 456 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 2: days and you know social media, and I had to 457 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 2: make an icon and I used to I started the 458 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 2: whole thing with painting on the cans, and like now 459 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 2: that it's evolved into this mad pop like soda brand. 460 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:17,239 Speaker 2: I didn't have any money growing up as a kid, 461 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 2: and art supplies are super expensive, and I was, you know, 462 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,719 Speaker 2: drinking soda and beer and all this stuff, like right 463 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 2: out of college, and I had all these empty cans 464 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 2: that I was recycling and I was like, why don't 465 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:30,920 Speaker 2: I paint this? So like that's where that came from. 466 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 2: Was I started painting all these soda cans. I did 467 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 2: a whole show of one hundred cans, showed it in 468 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,360 Speaker 2: San Francisco at a gallery that my buddy was running, 469 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 2: and then they all sold out. And that was like 470 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 2: the jump start of my career, which was like again 471 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 2: never planned, just like used what I had at my 472 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 2: fingertips to make, you know, something out of nothing and 473 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:52,400 Speaker 2: created this and now it's like evolved into all these 474 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 2: other things, which is crazy. But back to the MySpace thing, 475 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 2: like you know, during this whole time, I was like, Okay, 476 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 2: I gotta start marketing. I gotta start branding. Let's use 477 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 2: social media. And I was moving like my soda can 478 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 2: character that was you know, a picture of a hand 479 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:06,919 Speaker 2: painted can. I didn't even have it. I didn't even 480 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 2: really know illustrator a photoshop. So it was a picture 481 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:11,679 Speaker 2: of a can that I'm moving around in the square 482 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 2: MySpace profile, you know, And the only thing that kind 483 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,199 Speaker 2: of really fit on there was the mouth, like you know, 484 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 2: the nose was cut off, the I didn't fit, but 485 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 2: the mouth kind of fit perfect in that square. And 486 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,359 Speaker 2: same thing. I was like, I need to make some stickers, 487 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:27,080 Speaker 2: and you know, all I could afford at the time 488 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 2: was like I wanted like a die cut sticker of 489 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 2: the can, and that was like, you know, an extra 490 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 2: five hundred bucks, and I'm like, it was like one 491 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:34,880 Speaker 2: hundred bucks. You can get one hundred stickers, but they're 492 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,680 Speaker 2: basic squares. So the same thing, move the can around 493 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 2: on there, and the square fit perfect. Adjusted a few things, 494 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 2: and that's where like the square original Loudmouth came from. 495 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 2: Then down the road, Instagram and Twitter decided to change 496 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,159 Speaker 2: it to a circular icon. Kind of screwed up my 497 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 2: whole game, but I but nah, it was perfect for 498 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 2: a while. But that's where the stickers came from. And 499 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 2: then I started putting them on the streets. People started 500 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,440 Speaker 2: to recognizing them, you know, they're all over and I 501 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 2: think that's where like the loudmouth came from. But for me, 502 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,800 Speaker 2: the loudmouth has always been an expression of like I 503 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 2: don't know as a kid, it's a youngster again, like 504 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:14,520 Speaker 2: the aggression, not understanding how to, like I guess, properly 505 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 2: express yourself. Like it always felt like I've always tried 506 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 2: to say things but don't can't always get the right 507 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 2: words to express myself. And when you look at that character, 508 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 2: I feel like you see a little bit of that 509 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 2: energy where it's like it's almost like you're screaming. You 510 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 2: ever have a dream where like you're screaming, but like 511 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 2: no words are coming out of your mouth. Yeah, I 512 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 2: feel like that's kind of like a lot of times 513 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 2: the energy that you see in my art, where it's 514 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 2: like maybe it's just mentally like you know there's a 515 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,440 Speaker 2: lot going on and screaming and but like you don't 516 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 2: know how to portray that. So like these images of 517 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,240 Speaker 2: these characters that are just like almost screaming as a 518 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 2: representation of those feelings. 519 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,639 Speaker 1: That's interesting, man, So when was the first moment like 520 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 1: you've been doing this stuff and all of a sudden, 521 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: you know, it's kind of because I think a lot 522 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:55,040 Speaker 1: of times too, you get busy doing the work and 523 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:57,399 Speaker 1: you're just kind of like making it happen. There's probably 524 00:21:57,440 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: like a moment where you I don't know, either you 525 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,400 Speaker 1: see it slightly differently or you see it somewhere else, 526 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:03,080 Speaker 1: Like what was that moment when you were like, oh, 527 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 1: like this is a thing. 528 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's like little bits and pieces like 529 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 2: the Swiss Alps thing was one of those like wow moments. 530 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 2: You know, I just painted at a whole installation of 531 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 2: the Salvador Dali Museum in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where I 532 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:23,120 Speaker 2: painted an entire room, you know floor, you know, three walls, 533 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,119 Speaker 2: three walls, the whole floor, And that was one of 534 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,160 Speaker 2: those moments where I was like, you know, I grew 535 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 2: up like Dolly Warhol, Keith Haring. Those are like some 536 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 2: of my biggest inspirations ever. You know, I have books, 537 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 2: you know, in my house in my studio of all 538 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 2: these artists and then to get invited to be an 539 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,920 Speaker 2: artist that's you know, to paint a mural that's inspired 540 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 2: by his work. Those are like those moments when you're like, Okay, 541 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 2: you know this is this is this is working? 542 00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: How long does it take to plan something like that 543 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: when you get those kind of opportunities and projects and 544 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:54,919 Speaker 1: you're looking at it, like, what is kind of the 545 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: planning process behind it? Look? 546 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 2: I mean that one was way more because you know, 547 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:00,920 Speaker 2: I was going into like a world that I haven't 548 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 2: really I have never done, like a fully immersive three 549 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 2: sixty world like that where it's like the floor, all 550 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 2: the walls, you know, a crew of you know, four 551 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,440 Speaker 2: people working with me to like get it done, because 552 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 2: a lot of times it's like you're racing up against 553 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:16,920 Speaker 2: the clock because they have a big opening and it's 554 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 2: like you can't be you know, stuck with a brush 555 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 2: in your hand, and people are walking in the doors 556 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 2: and the murals half done or installs have done. So 557 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 2: that one took a lot of planning where it was like, Okay, 558 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 2: we need to know exactly how much pain we need. 559 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 2: We need to know exactly what every single wall looks like, 560 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 2: all the colors, all the brushes, all the tools. The 561 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,159 Speaker 2: whole crew got to be people that I've worked with before. 562 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,400 Speaker 2: Can't be folks that are new to painting or new 563 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,960 Speaker 2: to a job like this, willing to work you know late, 564 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 2: because you know, I it's like a lot of times 565 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,400 Speaker 2: we're like, Okay, we need to be at X by 566 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 2: this day. If we're not done by this wall by 567 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 2: Tuesday at six pm, we're not going to make it 568 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 2: to the finish line on time. So it's like you 569 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 2: got to be working with people that aren't you know, 570 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:56,480 Speaker 2: just like, Okay, it's five o'clock, I'm going to clock out, 571 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 2: go to the hotel and sip some margarita's. Like, you know, 572 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 2: it's got to be people that are down for the 573 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 2: cause and understand the vision, that are down to ride 574 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 2: with you, you know, because a lot of times it 575 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 2: is like that where it's like, you know, you're like, Okay, 576 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 2: we're working through the night tonight to like hit this deadline. 