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Tech problems rarely start as tech problems. They start as messy decisions, unclear ownership, and tool sprawl that quietly turns into risk. We’re joined by Charleston-based business and technology advisor Elliott Friedman, who’s lived on every side of the table: founder, operator, CTO, and now a trusted guide for professional service firms and private equity teams navigating growth and complexity. 

We dig into what “holistic” advising really means in practice. Elliott shares the red flags he looks for when a company is headed for trouble, from leadership teams treating technology as a grudging expense to organizations dragging hidden tech debt and paying for SaaS bloat they barely use. We also talk about the difference between building clean systems from day one for a new firm versus reverse-engineering legacy environments during private equity due diligence, where the goal is to reduce risk and create long-term value. 

Then we tackle the topic everyone’s wrestling with: AI. Elliot breaks down ethical AI use for CPAs and other regulated professionals, why dumping sensitive client data into consumer tools is dangerous, and why “AI” can sound confident while being completely wrong. He also tells the story of “vibe coding” a purpose-built CRM on a flight, proving that the right-sized tool can beat a bloated platform when you only need a tight workflow that your team will a

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

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Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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AI is moving so fast that most teams feel like they’re drinking from a fire hose, but the real advantage still comes from fundamentals: solid cloud architecture, clear data flows, and a plan that ties technology to business outcomes. We sit down with Will Horn of GDNA, an experienced technologist and AWS partner, to unpack what he calls the Agentic Cloud and how AI agents are changing the way companies build, automate, and scale.

We get specific about what “cloud transformation” means for different organizations. For startups, it’s about nimble prototypes, SaaS unit economics, and architecture that can survive growth. For SMBs, it’s often legacy modernization, operational efficiency, and turning messy processes into digital systems that can be measured and improved. For enterprises, it’s innovation velocity, cost efficiency, and opening new markets without ballooning labor or risk.

Will also shares a powerful framework he calls the Minimal Viable Journey, a way to map how data moves through a business and where value is created or lost. That lens makes AI strategy far more practical: it helps you prioritize the right use cases, understand data readiness for LLMs, and avoid building “cool” tools that never deliver ROI. We close by zooming out to the Charleston tech ecosystem, how to plug in locally, what’s missing, and what could be possible over the next two years.

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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Search is turning into a single question, ad platforms keep getting more expensive, and “going viral” still does not guarantee sales. So what actually cuts through the noise and drives growth for a real business in Charleston? We sit down with Joe Brugman, Director of Sales and Strategy at Media Beast Marketing Group, to unpack the practical side of modern digital marketing: what matters, what to ignore, and how to lead clients with honesty when the numbers get uncomfortable.

We talk about the BEAST framework Joe uses to explain what strong marketing looks like in the real world: budgeting, expertise, attribution, strategy, and transparency. That leads to the messy parts agencies and brands have to face, like why better cost per acquisition does not always mean you should lower spend, how to avoid novelty over function, and how message gaps show up when your culture and service delivery do not match your brand promise. Joe also shares a smart competitive tactic for positioning: read your competitors’ one-star reviews to find what the market hates, then build your differentiation around fixing it.

The conversation goes deeper with a nonprofit marketing sprint from Campaign In A Day, including lessons from building a sensitive, community-driven campaign for the Ari Foss Foundation. We close with a clear-eyed look at AI and marketing, from “search everywhere optimization” t

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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Craving a story where smoke, music, and community share the same plate? We sit with Aaron Siegel, founder of Home Team BBQ, to trace how a fine-dining chef built a family-first barbecue brand that reimagined what a neighborhood joint can be. From the ingenious “Kid Alley” that won over parents to the creative freedom that brought tacos, nachos, and brisket into the mix, Aaron shows how you evolve a tradition without losing its soul.

We talk about the roots of the Home Team name and the manifesto that still guides the brand’s choices—live music, watch parties, easy outdoor hangs, and a menu that balances chef-driven technique with the speed people need. Aaron opens up about the early grind, the mistakes that taught him to slow down, and the leadership moves that kept talent for nearly a decade or more. If you’re building a hospitality brand, the takeaways are clear: trust your experience, design for real life, and invest in a culture that people want to stick with.

