In this episode of Reblutionize Your Marketing with AI, REBL Risty interviews Scott Cooper, founder of Tower 23 IT, about how small and medium businesses can safely adopt AI without exposing sensitive data. Scott breaks down shadow AI, insider risk, practical policies, and why employees are both your biggest asset and your biggest vulnerability. He also shares real world examples, from contract review mistakes to voice cloning and granny scams, plus concrete steps to protect your business as AI tools explode in number and power.Key Takeaways- Shadow AI is already in most businesses, with employees quietly using tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Grammarly, and email platforms with built in AI without formal oversight or policy.- The first critical step is an AI acceptable use policy that defines what tools can be used, what data can and cannot be shared, and which departments should avoid certain AI use cases.- Sensitive workflows like contract review, pricing analysis, HR decisions, and candidate evaluation should be done in more secure, enterprise grade AI environments instead of free public tools.- Around two thirds of cyber incidents are human driven, and AI amplifies that risk through scams, data leakage via APIs and integrations, and employees passing off hallucinated AI output as their own work.- Scott recommends that AI always be “sandwiched between humans” with a person on the front end and back end of any AI powered process, plus alignment with frameworks like NIST’s AI risk management guidelines.Chapters00:00 Introduction to AI and Data Security

02:56 Current Trends in AI Adoption

05:49 Understanding Shadow AI and Its Risks

08:58 Establishing Policies for AI Use

11:48 Case Studies and Real-World Applications

15:09 Identifying Red Flags in AI Usage

17:51 Best Practices for AI Security

20:57 The Future of AI in Business

Visit Tower 23 IT's website - https://www.tower23it.com/

In this episode, we sit down with filmmaker and festival founder Greg Reitman live from the Art of Marketing Conference in San Diego. He shares insights into the Blue Water Film Festival, its mission to elevate eco focused storytelling, and the growing importance of sustainable filmmaking. Greg also talks about his journey from Sundance award winning filmmaker to building a global community around environmental cinema.

Key Takeaways

- The Blue Water Film Festival is a rapidly growing, environmentally focused festival that showcases films centered on oceans, nature, climate, and eco innovation.

- The festival attracts 2,000 to 4,000 attendees, features around 15 events, and brings in filmmakers from around the world.

- Greg’s mission is to use film as a tool for awareness, education, and social change, especially around environmental and health impacts linked to modern consumer habits.

- The festival emphasizes sustainability across every aspect of its operations, from materials to partnerships.

- Located in San Diego and aligned with World Water Day, the festival fosters community, hope, and global collaboration.

Check Blue Water Content's website - https://bluewatercontent.tv/

From the Art of Marketing Conference at the University of San Diego, Rebl Risty of Rebl Labs AI hosts a panel with Kirsty Nunez, Kathy Townend and Phil Goddard. Exploring how qualitative data and AI are redefining customer segmentation. They trace the conference’s origins, share how AMA San Diego serves the community, and unpack a new approach to building segments from rich narrative feedback at a fraction of traditional costs.

Key Takeaways:

-Qualitative segmentation can turn interview and open-ended feedback into actionable segments, complementing or bridging to large quant studies.

-AI speeds “time to insight” while keeping the researcher in the loop for oversight and edits.

-Comments often reveal hidden pain points that satisfaction scores miss.

-AMA San Diego’s Art of Marketing Conference grew from a small plenary to a marquee community event focused on education and networking.

-Practical starting point: short loyalty surveys with open responses can surface motivations before bigger research investments.

AI in marketing is more than content generation. Mike Montague breaks down four practical pillars: context engineering for authentic brand voice, predictive analytics that surfaces real buying signals, modern automation that scales follow up, and one-to-one personalization that speaks to a single customer at a time.

Key takeaways

-Use context engineering to train a custom GPT on founder interviews, sales talk tracks, and customer stories so content sounds like you.

-Predictive analytics reveals leading indicators such as life events and job changes that happen before a purchase.

-Tools span every budget, from simple social searches to platforms like HubSpot and 6sense for intent data and account trends.

-Automation is mature and useful when paired with good data, despite the hype around autonomous agents.

-Personalization at the individual level is now realistic and effective for small teams.