577 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:12,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. You know, one of the things I hear from 578 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: a lot of people that come on the podcast is 579 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: the important importance of having a good team. Yeah, Like, 580 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: what have you learned about building the right kind of 581 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,359 Speaker 1: team as you've kind of you know, built your brand 582 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:22,440 Speaker 1: and built your company around that. 583 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean I always say like, I would not 584 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,320 Speaker 2: be in this place i am today without my team. 585 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 2: My team is you know, they're the greatest. And it's 586 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 2: taken twenty years, you know, and I have people that 587 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 2: have you know, that have been with me that were 588 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 2: interns that started when we're in a tiny little studio downtown, 589 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,479 Speaker 2: you know, fairly popular district, you know, and that are 590 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 2: still with me, still riding, still seeing the vision. And 591 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 2: you know, I think that says a lot, you know, 592 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 2: making sure you take care of people and give people 593 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,120 Speaker 2: their space and encourage them to do what they want 594 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 2: creatively to. You know, everybody has dreams, so we try 595 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 2: to support that as much as we can, you know. 596 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,119 Speaker 2: And I think of the great thing about having like 597 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 2: a gallery is like, you know, it's a place too, 598 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:02,679 Speaker 2: like a lot of these folks are artists and you know, 599 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 2: giving them opportunity. And it's been awesome to see like 600 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,440 Speaker 2: people that started off as interns now that have huge 601 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,639 Speaker 2: art careers that are on our team. And that's just 602 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 2: like you know, the team supporting the team and the 603 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,919 Speaker 2: team offering placements on the gallery walls when it might 604 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 2: be their first art show, or giving people time to 605 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 2: do other creative projects and you know, take time off 606 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 2: to follow those dreams too. But yeah, I've always been like, 607 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,359 Speaker 2: you know, I try to make sure I think, like 608 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 2: you've got a vibe with people. At the end of 609 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,199 Speaker 2: the day, you know, there's people that come and go 610 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 2: that just aren't the right fit, or you know, there's 611 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,000 Speaker 2: people that grow out of the positions and you've got 612 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 2: to be okay with that too. But then there's also 613 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,400 Speaker 2: people that are down to ride and see the benefit 614 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 2: of being on a team and how it can be 615 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 2: mutually beneficial. But I mean, teamwork makes the dream work. 616 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:48,920 Speaker 2: It's the name of the game. 617 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: You can't do it without people, man Like, That's one 618 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,360 Speaker 1: thing I've learned over the year is one hundred percent 619 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: need you know, good people around you and people that 620 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:58,439 Speaker 1: believe in the vision, and like you said, kind of 621 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: bringing the right folks in they can really kind of 622 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,400 Speaker 1: help you take things to the next level. And even 623 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: you kind of think about, you know, the stuff you're doing, 624 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 1: like you kind of mentioned, you know, starting off and 625 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 1: then abb ABV come sorry, I'm country, ABV. I'm sorry, 626 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 1: I country all my words out of the same. But 627 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: like it's funny because I was as you were talking, 628 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,160 Speaker 1: I was thinking about what Dre said during his rock hall, 629 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,120 Speaker 1: you know speech about little rooms, right and how big 630 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,399 Speaker 1: things starting little rooms, and you just talked about you know, 631 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: y'all starting a smaller space and new grown. And I 632 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: remember I went to some of the earlier Vince y'all 633 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:30,879 Speaker 1: had at the the old gallery, and now I have 634 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: a whole new gallery. Like how did that whole church 635 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 1: project the whole new ABV gallery come to play? 636 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. Again, it's one of those like organic things. I 637 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:40,200 Speaker 2: don't think like ever I would have ever imagined of 638 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 2: owning a building, renovating a building, building out like a 639 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 2: creative compound like that, because I think it was just 640 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 2: it happened out of true like you know, just evolution 641 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 2: and growth organically, Like I keep going back to that, 642 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 2: but it's it's the truth. It's like, you know, I 643 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,040 Speaker 2: wouldn't have ever jumped and tooken our risk, you know, 644 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 2: that large unless we you know, had the small space 645 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,840 Speaker 2: packed out events for you know, we were there fifteen years. 646 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:07,959 Speaker 2: You know, we were all huddled up there was we 647 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,399 Speaker 2: were running you know, huge projects upstairs out of our 648 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 2: for our agency. You know, there was probably ten people 649 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,280 Speaker 2: working up there in a small little you know, five 650 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:20,959 Speaker 2: hundred square foot little room up there. But I think 651 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 2: it's just like we got to a certain point of 652 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 2: growth and for me, I was like we got to 653 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 2: grow this thing. You know. People need more space, they 654 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 2: need to be they need to feel comfortable. And we 655 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:31,760 Speaker 2: even heard like there was people that were like, I 656 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 2: can't come to your events anymore because they're two packed 657 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 2: because the room is you know, too small. So for me, 658 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 2: I I'd always wanted to grow. It was just like 659 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,200 Speaker 2: making sure it was the right fit. And then started 660 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 2: looking at properties, probably like six years ago, and you know, 661 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 2: I was, you know, over here on the West Side, 662 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:49,680 Speaker 2: but like everything like there was a little something off, 663 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 2: you know, like I'd go to a building and they'd 664 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 2: be like, no roof, and they'd be like, you can 665 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 2: put a roof on this thing, and I'm like, I 666 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 2: don't know if I want to get into the like, 667 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,120 Speaker 2: you know. And then we came across that building East 668 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 2: Atlanta Village, you know, which was a chair and I 669 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,439 Speaker 2: met the owner and she was super sweet and she 670 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 2: was just ready to kind of retire. And it's just 671 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:07,920 Speaker 2: like the energy felt right. You know. It's one of 672 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:09,879 Speaker 2: those things like when you walk in and you're like, Okay, 673 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 2: this is it. This feels right. I see the vision, 674 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 2: you know, crystal clear, and yeah, it was crazy. It 675 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:19,919 Speaker 2: was a four year renovation of the building, you know, 676 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 2: permitting all that, and you know, we want to make 677 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 2: sure everything was by the books and done right and 678 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,400 Speaker 2: built out to the tee with like you know, from 679 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 2: an architectural standpoint, but then also like just from like 680 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 2: a flow standpoint, thinking of everything we needed. And it's 681 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 2: wild to see it. And now we've been here in 682 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 2: there over a year. You know. We just hosted an 683 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 2: event last weekend was for Summer Walker's album release party 684 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 2: with YouTube, which was a crazy one. It's things like 685 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,000 Speaker 2: that again. It's like, you know, you you look back 686 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 2: and you're like, did that just happen? Like if you 687 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:53,240 Speaker 2: would have told me that, like, you know, four or 688 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:55,560 Speaker 2: five years ago, I've been like you lyeing, you know. 689 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 2: So it's cool to see these things happen. 