What sets this conversation apart is the impact. Holy Smokes has become a major waterfront festival that benefits Hogs for the Cause, helping fund pediatric cancer care, including a million-dollar oncology wing in Greenville. Purpose-led specials like Queso for Clayson and Tacos for Tom turn everyday orders into meaningful support for blood cancer and ALS. Add a robust catering engine, collaborations with local

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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A coastal city with global ambitions—this conversation with Soloinsight CEO Carter Kennedy shows what it takes to scale identity governance from Charleston into 41 countries while keeping culture, speed, and profitability intact. We open with the simple promise behind complex infrastructure: connecting visitors, contractors, employees, and tenants to the right places at the right times through compliant, integrated access. From a Class A lobby to a hospital corridor, Carter explains how referenceable customers and network effects turn hard-won first deals into a repeatable enterprise motion.

We dig into what building from Charleston looks like day to day: distributed hiring that complements a rising local scene, the real advantages of quality of life and a convenient airport, and the honest gaps in capital density that still need solving. Carter shares a clear go-to-market framework—industry conferences, channel partners, and word-of-mouth from marquee accounts—plus how a small sales team can land six-figure deals by focusing on value and outcomes. The roadmap for the region is equally direct: attract more investors to fuel proven playbooks, connect founders consistently through platforms like Dignation and Dig South, and turn momentum into that first billion-dollar win that seeds the next generation of companies.

AI threads through the strategy as a practical lever, not a buzzword. Carter breaks it down into three moves: automate internal processes to shorten implementations, enhance existing products so customers pay for smarter results, and launch new AI-driven offerings already in demand across healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructure. We cl

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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The energy in Charleston’s tech scene isn’t hype—it’s momentum you can feel. We kick off Silicon Harbor Hot Take with Dig South founder Stanfield Gray to map the forces turning a coastal city into a serious launchpad for scalable startups. From the origin of “Silicon Harbor” to the nuts and bolts of building a summit that founders actually use, we unpack what makes this ecosystem work: practical access, operator‑led insights, and an abundance mindset that rewards collaboration without dulling competitive edge.

We go deep on the strategy behind Dig South’s curation. Instead of celebrity flybys, we bring the people shipping products and signing deals—engineers from OpenAI, Microsoft, Nordstrom AI, and Amazon Prime Video, plus investors like 11 Tribes and long‑time partners from CRDA. You’ll hear how growth‑stage companies find customers and capital, how early founders get hands‑on with platforms, and why legal, cloud, and go‑to‑market lounges matter when you’re moving fast. We also talk timing: LLMs, agentic AI, and world models are exciting, but only some tools move the bottom line today. Learn how to test, adopt, and sequence new tech without derailing your roadmap.

Underneath it all is a simple playbook: “Who Not How.” Swap solo heroics for the right collaborators, advisors, and partners. Leverage year‑round membership, rise‑and‑grind meetups, and a community demo stage to turn introductions into pilots and pilots into revenue. With Dig South anchoring Charleston Tech Week (June 8–12) and the summit set for June 11–12 at the College of Charleston, this is your chance to plug into a network designed for real outcomes, not vanity metrics.

Subscribe for the monthly Hot Take, share this with a founder who should be in the room, and leave a review with the

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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Curious cities don’t stand still, and Charleston is proof. We sit down with Tyler Wright Friedman, the guide behind Walk and Talk Charleston, to unpack how a walk can become a window into power, preservation, and the pulse of a modern Lowcountry city. Tyler maps out the three pillars she believes define the Charleston brand—history, preservation, and hospitality—and shows how each one lives not just in brochures but in policies, neighborhoods, and the choices residents make to keep a city’s soul intact.