Marketing leader Nick Hofer, President of the AMA San Diego and executive at SolarTech, shares how AI, social strategy, and community are reshaping modern marketing. He covers lessons from content marketing world, why TikTok matters for search and discovery, and how AMA San Diego powers careers through flagship events, mentorship, and hands-on education.Key takeaways-AI is now table stakes for content, creative, research, and customer insight.-TikTok is a must consider channel for search behavior and audience discovery.-AMA San Diego’s Art of Marketing delivers deep, practitioner focused sessions with top brand speakers.-Community programs matter, from coffee meetups to mentorship and volunteer days that open doors.-Career advice that works: show up, say yes, and keep learning.

AI news moves fast, but accuracy still wins. Guest Alicia Shapiro shares a practical workflow that starts with reputable sources, tight guardrails for ChatGPT, and rigorous checks for duplication, quotes, and facts. She also walks through adding context with verified sources, polishing SEO, and avoiding sensational headlines.

Key Takeaways:

-Start with primary, reputable outlets like AP, Reuters, and Bloomberg, then brief ChatGPT with strict rules.

-Do not paraphrase quotes, verify them against the original article.

-Run content through a duplication checker, then compare line by line with the source.

-Add missing context only if supported by credible links, and keep headlines professional, not clickbait.

In this episode of Reblutionize Your Marketing with AI, Rebl Risty sits down with Reed Hansen of Marketsurge to explore how AI is transforming marketing agencies and everyday business workflows. Reid shares his journey from traditional marketing to AI-assisted coding, demonstrating how tools like ChatGPT and Cursor help small businesses automate processes and build apps without a developer.

Key Takeaways

-How Reed transitioned from marketing automation to using AI for coding and business innovation.

-Why AI tools like ChatGPT and Cursor democratize technology for non-developers.

-A live walkthrough of how Reed built a custom file-filtering app to solve a real business problem.

-Insights on how small agencies can save time and costs through AI-driven tools.

-The mindset shift needed to embrace AI as a creative partner in marketing and problem-solving.

In this episode, REBL Risty sits down with Mike Montague of Avenue Nine to explore how AI is transforming marketing without losing the human touch. Mike shares his journey from DJ to sales trainer to AI-powered marketer, and explains how tools like predictive analytics, machine learning, and personalization can help businesses scale smarter while keeping authenticity at the core.

Key Takeaways:

- Mike’s career journey from radio DJ to global sales trainer to AI marketing strategist.

- Why context engineering and custom GPTs make AI-generated content more powerful.

- How predictive analytics identifies buying signals before customers enter the market.

- The role of personalization in boosting engagement, from DISC-based messaging to individualized campaigns.

- Why “Human-first AI” is about amplifying authenticity, not replacing people.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, REBL Risty introduces Runway, a powerful AI video generation tool that's changing how we repurpose and reimagine visual content. From turning still photos into animated clips to creating cinematic-quality videos without actors or sets, REBL walks through how brands like Liquid Death are using Runway and how you can, too. Whether you're creating short-form social content or dreaming of your own AI-powered video campaign, this tool could be a game-changer.

Key Takeaways:

- Runway's Gen-4 model enables consistent character and environment generation across video scenes, perfect for brand storytelling.

- You don’t need a film crew, Runway empowers solo creators and marketers to create impressive video content from still photos or prompts.

- Repurpose old photo shoots into dynamic social clips, product videos, or nostalgic marketing pieces.

- Use AI to create in multiple languages and adapt content for global audiences without hiring a full production team.

- Simple action step: Upload an old photo, give it a prompt, and watch your image come to life, free to try with 100 credits.

In this episode Rebl Risty and Rob Esposito sit down with Jennifer Barnes of Optima Office to explore how AI is reshaping both business operations and marketing. From integrating Power BI with HubSpot and QuickBooks to creating AI-generated avatars and streamlining reporting, the conversation highlights the opportunities and challenges of adopting AI in real-world business.

Key Takeaways

- Data integration matters: Power BI can sync multiple systems into one dashboard, giving CEOs instant access to employee and client insights.

- AI boosts efficiency: Tasks like creating charts or summarizing data that once took days can now be completed in minutes.

- Marketing ROI clarity: Plugging Power BI into HubSpot unlocks deeper visibility into campaign results and sales efforts.

- AI in content creation: Custom GPTs and AI-generated videos open new doors for storytelling, but also raise concerns about deep fakes and authenticity.

- We’re just getting started: Businesses are only scratching the surface of AI’s potential to transform both operations and marketing.