690 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: And yeah, you know, one of my big things is 691 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 1: when moments like that happened, like you say, kind of 692 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: take it a second, to kind of just take it 693 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,480 Speaker 1: all in. When when everything was done, when all the 694 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: renovations were complete, when the paint was dry, and before 695 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 1: the first event that you just kind of like just 696 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: walk into the space and just just like soak it 697 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:16,200 Speaker 1: all in. 698 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I still have like even yesterday, I like 699 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:21,320 Speaker 2: waited for all the staff to leave and they were like, 700 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,600 Speaker 2: you're gonna lock up today. I was like, yeah, and 701 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,360 Speaker 2: I'll just like go out in the middle of the 702 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 2: floor and like you know, in the main gallery and 703 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 2: just look around and just like take a moment for myself. Yeah, 704 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:32,920 Speaker 2: I feel like you got to do that stuff. 705 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,479 Speaker 1: No, No, those moments are important man. Again, Like especially 706 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:37,479 Speaker 1: when you're in the work and all the things are 707 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 1: kind of happening, Like I said, you need those moments 708 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: like those are the ones that really really impact. I 709 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: know for me, I've been trying to be a lot 710 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: more intentional about doing those kinds of things. We we 711 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 1: did the four or four day parade, you know, it 712 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: was funny. That was my baby, and that was literally 713 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: an idea that I had like last year, and that's 714 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: always That's what that makes that makes that was what 715 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: makes Atlanta so interesting is the fact we were to 716 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:57,880 Speaker 1: pull that off in a year. You know, thirty five 717 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,640 Speaker 1: hundred people walked in it. But I remember, man, like 718 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:03,160 Speaker 1: we had rented out the Civic Center as like our 719 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 1: loading space, and we also closed on Ivan Allen had 720 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 1: thirty five hundred people lined up and I said, let 721 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: me just go. 722 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:09,320 Speaker 2: Look. 723 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: So I get I grab a scooter, right, and like 724 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: we had P Street sheet PA Street shut down. I 725 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:15,960 Speaker 1: had all the intersections blocked from here all the way 726 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: to underground Atlanta. And I get in my scooter and 727 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: I'm just riding down P Street Street and it's empty, 728 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 1: and I mean the street is empty, but there's like 729 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: nobody on the streets. And I just thought to myself, 730 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 1: I said, damn it, nobody's gonna come to my parade 731 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: like I did all this work. I said, this is 732 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: gonna be me. And I saw my mom out there. 733 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: I said, be me and my mom at this damn parade, right, 734 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 1: And so I was I was a little I was like, okay, 735 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 1: it'll be fine. And I drove back on the scooter 736 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:40,840 Speaker 1: and went back. I said let's start, and we started it. 737 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:43,120 Speaker 1: And I don't know where these people came from. It's 738 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: like people just fell out the sky. And as we 739 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,960 Speaker 1: started going down, it was people everywhere. And I'm not 740 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: gonna lie, man, I shed a little thug tier one 741 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 1: or two like walking down there. Like as everything kind 742 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 1: of happened, right, you were like, I can't believe that 743 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,200 Speaker 1: this idea that started right here in your mind, brought 744 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 1: all these people out to the point that like the 745 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:01,320 Speaker 1: city is shut down. People a walk in like it 746 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: was a moment, you know. 747 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 2: I love that. No, that's like one thing. Like it's funny, 748 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 2: like when people get married, I always tell them something 749 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 2: similar because I think it was one of the greatest 750 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:11,720 Speaker 2: pieces of advice someone gave me when me and my 751 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 2: wife got married. They're like, make sure because you know, 752 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:17,960 Speaker 2: everything goes so fast. Like you know, They're like, make 753 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,280 Speaker 2: sure in the middle of your wedding, like at the reception, 754 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:24,400 Speaker 2: when everyone's partying, everyone's drinking, the music is blasting, take 755 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 2: a step outside with your wife. Go outside and like 756 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 2: walk away from the venue and turn around and look, 757 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:32,720 Speaker 2: you know, and look at look at everybody. Everybody that's 758 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:35,640 Speaker 2: there for you. Everything that you like led up to 759 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:37,960 Speaker 2: this moment, because I feel like, you know, if you 760 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 2: don't take a minute to pause and like reflect and 761 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 2: see that, you know, everything just goes by and it's like, 762 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 2: you know, yeah, you need those moments. I mean, it's 763 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:46,560 Speaker 2: the same thing like with business. It's like even when 764 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:48,000 Speaker 2: we did the grand opening of the show, I did 765 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 2: the same thing. I was like, let's walk outside, look 766 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 2: at this line, look at these people, Look at all 767 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 2: these people that support you, you know, look at all 768 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 2: these people that believe in your vision. You know I think, yeah, 769 00:31:58,880 --> 00:31:59,640 Speaker 2: you gotta do that. 770 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: Yeah. No, Now when it comes to business, like, how 771 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 1: do you all, you know, approach when brands come to 772 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 1: work with you, Like, how do you think about is 773 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:09,040 Speaker 1: this the right kind of collaboration? And more importantly, you know, 774 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: how do you make sure that you know what you 775 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 1: want to do is what kind of makes sense? Because 776 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:14,800 Speaker 1: you know, these you know, these brands, the agency people, 777 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: they have lots of big ideas and it's like, okay, 778 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:19,200 Speaker 1: but this is also my thing and in the way 779 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: I look, So how do you kind of work and 780 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:21,280 Speaker 1: keep that balance? 781 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 2: Yeah? One thing, So, I mean, we have our creative agency, 782 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 2: which you know works with various brands, and you know, 783 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 2: we have six you know, over six hundred artists now 784 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 2: globally that we're working with on various creative projects. But 785 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:34,760 Speaker 2: then there's also like the Greg mic brand, which is 786 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 2: my personal art and stuff. So there's collaborations that happen 787 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 2: on that side too with brands. So one thing I 788 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 2: always say is like for the collaborations for anything like 789 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,760 Speaker 2: Greg Mike branded with stuff, like, it has to be 790 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 2: something in my lifestyle, right, something that I actively use, 791 00:32:48,640 --> 00:32:51,520 Speaker 2: like or that I'm like would like to use, right, 792 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 2: because I do get brands all the time, that it'll 793 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 2: be some random obscure product. You know, I'm not going 794 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 2: to mention any brand names, but you know they'll come 795 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:01,440 Speaker 2: to me and be like, hey, can you do this 796 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 2: and collab with us on this? And I'm like, if 797 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 2: it's not like actively a part of my lifestyle, then 798 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,479 Speaker 2: I'll say no to it, yea. And then usually at 799 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,360 Speaker 2: that point, like it'll get past the agency, and that's 800 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:13,239 Speaker 2: an opportunity for other artists because there are a lot 801 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:15,320 Speaker 2: of other artists that might be into those