We go beyond pastel facades to highlight Charleston’s civil rights legacy. Tyler connects the dots from Briggs v. Elliott, tried on Meeting Street, to Brown v. Board of Education, and explains Judge Waring’s pivotal dissent and Thurgood Marshall’s role. The takeaway is simple and bracing: when we tell fuller stories, visitors don’t just look; they understand. That honesty also shapes how she guides: present facts clearly, honor the skilled labor—often enslaved—that built what we admire, and invite guests to think rather than react.

Preservation comes into focus as community infrastructure, not museum‑only nostalgia. Tyler details Historic Charleston Foundation’s Common Cause Loan Fund, which helps legacy homeowners stay in place through forgivable exterior repair loans—a practical answer to rising costs and strict building rules. We also explore how tourism taxes fund pub

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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Want to see what credibility looks like under pressure? We sit down with broadcaster and FEMA reservist Leyla Gulen to unpack the real work behind “overnight” stories, the human stakes of crisis communications, and why attention without accuracy is a losing game. Layla traces her arc from ballet hopeful to radio grinder to TV anchor in Los Angeles and San Francisco, revealing the invisible disciplines that build trust: relentless fact-checking, writing to match an anchor’s voice, and delivering clarity on impossible timelines. When she moved to Charleston, those habits met a city where reputation travels fast and relationships carry weight, reshaping how tough truths are told without turning personal.

We dive into the influencer era and draw a sharp line between virality and veracity. As a co-founder of Tide Point PR, Layla favors senior, crisis-tested strategy over churn. She explains how to steer clients away from performative stunts and toward messages that survive scrutiny. Then the conversation heads straight into the field, where Layla’s FEMA deployments bring communications into disaster zones. She breaks down common myths about FEMA, the life-safety work that starts immediately, and the application steps that trip people up—plus how disaster recovery centers and hotlines actually help. The throughline is empathy: respect for place, patience with process, and thick skin wh

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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Big flavor meets big vision. We sat down with Marcus, founder and CEO of the Black Food Truck Festival, to unpack how a community-first idea became a 20,000-person destination weekend that’s now measured at $10.2 million in economic impact for Charleston. He traces the journey from a post-pandemic launch to a two-day experience that brings in 84% of attendees from outside the Tri-County area and 70% from out of state, turning Charleston into a must-visit hub for Black culinary culture and live music.

We go inside the blueprint: why the festival invests in live bands, day parties at multiple bars, and family-friendly spaces to create an immersive, all-day flow. Marcus explains the vendor mix—Gullah-Geechee staples, African cuisine, soul food riffs, hibachi mashups, empanadas, seafood, wings, desserts, and strong vegan options—and the reality of lines at scale. He’s transparent about the headwinds too: sponsorship dollars tighten as alcohol spending dips, venue costs climb, and production expenses grow. The response is smarter marketing: a YouTube strategy for long-form performance videos, storytelling that highlights vendor success, and a 20,000-strong email list that fuels merch, premium offers, and year-round engagement.

You’ll also hear how the team builds a better guest experience with a shaded VIP lounge, private

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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What if thinking about death could make your life and work lighter, clearer, and more intentional? We sit down with life and death coach Merridith Crowe to explore how memento mori—the simple, ancient reminder that we will die—can sharpen your choices today. This isn’t a gloomy detour. It’s a practical map for how to love better, lead with empathy, and build a business that matches your values.

Meredith shares the heart of her work: guiding people through hard life changes and helping families plan end-of-life with compassion and detail, from medical preferences to the tone of a celebration. Along the way, we unpack why intentions beat resolutions, how present-tense identity statements shift behavior, and the simple weekly check-in that keeps you honest: How did I live, how did I love, what did I learn? We also look at authentic leadership in a noisy market—choosing your race, limiting clients to go deeper, and communicating with clarity instead of euphemism.

We go there on the hard topics, too: hospice, the cultural distance from death, and the nuanced realities of medical assistance in dying in certain states. Meredith’s inclusive approach meets people where they are, honoring different beliefs while focusing on comfort and agency. For founders and marketers, the surprising takeaway is that mortality awareness makes you a better builder: more present, less reactive, ki

King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.

Support the show

Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association

Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Annual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority

Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus

Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen

Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising

Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse

Score by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase

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