products or 802 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:18,360 Speaker 2: might you know, utilize these products, that would be interested 803 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 2: in that opportunity. So it's cool because it's like, if 804 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,200 Speaker 2: it's not a fit for the Greg Mike brand in 805 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 2: my art there's you know, I'm sure there's an artist 806 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 2: out there that might be interested in it. So we're 807 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,760 Speaker 2: able to kind of like share those resources. But yeah, 808 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 2: I mean everything that I've ever collabed with, whether it's 809 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:36,600 Speaker 2: like you know, you know Louisville slugger, I did a 810 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,479 Speaker 2: baseball that like grew up paying baseball, always dreamed of 811 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,360 Speaker 2: like collaborating with the Polaroid camera, like got a custom polaroid, 812 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 2: Like grew up loving polaroids and like always taken, I mean, 813 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 2: always had them at the studio. So it's like it's 814 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:51,320 Speaker 2: got to be that's it's got to check that box 815 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:54,360 Speaker 2: because otherwise it doesn't come across authentic too, you know. 816 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:58,240 Speaker 2: Like I feel like it's easy for artists, influencers, celebrities, 817 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:00,880 Speaker 2: you know, like do these cow labs and like people 818 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 2: are like, dude, come on, man, like that's a check. 819 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,280 Speaker 2: Like let's be real, Like you don't you don't use 820 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 2: that in your lifestyle. So and I think like people 821 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:10,240 Speaker 2: are so smart with the Internet and social media these days, 822 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 2: like they can tell, like they see you endorsing a 823 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,399 Speaker 2: product and they're like, that's that's just a money play, 824 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 2: you know. So and I'm very sensitive about my art 825 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:21,160 Speaker 2: brand and because you have to be when it when 826 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 2: it comes to like fine art and selling paintings, but 827 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 2: then also the brands that you're collaborating with, because it's 828 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,840 Speaker 2: easy to turn off your collectors and that's like a 829 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 2: very sensitive area of like artists that do commercial brand 830 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:32,879 Speaker 2: plays as well. 831 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, now when you're now help me understand too, because 832 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:37,680 Speaker 1: you kind of talked about the way the agency is 833 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:39,919 Speaker 1: set up, Like there's you know, the greg Mic side 834 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:41,839 Speaker 1: of it. There's also an agency, like like how does 835 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 1: that side of the agency work? You have multiple artists 836 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 1: that you know, work with there. They kind of have 837 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 1: different approaches like how does that side of agency? 838 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 2: So to kind of break it down easiest, there's like 839 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:52,440 Speaker 2: to think about it, there's three pillars, right, There's like 840 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,319 Speaker 2: the greg Mic art brand, which is probably what most 841 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 2: people see the murals, like you said, on the street, 842 00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:00,480 Speaker 2: or collabse or merch. Then there's ABV Agent Seris is 843 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 2: a full service creative house, which like Focus is more 844 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:05,480 Speaker 2: like in the art space, so it's like anything from 845 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:09,000 Speaker 2: like murals, collabse, you know, stuff with the sporting teams. 846 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:11,759 Speaker 2: And then there's the gallery, which is just straight fine 847 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 2: art right like you want to come in. There's no 848 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:15,760 Speaker 2: commercial attachment to it. It's like you're an art collector. 849 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:18,080 Speaker 2: You want to buy a piece for your collection, your house, whatever. 850 00:35:18,719 --> 00:35:21,520 Speaker 2: And the agency and gallery work with close to six 851 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 2: hundred artists, like over six hundred ours globally, all different styles, abstract, 852 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:30,200 Speaker 2: representational realism, whole nine. And then the agency and the 853 00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:32,359 Speaker 2: gallery are playing you know, back and forth with each other, 854 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:35,040 Speaker 2: so like they're constantly tapping the gallery. So like if 855 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,319 Speaker 2: we have a client that comes in and they say, hey, 856 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:39,040 Speaker 2: we want to we have a new campaign coming up. 857 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:43,160 Speaker 2: We want an artist from this area of this style, 858 00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:45,919 Speaker 2: you know, they can go to the gallery and be like, hey, 859 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:48,319 Speaker 2: who do we have in our rolodex that's vetted, that's 860 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 2: selling work, that's you know, legit. That's not just like 861 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 2: a cold call, right and or a cold email to 862 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:56,640 Speaker 2: a random artist. It's like people that we know that 863 00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:59,560 Speaker 2: are going to show up and deliver and we've worked 864 00:35:59,560 --> 00:36:02,520 Speaker 2: with them before for and built a relationship with which 865 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:04,759 Speaker 2: is cool, and like, you know, because we're tracking all 866 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:07,640 Speaker 2: that data too, like we know, you know, this artist 867 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:09,799 Speaker 2: has sold x amount of pieces, and then there's there 868 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:12,920 Speaker 2: this style and there from this you know, territory or whatever, 869 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:16,080 Speaker 2: and they're vetted. And I think that's too, Like what 870 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:18,879 Speaker 2: a lot of these big brands and and clients want 871 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:20,920 Speaker 2: to know, you know, it's like they don't want to 872 00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:23,359 Speaker 2: do a deal with an artist and then find out 873 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:26,160 Speaker 2: six six weeks later they're and you know, Costa Rica 874 00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:28,680 Speaker 2: surfing and they can't get the job done on time. 875 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 2: So yeah, it's like it's cool how it kind of 876 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 2: like all plays together. And you know, as I'm traveling 877 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:36,800 Speaker 2: and like you know, going to different festivals where there's 878 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:38,840 Speaker 2: you know, Swiss Alps, I'm meeting these artists form and 879 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,080 Speaker 2: relationships and then relaying that information back to the agency 880 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:44,520 Speaker 2: in the gallery like hey, you know, we're constantly like 881 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:46,440 Speaker 2: on Slack and we have like a whole new talent 882 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,319 Speaker 2: thread where I'm constantly dumping in, like I just met 883 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:51,000 Speaker 2: this artist, you know, went out the other night. I 884 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 2: met this artist at this event, you know, sick work. 885 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:55,399 Speaker 2: Check out their portfolio. Maybe they could be a good 886 00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 2: fit for this thing we got going up or coming up. 887 00:36:58,200 --> 00:36:59,920 Speaker 2: So it's a lot of that, you know. I kind 888 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,600 Speaker 2: of try to just you know, put my wings out there, 889 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:05,720 Speaker 2: you know, meet different folks, you know, and then feed 890 00:37:05,719 --> 00:37:07,520 Speaker 2: that info into the agency and gallery and they can 891 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:08,840 Speaker 2: kind of run with it how they need to. 892 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:12,799 Speaker 1: Yeah. Now, one of the biggest parts, especially with businesses 893 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 1: money yep. And I asked this. I'm about to ask 894 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: this question very intentionally because I think this is something 895 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:21,000 Speaker 1: a lot of creative struggle with, Like how do you 896 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:24,640 Speaker 1: approach pricing creativity, especially like this one thing when it 897 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:27,799 Speaker 1: comes to you know, obviously like selling fine art all 898 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:29,319 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff, right, but like when it comes 899 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:31,799 Speaker 1: to a brand approaching you and you're trying to kind 900 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:34,279 Speaker 1: of idiate around a concept, like just I think that's 901 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 1: one thing that a lot of people struggle with is 902 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:38,920 Speaker 1: figured out, Like, you know, am I overpricing and underpricing myself? 903 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:40,719 Speaker 1: How to like what's your kind of methodology to figure 904 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 1: out if a brand wants to work with you? How 905 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:43,880 Speaker 1: do y'all kind of get to that number? 906 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:47,520 Speaker 2: Yeah? No, I think the art world's definitely interesting because 907 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:51,600 Speaker 2: like fine art world, I mean, who can say it's 908 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:52,840 Speaker 2: all at the end of the day, it's paint on 909 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:55,480 Speaker 2: a canvas, right, And like who can say that painting's 910 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,800 Speaker 2: five million? Or who can say that painting's one hundred 911 00:37:57,800 --> 00:37:59,799 Speaker 2: and fifty dollars? You know, it's you know, it's up 912 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 2: to I mean obviously there's markets that determine pricing. Like 913 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,400 Speaker 2: if someone pays you know, X amount of dollars and 914 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,239 Speaker 2: reoccurring at that that value, then yeah, your work is 915 00:38:09,239 --> 00:38:12,359 Speaker 2: probably worth that. You know, if you're constantly selling at 916 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 2: a certain price point, Uh. I think, like it's definitely 917 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,520 Speaker 2: interesting because like you know, obviously, artists that have been 918 00:38:19,520 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 2: around longer that are doing brand deals or agency deals 919 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,799 Speaker 2: or commercial collaborations like you know, you do have to 920 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:28,440 Speaker 2: take the fact into you know, how long they've been 921 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:30,600 Speaker 2: doing it, and you know what's their reach and what's 922 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:34,279 Speaker 2: there nowadays. You know, unfortunately, brands, you know, look at 923 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:36,640 Speaker 2: social metrics and want to know, you know, if I'm 924 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:38,640 Speaker 2: collaborating with you, you know, what are these metrics going 925 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:40,360 Speaker 2: to look like? On the back end, share some of 926 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:45,320 Speaker 2: your previous metrics and historicals. They want to see a 927 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:47,919 Speaker 2: lot of that stuff. And it's kind of a mix 928 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:53,360 Speaker 2: between you know, taking that information, you know, previous metrics, 929 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:57,600 Speaker 2: previous projects, costs, and then also building backwards. I mean, 930 00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:58,560 Speaker 2: I think at the end of the day, it all 931 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 2: starts from a ground up like cost space, like what 932 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 2: does it cost you to produce this project? You know, 933 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,520 Speaker 2: that's everything from for example, like a mural, like you 934 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:10,080 Speaker 2: have lift cost, flight, hotel assistance, you know, all your 935 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 2: hard costs. I think it's always a start from there, right, 936 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:14,839 Speaker 2: and then it's like, okay, what does the artists want 937 00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:17,440 Speaker 2: to make and then like the agency has margins to 938 00:39:17,480 --> 00:39:19,560 Speaker 2: cover overhead and all those things to make sure we 939 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:23,320 Speaker 2: keep the lights on and pay our team. So over years, 940 00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 2: you know, we figure out the formulas. But I think, yeah, 941 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,920 Speaker 2: the trickiest part is always like going to the artists 942 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,200 Speaker 2: or even with myself, like you know, how much what's 943 00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:34,959 Speaker 2: the artist fee? Right, It's like you have your hard 944 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,359 Speaker 2: costs and you have your margins built in to make 945 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:41,120 Speaker 2: sure from a business respective you're making money and you're profitable. 946 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:42,600 Speaker 2: But then it's always like, yeah, I think that's the 947 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:44,320 Speaker 2: biggest thing because a lot of things, you know, a 948 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:46,600 Speaker 2: lot of times a brand will come to us and 949 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 2: until we speak to an artist and be like, hey, 950 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:50,400 Speaker 2: here's the gig, here's the scope, Like what do you 951 00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:52,120 Speaker 2: want to make on this thing? We can't put a 952 00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:54,359 Speaker 2: real budget together. Yeah, you know, we can put our 953 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:55,960 Speaker 2: hard costs together. But if the artist is like, hey, 954 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:58,720 Speaker 2: I want to make sixty grand off this thing, versus 955 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:01,040 Speaker 2: I want to make fifteen grand, that's a whole different story. 956 00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:03,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, Like it's you know, it's interesting, Like you know, 957 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:05,920 Speaker 1: that's always a funny part of the conversation. Right, It's 958 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:07,839 Speaker 1: always like, well, what's your budget? How much does it cost? 959 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:10,000 Speaker 1: And it's like, yeah, but you got to understand too. 960 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 1: Like I had I had a client and that came to 961 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:13,799 Speaker 1: me with a number for a project the other week, 962 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:15,400 Speaker 1: and I just looking at it like I was like, 963 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:17,560 Speaker 1: I want to do this, but I'm not gonna make 964 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 1: any money off of it, just because I know what 965 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:22,959 Speaker 1: the art, the hard costs are associated with this thing, 966 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:26,600 Speaker 1: and your number is gonna barely cover those hard costs. 967 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,799 Speaker 1: And plus, if I'm just being honest, you're just making 968 00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:31,880 Speaker 1: that number up. I'm so tired of y'all come up 969 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:34,319 Speaker 1: these like arbitrary round Like I tell people all the time, 970 00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:36,280 Speaker 1: it's so funny, man. It's like a lot of people 971 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:39,040 Speaker 1: think they think, you know, five, ten, twenty. It's like, yeah, 972 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:42,040 Speaker 1: but there's nuances that kind of stuff. So even folks 973 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:43,920 Speaker 1: come to me with projects, I tell them, I say, look, 974 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:47,160 Speaker 1: give me a number, and my my goal with the 975 00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:48,719 Speaker 1: work that we do is to try to give you 976 00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:51,960 Speaker 1: as much value as possible for that number. Now, I'm 977 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:53,800 Speaker 1: going to try to meet it or meet somewhere. But 978 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:55,120 Speaker 1: at the same time, I'm gonna tell you, if you're 979 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:56,640 Speaker 1: telling me that this is what you got, I'm gonna 980 00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: tell you this is what it takes yeah, and we 981 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:00,919 Speaker 1: can have that conversation. But yeah, I'm I'm way past 982 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:04,200 Speaker 1: the days of you know, taking a loss on projects. 983 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:05,560 Speaker 1: Like you said, you got to build that margin in, 984 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 1: you got to build those other elements in the lights on. 985 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:09,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think, I mean, it is a lot 986 00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 2: of like education educating clients sometimes, like new clients. You know, 987 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:17,760 Speaker 2: it's like they think, oh, paint a mural, a giant 988 00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:19,880 Speaker 2: you know, twenty foot thirty foot mural, Like they're not 989 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:21,879 Speaker 2: thinking of all that. They're not thinking that you need 990 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:25,920 Speaker 2: insurance for the artists, which we're covering right, Like, like 991 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:27,840 Speaker 2: there's so many things that go into it. They're not 992 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 2: probably thinking you need a lift. They probably think you 993 00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:31,960 Speaker 2: just use the ladder that's in your back shed, you 994 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:33,799 Speaker 2: know what I mean. And the lift cost could be 995 00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:36,360 Speaker 2: you know, ten grand, right, you know, paint could be 996 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:38,600 Speaker 2: five grand. It's like, yeah, I think a lot of 997 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:40,279 Speaker 2: times you have to kind of like break it out 998 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:41,879 Speaker 2: and be like all right, I know in your head 999 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,120 Speaker 2: you thought it was X, but like I'm going to 1000 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:46,239 Speaker 2: show you all these exact costs and we're not even 1001 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:47,239 Speaker 2: we're not even there yet. 1002 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:49,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, this is just would cost to do this would 1003 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:50,279 Speaker 1: just to show up. 1004 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:54,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, so and a lot of people just don't know, 1005 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:56,640 Speaker 2: and it's like you kind of got to just you know, educate, 1006 00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:58,800 Speaker 2: and you know, it's a learning process for some people. 1007 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:02,279 Speaker 2: It's like, you know, there's some people that just they're like, 1008 00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:04,759 Speaker 2: here's my budget, make it happen. There's other people that 1009 00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:06,319 Speaker 2: are you know, there's like this is all I got. 1010 00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:08,839 Speaker 2: And that's a choice for the artists too. There's something 1011 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:11,719 Speaker 2: and I'm sure, like you're saying, there's probably things where 1012 00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:13,799 Speaker 2: you're like, Okay, I'm gonna look at this one as 1013 00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:16,320 Speaker 2: a charity charity gig, and it's like I'm doing it 1014 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:18,480 Speaker 2: because I love it, and I maybe there's other opportunities 1015 00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:20,920 Speaker 2: or maybe there's a promise for future work or you know. 1016 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,600 Speaker 2: I think you gotta kind of take those things as 1017 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:25,319 Speaker 2: they come and make those decisions. Yeah. 1018 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:27,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, Again, like every project is different, there's somebody, there's 1019 00:42:27,840 --> 00:42:30,600 Speaker 1: different reasons to take on different things, and it's just 1020 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:32,360 Speaker 1: something again I think that a lot of people struggle 1021 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 1: with because they don't necessarily have there's not a there's 1022 00:42:34,239 --> 00:42:37,160 Speaker 1: not a class around how to price I tell people 1023 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:39,319 Speaker 1: a little bit subjective, but at the same time, to 1024 00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:42,279 Speaker 1: your point, it is very much bottom up in some capacities, right, Like, 1025 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:45,560 Speaker 1: there are costs to do this work, and at a minimum, 1026 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:47,800 Speaker 1: you need to figure out what those costs are. You 1027 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:49,920 Speaker 1: need to add on, like I said, your margin, you 1028 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:51,600 Speaker 1: add on what you're trying to make. I mean that 1029 00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:53,080 Speaker 1: was That's one of the reasons. That's one of the 1030 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,919 Speaker 1: things I really learned in working in the agency space 1031 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:58,000 Speaker 1: for a long time. And I tell people like that's 1032 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:00,440 Speaker 1: and that's when something Even with Atlanta too, I think 1033 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:03,319 Speaker 1: Atlanta is a very I say, it's a very like 1034 00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:06,399 Speaker 1: hustler focused city, and the problem with is good and bad. 1035 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:07,560 Speaker 1: The problem with that is you have a lot of 1036 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:10,480 Speaker 1: people that have never necessarily had like formal training or 1037 00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:12,799 Speaker 1: formal work experience, and so they're kind of like just 1038 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:15,520 Speaker 1: figuring it out, and so there's always that like push 1039 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:17,719 Speaker 1: and pull. It's like, I know you're guessing, but let 1040 00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:19,120 Speaker 1: me also show you kind of how you do it 1041 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:22,000 Speaker 1: from a structured standpoint, Right. You merge those two things together, 1042 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:23,680 Speaker 1: and that's where you kind of start to figure out 1043 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:26,640 Speaker 1: how it works for you because everybody's situation is different. 1044 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:29,200 Speaker 1: One thing I would also ask you too, though, is 1045 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:31,239 Speaker 1: I gotta know, man, what is what does Greg might 1046 00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:32,000 Speaker 1: think about AI? 1047 00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:35,680 Speaker 2: That's funny. I was just gonna say that, like literally, 1048 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:37,279 Speaker 2: I was just about that was about to be my 1049 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 2: next comment. So, I mean, I think AI is obviously 1050 00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:44,319 Speaker 2: super powerful, and I use it for a lot of 1051 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:48,799 Speaker 2: my Like Mundane, I mean, it's great for like you know, 1052 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:52,200 Speaker 2: adding up numbers and doing what Excel does in Google sheets, 1053 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:54,600 Speaker 2: or even like you're saying, like you know, what should 1054 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:56,880 Speaker 2: be the profit margin on this project here at my expenses? 1055 00:43:56,960 --> 00:43:58,799 Speaker 2: Things like that, like the beauty of the Internet and 1056 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:01,520 Speaker 2: that power and not like I think it should be used. 1057 00:44:01,560 --> 00:44:03,880 Speaker 2: It's a great brain. I mean you can literally go 1058 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:08,080 Speaker 2: on chat and learn how to do whatever. Yeah, you know, 1059 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:12,520 Speaker 2: like our hvac coy our hvac was frozen the other day. 1060 00:44:12,719 --> 00:44:15,600 Speaker 2: I took pictures of what it looked like the making 1061 00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:19,720 Speaker 2: model upload those photos of chat GBT and then compared 1062 00:44:19,719 --> 00:44:22,200 Speaker 2: that against what this this guy that just rolled up 1063 00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:24,480 Speaker 2: and gave me a crazy quote that I that told 1064 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:26,839 Speaker 2: me I needed to replace X y Z. I need 1065 00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:29,799 Speaker 2: this warranty. You know. It's like it's easy to fact 1066 00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:31,879 Speaker 2: check things. It's easy to learn and fact checks things 1067 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:34,360 Speaker 2: very quickly and cut through the bullshit. You know what 1068 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:37,239 Speaker 2: I mean. So I love using it for things like that, 1069 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:39,160 Speaker 2: right to make like use it as a second brain 1070 00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:42,279 Speaker 2: to make you more powerful. I don't like the creativity 1071 00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:44,879 Speaker 2: aspect of it, you know, where there's now all these 1072 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,040 Speaker 2: artists that are just making mock ups on you know, 1073 00:44:47,640 --> 00:44:50,759 Speaker 2: and just painting those mockups and using a projector. I mean, 1074 00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:54,839 Speaker 2: I think that's not a good looks you're that's insane. Yeah, yeah, 1075 00:44:54,920 --> 00:44:57,439 Speaker 2: So I mean there's people because you know, it takes 1076 00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:00,200 Speaker 2: the soul out of creativity. And it's funny now, like 1077 00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:03,320 Speaker 2: I read a statistic yesterday that said ninety seven percent 1078 00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:07,360 Speaker 2: of the people cannot tell the difference between AI generated music. 1079 00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:09,040 Speaker 2: I don't know if you've seen like Suno and like 1080 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:13,560 Speaker 2: oh and you know, I've always been like super into tech. 1081 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:16,040 Speaker 2: You know, it's like been into you know that. You know, 1082 00:45:16,239 --> 00:45:19,320 Speaker 2: when anything new comes out, I'm always gonna investigate it 1083 00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:20,880 Speaker 2: and see what it does and what its powers are 1084 00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:24,399 Speaker 2: and understand it. Right to be knowledgeable about it. And 1085 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:28,000 Speaker 2: looking at this Suno stuff, it's it's insanity. Like you 1086 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 2: can type in with one prompt and say make me 1087 00:45:30,239 --> 00:45:32,640 Speaker 2: a song that sounds like this. That's country that has 1088 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:36,880 Speaker 2: these lyrics and within two minutes it can create something 1089 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:39,719 Speaker 2: that has potential to be like a Spotify, you know, Billboard, 1090 00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:43,440 Speaker 2: you know. I think right now I was reading yesterday, 1091 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:46,360 Speaker 2: like the biggest country song right now is an AI 1092 00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:51,759 Speaker 2: song on Spotify with an AI created person and the 1093 00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:56,640 Speaker 2: whole song was made through AI. Also, there was like 1094 00:45:56,680 --> 00:46:00,279 Speaker 2: some AI A and R rep that that somebody just. 1095 00:46:00,239 --> 00:46:02,319 Speaker 1: Sign Oh yeah, I didn't see that one. Forget Yeah. 1096 00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:04,839 Speaker 2: I mean, like it's it's insanity, and it's like it's 1097 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:07,080 Speaker 2: one of those things like you're not gonna slow it down. 1098 00:46:07,239 --> 00:46:09,759 Speaker 2: You've got to figure out how to use it to 1099 00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:12,759 Speaker 2: your advantage. Don't use it as a crutch, don't use 1100 00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:16,200 Speaker 2: it as you're all in. And I go back and 1101 00:46:16,239 --> 00:46:19,440 Speaker 2: forth on the creative stuff because like people do use 1102 00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:23,400 Speaker 2: references to make you know, murals. Like if someone's like, 1103 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:25,200 Speaker 2: all right, I'm gonna paint a realistic image of a 1104 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:28,440 Speaker 2: bird sitting on a mountain with some trees and a turtle, 1105 00:46:28,560 --> 00:46:31,680 Speaker 2: like back in the day when and back in the day, 1106 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:34,120 Speaker 2: it's like maybe a year or two ago. Like people 1107 00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:36,280 Speaker 2: would go to Google images and they pull all those images, 1108 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:38,359 Speaker 2: they put them together in photoshop, they create a mock 1109 00:46:38,440 --> 00:46:40,239 Speaker 2: up and then they project and paint that. So it's 1110 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:43,760 Speaker 2: like it's not that much different because people were still 1111 00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:47,200 Speaker 2: doing these like you know, utilizing references and images. They're 1112 00:46:47,239 --> 00:46:50,440 Speaker 2: not just creating characters out of their brain, yeah, you know, 1113 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:53,120 Speaker 2: like people that paint realism. It's just more I think 1114 00:46:53,160 --> 00:46:55,399 Speaker 2: seeing people that are like cutting that whole step out 1115 00:46:55,719 --> 00:46:58,759 Speaker 2: and just typing it in and getting this incredible like 1116 00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:02,040 Speaker 2: rendering and then ainting that exactly kind of bothers me 1117 00:47:02,120 --> 00:47:04,399 Speaker 2: a lot, you knowing the same thing with the music thing. 1118 00:47:04,440 --> 00:47:07,600 Speaker 2: It's like I'm nervous for like electronic music, Like I 1119 00:47:07,640 --> 00:47:09,319 Speaker 2: love electronic music. I do a lot of work in 1120 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,279 Speaker 2: the space. I DJ a lot of like you know, 1121 00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:16,920 Speaker 2: house music, and I think that's like the most unsafe area, 1122 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,960 Speaker 2: gray area that I'm nervous about because obviously, like no 1123 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:24,200 Speaker 2: one's fact checking DJs to say, like are you producing 1124 00:47:24,239 --> 00:47:27,279 Speaker 2: this live versus like a it's easy to like to 1125 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:30,480 Speaker 2: do a live do a live DJ set and use 1126 00:47:30,520 --> 00:47:34,399 Speaker 2: all AI created music versus like a country music star 1127 00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:36,560 Speaker 2: or someone that sings rock, rock and pop and like 1128 00:47:36,600 --> 00:47:39,560 Speaker 2: fact check somebody because they're actually like singing on stage, 1129 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:41,440 Speaker 2: you know. I mean, obviously there's some producers that are 1130 00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:44,480 Speaker 2: using the vpad and like whatever doing live drums and stuff. 1131 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:47,359 Speaker 2: But like that's where I'm most scared because it's like 1132 00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:50,239 Speaker 2: at that point, if you're creating like house music using 1133 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:52,720 Speaker 2: Suno and it's all AI music and it's chart topping 1134 00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:55,000 Speaker 2: and you're just going out and djaying that, it's like, 1135 00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:57,400 Speaker 2: how can you where do you fact check that? 1136 00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:00,680 Speaker 1: Yeah? I saw them. So for the my Isaac Hay's 1137 00:48:00,680 --> 00:48:02,600 Speaker 1: a third, he was actually over here and he was 1138 00:48:02,640 --> 00:48:04,360 Speaker 1: he was doing some stuff I saw him online posting 1139 00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:06,440 Speaker 1: the other day because it was an artist. Yeah that 1140 00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:08,360 Speaker 1: like there was this whole story about like an AI artist 1141 00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:10,759 Speaker 1: that was created and like sign like a deal. But 1142 00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:14,680 Speaker 1: he was pointing out that because that artists AI generated, 1143 00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:18,120 Speaker 1: anybody could use that same voice to make any song. 1144 00:48:19,040 --> 00:48:21,319 Speaker 1: So based on what he was explaining, he was like, look, yeah, 1145 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:23,480 Speaker 1: he's like I went and got that artist's voice, and 1146 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 1: I went and made my own song in chat and 1147 00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:27,799 Speaker 1: now I got this artist singing. So he's like, it's 1148 00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:30,319 Speaker 1: not even protected. So I think right now it's very 1149 00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:33,200 Speaker 1: much the wild West, and it's interesting. I'm interesting to 1150 00:48:33,200 --> 00:48:34,759 Speaker 1: see how kind of things like land out. But I 1151 00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:36,480 Speaker 1: agree with you. I think I think again, I use 1152 00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:38,799 Speaker 1: AI all the time, but I use it as kind 1153 00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:41,759 Speaker 1: of a thought partner for a lot of things. And 1154 00:48:41,800 --> 00:48:43,400 Speaker 1: I mean, I will admit I definitely use it to 1155 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:45,400 Speaker 1: help me like think about creative ideas. But at the 1156 00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:48,520 Speaker 1: same time, there's still always a human element and we're 1157 00:48:48,560 --> 00:48:50,040 Speaker 1: always like looking at that and we're never just taking 1158 00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:51,799 Speaker 1: that stuff in copy and pastes just putting on there. 1159 00:48:51,800 --> 00:48:54,680 Speaker 1: From an artistic standpoint, you know, a lot of the 1160 00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:57,279 Speaker 1: artists generated is is based off of real art, though 1161 00:48:57,600 --> 00:48:59,800 Speaker 1: it is based off of you know, samples of other artists, 1162 00:48:59,880 --> 00:49:02,239 Speaker 1: So at a certain point it's like it's not even 1163 00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:06,000 Speaker 1: necessarily real. It's just you know, remixes of things that 1164 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:07,600 Speaker 1: you've kind of seen. And I think that's the part 1165 00:49:07,640 --> 00:49:10,040 Speaker 1: we got to be really careful about, is it's a 1166 00:49:10,080 --> 00:49:12,799 Speaker 1: great thought partner. But from a creativity standpoint, I don't 1167 00:49:12,800 --> 00:49:16,400 Speaker 1: see AI replacing the creativity of humans anytime soon, and 1168 00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:19,000 Speaker 1: I think that's gonna always be our differentiator. 1169 00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:21,239 Speaker 2: Yeah. I put a post up like a few weeks 1170 00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:24,759 Speaker 2: ago that you know, pretty much like got a lot 1171 00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:26,759 Speaker 2: of people talking, but it was it was more just 1172 00:49:26,840 --> 00:49:30,560 Speaker 2: like as everything becomes AI generated, people are going to 1173 00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:33,600 Speaker 2: be drawn more to the handcrafted. They're you don't want 1174 00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:35,760 Speaker 2: to see the brushstrokes. They're gonna want to see the drips. 1175 00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:38,480 Speaker 2: They're gonna want to see that this was you know, 1176 00:49:38,560 --> 00:49:40,320 Speaker 2: not a print that was just made on AI and 1177 00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:42,239 Speaker 2: then printed on canvas in your house. You know, there's 1178 00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:45,560 Speaker 2: no they want to know this story behind it. Yeah, 1179 00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:48,360 Speaker 2: I'm a firm believer that, like the way that social 1180 00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:51,560 Speaker 2: is going, you know, proof of content and like proof 1181 00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:53,880 Speaker 2: of creation is going to be huge where it's like 1182 00:49:54,160 --> 00:49:56,080 Speaker 2: people are going to be and we're already seeing it 1183 00:49:56,120 --> 00:49:58,040 Speaker 2: with like Twitch and live streaming and all this stuff. 1184 00:49:58,040 --> 00:50:00,359 Speaker 2: It's like, you know the way that Beaver just like 1185 00:50:00,480 --> 00:50:02,719 Speaker 2: set up a whole warehouse where it's just like you're 1186 00:50:02,760 --> 00:50:05,760 Speaker 2: seeing him live stream so you can see the behind 1187 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:07,759 Speaker 2: the scenes. Like people are gonna want more and more 1188 00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:09,760 Speaker 2: of that, And I think we're going we're leaning towards 1189 00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:13,200 Speaker 2: a world where it's like if you're not live streaming 1190 00:50:13,239 --> 00:50:16,120 Speaker 2: the creation and the behind the scenes and the every 1191 00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:20,960 Speaker 2: day like there's no like, you know, there's no validation 1192 00:50:21,040 --> 00:50:22,960 Speaker 2: that that was actually created by you. But I think 1193 00:50:22,960 --> 00:50:24,680 Speaker 2: it's gonna be like you're gonna want to have a 1194 00:50:24,719 --> 00:50:27,040 Speaker 2: live stream of Twitch of like Timberland in the studio 1195 00:50:27,160 --> 00:50:29,800 Speaker 2: making it beat and you know, so and so singing 1196 00:50:29,880 --> 00:50:31,480 Speaker 2: on top of it. So that like that's what people 1197 00:50:31,520 --> 00:50:33,360 Speaker 2: are gonna be drawn. I mean, they're already into that, 1198 00:50:33,400 --> 00:50:36,239 Speaker 2: but I think that's gonna just validate things way more. 1199 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:39,279 Speaker 1: You have to show the work, yeah, you know, like 1200 00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:41,120 Speaker 1: like like you know, Gary Ve always talks about like 1201 00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:43,840 Speaker 1: you get a document and create, and I think for us, 1202 00:50:43,920 --> 00:50:46,560 Speaker 1: that's something we've even started implementing and a lot of 1203 00:50:46,560 --> 00:50:48,560 Speaker 1: things that we're doing even on the butterside, Like I'm 1204 00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:50,239 Speaker 1: working on a new project and like a big part 1205 00:50:50,280 --> 00:50:52,839 Speaker 1: of based on even what you said, a big part 1206 00:50:52,840 --> 00:50:55,160 Speaker 1: of and I didn't even realize it until you said 1207 00:50:55,160 --> 00:50:57,319 Speaker 1: it like that, but now I'm thinking about it. One 1208 00:50:57,320 --> 00:50:59,440 Speaker 1: of the things I even wrote into the project was 1209 00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:02,600 Speaker 1: we had a cord BTS for everything, you know, because 1210 00:51:02,600 --> 00:51:04,319 Speaker 1: there's a whole opportunity with that. But I was thinking 1211 00:51:04,320 --> 00:51:06,200 Speaker 1: about it more form just the documentation standpoint. But to 1212 00:51:06,239 --> 00:51:09,440 Speaker 1: your point, it's documenting the process and the creativity to 1213 00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:11,320 Speaker 1: let people know this is really authentic and this is 1214 00:51:11,320 --> 00:51:13,359 Speaker 1: how it came to be. So I think to your point, 1215 00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:15,120 Speaker 1: like that's definitely something people start thinking about. 1216 00:51:15,320 --> 00:51:18,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, we don't. I mean we're always saying it, 1217 00:51:18,360 --> 00:51:20,360 Speaker 2: and it's like, I think it's so hard for like 1218 00:51:20,440 --> 00:51:22,920 Speaker 2: creative people, like even for me, like to be in 1219 00:51:22,960 --> 00:51:26,279 Speaker 2: the studio and have a camera set up while I'm 1220 00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:29,080 Speaker 2: painting the entire painting and moving around and stop and 1221 00:51:29,080 --> 00:51:31,880 Speaker 2: then you know, going on cap cut and making edits 1222 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:35,680 Speaker 2: or you know, it's like that's not natural for artists. 1223 00:51:35,719 --> 00:51:38,520 Speaker 2: But it's like now it's just it's like this evolution 1224 00:51:38,640 --> 00:51:40,440 Speaker 2: of like you kind of have to do that stuff, 1225 00:51:41,400 --> 00:51:44,200 Speaker 2: you know, Yeah, as part of the creative process. Maybe 1226 00:51:44,200 --> 00:51:46,759 Speaker 2: we're turning into old dinosaurs and like the new young kids. 1227 00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:48,560 Speaker 2: It's just like that's what you do, right, It's like 1228 00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:50,719 Speaker 2: everything you do. You got a film and you know 1229 00:51:50,719 --> 00:51:52,719 Speaker 2: maybe in the future it's going to be you know, 1230 00:51:52,840 --> 00:51:55,200 Speaker 2: you're recording twenty four to seven, three sixty five, and 1231 00:51:55,760 --> 00:51:57,799 Speaker 2: you know you're always on live stream. It's like you 1232 00:51:57,840 --> 00:51:59,319 Speaker 2: can turn it on and off when you want to. 1233 00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:01,680 Speaker 1: But it's like, you know, well you kind of see 1234 00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:03,280 Speaker 1: it now. I mean even with like twitch and everything. 1235 00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:05,560 Speaker 1: I mean first there was people streaming from the houses. 1236 00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:07,920 Speaker 1: Now they have the IRL bags or streaming outside. It's 1237 00:52:07,920 --> 00:52:10,480 Speaker 1: twenty four to seven. Yeah, the meda glass. You know. 1238 00:52:11,239 --> 00:52:13,719 Speaker 1: So the way I always think about it is I 1239 00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:16,000 Speaker 1: look at it kind of through the eyes of children sometimes, 1240 00:52:16,520 --> 00:52:19,800 Speaker 1: so I think about my kids. I remember when my 1241 00:52:19,880 --> 00:52:23,560 Speaker 1: daughter was born, you know, I remember, I will admit 1242 00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:25,200 Speaker 1: I was a parent that gave my kid an iPad 1243 00:52:25,640 --> 00:52:27,800 Speaker 1: when she was little, but did like the games and 1244 00:52:27,800 --> 00:52:30,319 Speaker 1: stuff on it, right, And I remember there was a 1245 00:52:30,360 --> 00:52:34,319 Speaker 1: point in which she walked up to the TV and 1246 00:52:34,360 --> 00:52:37,080 Speaker 1: she tried to swipe the TV and I was like, baby, 1247 00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:40,799 Speaker 1: Daddy can't afford to swiping TV right now. But from 1248 00:52:40,840 --> 00:52:42,880 Speaker 1: my I was like, from my user experien I was like, oh, 1249 00:52:43,080 --> 00:52:44,960 Speaker 1: like her interaction is, you know, you can touch it 1250 00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:47,440 Speaker 1: and move and swipe things, right, you know. My son, 1251 00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:49,200 Speaker 1: So my daughter's thirteen, my son is eight. There's a 1252 00:52:49,200 --> 00:52:52,799 Speaker 1: five year difference. My son. What I've noticed with him 1253 00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:56,319 Speaker 1: is growing up, he had Alexa and so he would 1254 00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:58,120 Speaker 1: just tell Alexa what he wanted and it would happen. 1255 00:52:58,440 --> 00:53:00,839 Speaker 1: He would say, play this song and do this. And 1256 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:03,200 Speaker 1: even now he wants to watch TV, he just talks 1257 00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:05,200 Speaker 1: to the remote control, talks to his computer. Right, So 1258 00:53:05,239 --> 00:53:07,400 Speaker 1: his interaction with the world is like very voice driven. 1259 00:53:07,520 --> 00:53:08,799 Speaker 1: And so I kind of just think about like those 1260 00:53:08,840 --> 00:53:11,680 Speaker 1: kind of things, right, It's like that's the expectation that 1261 00:53:11,719 --> 00:53:12,880 Speaker 1: these kids are even coming up with. 1262 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:13,080 Speaker 2: Now. 1263 00:53:13,239 --> 00:53:15,960 Speaker 1: Was like, you know what, what what did my I got? 1264 00:53:16,000 --> 00:53:17,600 Speaker 1: Talking to a friend of mine, he said, yeah, my 1265 00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:19,040 Speaker 1: son was just like, you know, we're just gonna search 1266 00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:20,560 Speaker 1: it up, Like we're just gonna type and search it up. 1267 00:53:20,560 --> 00:53:22,080 Speaker 1: It's gonna pop up, like I'm gonna tell the computer 1268 00:53:22,120 --> 00:53:23,880 Speaker 1: what I want to know and it's gonna come back. 1269 00:53:23,960 --> 00:53:25,400 Speaker 1: Or like even him me, my son is coming to 1270 00:53:25,400 --> 00:53:27,759 Speaker 1: me me and like Dad, I gotta write this thing 1271 00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:30,279 Speaker 1: for school, you know, open up chat GBT so I 1272 00:53:30,280 --> 00:53:31,920 Speaker 1: can write it. And I'm like, no, you write it. 1273 00:53:32,400 --> 00:53:35,279 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna like you. That's the whole point of learning. Son, 1274 00:53:35,400 --> 00:53:37,359 Speaker 1: is not for you to go tell Chat to write 1275 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:41,320 Speaker 1: me a paragraph about you know, the different the different 1276 00:53:41,360 --> 00:53:45,120 Speaker 1: tropical climates. Like you get the book, you create your 1277 00:53:45,120 --> 00:53:47,640 Speaker 1: own thoughts and you put it on paper. But I 1278 00:53:47,680 --> 00:53:50,160 Speaker 1: definitely think again, like to your point there, it's it's 1279 00:53:50,239 --> 00:53:52,280 Speaker 1: it's interesting to see. And I do think we're gonna 1280 00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:56,479 Speaker 1: be in a space very soon where everything is gonna 1281 00:53:56,520 --> 00:53:58,000 Speaker 1: kind of be expected to be online. And I know, 1282 00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:00,279 Speaker 1: for me, that's something I'm not necessarily that come with 1283 00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:02,400 Speaker 1: I'm getting better at even pointing the camera at myself. 1284 00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:04,640 Speaker 1: But like the idea of like just live streaming and 1285 00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:06,600 Speaker 1: putting yourself on there, Like it's just. 1286 00:54:06,560 --> 00:54:08,240 Speaker 2: It's it's normal. 1287 00:54:08,320 --> 00:54:10,560 Speaker 1: It's not normal at least not. 1288 00:54:13,120 --> 00:54:13,600 Speaker 2: So man. 1289 00:54:13,640 --> 00:54:15,920 Speaker 1: It's it's an interesting thing. Man, it's a good conversation. Look, man, 1290 00:54:15,920 --> 00:54:17,759 Speaker 1: as we get ready to wrap this thing up, one 1291 00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:19,879 Speaker 1: of my questions I have for you. I know, again 1292 00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:21,440 Speaker 1: you love art and doing a lot of stuff. Who 1293 00:54:21,480 --> 00:54:24,200 Speaker 1: are some of your favorite Atlanta artists? Like who are 1294 00:54:24,200 --> 00:54:26,600 Speaker 1: the people that you get inspiration from here in the 1295 00:54:26,600 --> 00:54:27,320 Speaker 1: Atlanta area? 1296 00:54:28,760 --> 00:54:32,799 Speaker 2: Wow? What a tough question considering how many artists we 1297 00:54:32,840 --> 00:54:34,480 Speaker 2: work with localists probably. 1298 00:54:34,200 --> 00:54:37,120 Speaker 1: Like I want to get you in trouble, Like, what's 1299 00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:41,560 Speaker 1: your favorite kid? Look, this this list is not exhaustive. 1300 00:54:43,120 --> 00:54:44,960 Speaker 1: Is there anyone that expires you or that you just 1301 00:54:45,040 --> 00:54:46,120 Speaker 1: like love the work they kind of do? 1302 00:54:46,200 --> 00:54:52,360 Speaker 2: Manh hmm, there's so many to list. I mean, I think, like, 1303 00:54:52,400 --> 00:54:56,279 Speaker 2: who's probably closest to me Artist Wolf Dog Ash just 1304 00:54:56,320 --> 00:54:58,839 Speaker 2: because I've seen his career, you know, from the ground up, 1305 00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:01,920 Speaker 2: like you know, seeing this success and he's you know, 1306 00:55:02,120 --> 00:55:04,440 Speaker 2: he's a member of the crew and the team you know, 1307 00:55:04,520 --> 00:55:07,080 Speaker 2: Nate Frost, who's also at a b V two seeing 1308 00:55:07,120 --> 00:55:10,880 Speaker 2: his evolution of his work. But then you know, there's 1309 00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:14,360 Speaker 2: there's so many great artists in Atlanta. Thomas Turner is 1310 00:55:14,360 --> 00:55:16,880 Speaker 2: another great one again, like you know, he came to 1311 00:55:16,920 --> 00:55:19,040 Speaker 2: me and you know, years ago and was working a 1312 00:55:19,080 --> 00:55:21,600 Speaker 2: bar job and I encourage him to jump off the 1313 00:55:21,600 --> 00:55:24,600 Speaker 2: cliff and follow his dreams. Now he's traveling around the world, 1314 00:55:24,640 --> 00:55:29,160 Speaker 2: you know, payting murals, you know that are insanely detailed 1315 00:55:29,200 --> 00:55:35,560 Speaker 2: and massive. You know, there's there's so many folks, uh Dax, 1316 00:55:35,760 --> 00:55:40,640 Speaker 2: legendary graffiti artists, who's also like in you know o G. 1317 00:55:40,840 --> 00:55:43,719 Speaker 2: You know, Dungeon family, Cat We've done a lot of work, 1318 00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:46,959 Speaker 2: which did his solo show. I don't know I could. 1319 00:55:46,960 --> 00:55:50,439 Speaker 2: I could stay here for days, you know, list them out, 1320 00:55:51,400 --> 00:55:53,440 Speaker 2: But I mean any any honestly, like any of the 1321 00:55:53,480 --> 00:55:57,760 Speaker 2: people from Atlanta the ab V shows, Like I'm obviously 1322 00:55:57,800 --> 00:55:59,839 Speaker 2: big fans of them. And that's whether you know, being 1323 00:56:00,080 --> 00:56:03,080 Speaker 2: on the gallery and we're supporting and working together. 1324 00:56:03,200 --> 00:56:06,759 Speaker 1: So absolutely, man, we'll look great. This is this is 1325 00:56:06,800 --> 00:56:09,879 Speaker 1: an amazing conversation. I appreciate you pulling up man. Before 1326 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:11,640 Speaker 1: we get out of here, My last question for you 1327 00:56:11,640 --> 00:56:14,719 Speaker 1: would be, and I'm not gonna say if, because I 1328 00:56:14,800 --> 00:56:17,440 Speaker 1: know there have been, but if there was a Greg 1329 00:56:17,480 --> 00:56:20,440 Speaker 1: mic billboard somewhere in Atlanta that you could put anything 1330 00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:22,480 Speaker 1: you wanted to put on it, what would you put 1331 00:56:22,480 --> 00:56:24,640 Speaker 1: on that Greg Mike billboard? It could be a character, 1332 00:56:24,640 --> 00:56:26,319 Speaker 1: it could be a statement, it could be anything. What 1333 00:56:26,320 --> 00:56:27,480 Speaker 1: would you put on that billboard? 1334 00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:30,319 Speaker 2: So the one that's like bucket lists item that I'm 1335 00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:32,799 Speaker 2: really I'm going to figure out and you know, we'll 1336 00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:36,280 Speaker 2: probably make it happen after now that I'm putting into words, 1337 00:56:36,360 --> 00:56:39,480 Speaker 2: is we need to get that billboard. Get some art 1338 00:56:39,520 --> 00:56:41,560 Speaker 2: on the billboard when you're coming up to escalators at 1339 00:56:41,560 --> 00:56:44,319 Speaker 2: the airport. Okay, digital billboard. Yeah, I mean, I know 1340 00:56:44,360 --> 00:56:46,799 Speaker 2: we got Louta on there. M h. We got we 1341 00:56:46,880 --> 00:56:49,200 Speaker 2: got some other folks, but we need some artists up 1342 00:56:49,239 --> 00:56:51,360 Speaker 2: on there. So I might have to send a text 1343 00:56:51,480 --> 00:56:53,000 Speaker 2: to a few folks and see if we can make 1344 00:56:53,040 --> 00:56:55,640 Speaker 2: that happen. I don't think it's that far of a stretch. 1345 00:56:55,680 --> 00:56:57,520 Speaker 1: It's not a far of a stretch. I'm sure between 1346 00:56:57,560 --> 00:56:58,759 Speaker 1: some of the folks you would be. 1347 00:56:58,760 --> 00:57:01,239 Speaker 2: A picture of me. I just sort of Atlanta, some 1348 00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:04,360 Speaker 2: Atlanta art, not to the Atlanta arts because we are 1349 00:57:04,640 --> 00:57:09,120 Speaker 2: Atlanta is known globally now for our street arts, our murals, yeah, 1350 00:57:09,239 --> 00:57:11,080 Speaker 2: and the artists that are coming out of this city. 1351 00:57:11,200 --> 00:57:13,359 Speaker 2: So I mean it's always I feel like a lot 1352 00:57:13,360 --> 00:57:15,239 Speaker 2: of people think of Atlanta and they think of you know, 1353 00:57:15,600 --> 00:57:18,920 Speaker 2: the rappers, you know, the musicians. But like, you know, 1354 00:57:19,160 --> 00:57:20,680 Speaker 2: got to make sure we keep that art up there 1355 00:57:20,680 --> 00:57:22,880 Speaker 2: on the map too, because it's definitely making a name 1356 00:57:22,880 --> 00:57:23,840 Speaker 2: for itself for the city. 1357 00:57:24,440 --> 00:57:26,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I mean for a long time, that 1358 00:57:26,840 --> 00:57:29,120 Speaker 1: art of the young girl with her hands up, you know, 1359 00:57:29,200 --> 00:57:30,840 Speaker 1: coming up was a big piece, and that it that 1360 00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:32,680 Speaker 1: had gone away eventually. Yeah, we need some more art 1361 00:57:32,720 --> 00:57:34,720 Speaker 1: up in there. Yeah, you know that that's that's people 1362 00:57:34,720 --> 00:57:37,520 Speaker 1: need to understand more about Atlanta. So yo, man, Greg, 1363 00:57:37,600 --> 00:57:41,200 Speaker 1: Mike mac congratulations on everything you've done, some amazing work. 1364 00:57:41,240 --> 00:57:43,560 Speaker 1: You're definitely in Atlanta legend and we appreciate you. Puting 1365 00:57:43,600 --> 00:57:44,600 Speaker 1: the protonomics man. 1366 00:57:44,640 --> 00:57:47,400 Speaker 2: Thank you. It's been a great time chatting. Appreciate abolutely. 1367 00:57:47,520 --> 00:57:49,280 Speaker 1: And with that's it, that's the pot y'all we out 1368 00:57:49,360 --> 00:57:49,600 Speaker 1: peak 1369 00:57:51,280 --> 00:57:53,080 Speaker 2: Awesome boom