The Ruby Hour

Did you ever have teacup parties underwater? Today we introduce you to an alternate reality, the world of Leigh Webber. She combined her childhood love of water and her passion for photography into a successful business here in Charleston! In this episode, we talk about having an unusual service offering, adapting to constantly changing environments as a photographer, and becoming unique to your social media viewers in a world where anyone can take a picture.

The Ruby Hour With Leigh Webber Show Notes:

00:32 Who is Leigh Webber?

1:53 Why underwater photography is a totally different world

3:07 How this creative form of photography took on a life of its own

6:00 Diving into the unknown process of underwater photography

11:40 From a water baby to becoming an underwater photographer

12:08 What’s one of your favorite memories with water growing up?

13:16 Working with first-timers during an underwater shoot

15:25 How to stand out in a world where anyone can take a picture

18:58 How to adapt to changes that come with photographing underwater

22:05 The difference in shooting in the water versus on land

29:46 Keys to owning your own business and taking chances

31:06 Working with people who have a similar vibe and love what you love

33:09 Rolling with the punches during a shoot

35:18 What’s your happy place?

36:56 The struggle of traveling with heavy ass cameras

41:20 How to set yourself up to succeed as a photography business owner

Check out more of Leigh's work at https://www.leighwebber.com 

In today's episode, we interview the elusive animal, PJ Brown -- a brilliant cinematographer who happens to be based out of Charleston. PJ has produced and directed commercial content, music videos, and is also a long time friend in the wedding filming world.

In this episode we discuss origin stories involving funerals, nudist weddings, and pizza shops-- evaluating the soul values of projects and if that dream client is truly a "dream", and the power of leaving the camera at home to take in the real moment (even when you're in portfolio-worthy places.)

PJ Brown On The Ruby Hour Show Notes:

1:31 Our gigantic guest: Who is PJ Brown?

4:15 Pizza to cinematography: How did you start your journey in cinematography?

11:45 F*ck your gear list, I’ll take an elbow to the face

12:45 If you think everyone’s your client, you’re wrong.

17:00 The key to getting repeat business as a videographer

20:00 Thought Bazooka cameras

25:00 Impromptu Photographers: Family members with iPads

29:00 Is it a photo shoot or a wedding day? Time of your life or waste of money?

36:00 If you were handed a bajillion dollars tomorrow, what would you shoot?

45:45 When you’re not filming, how do you like to relax?

50:30 The face drop

52:00 The best technique with social media as a business owner (if you hate social media)

55:40 What’s the best advice anyone’s ever given to you?

57:00 How can people find you on social?

Check out PJ's incredible portfolio and get to know him more at Life In Rewind and on Instagram at @lifeinrewindfilms!

If you’ve ever had ghost or spirit experiences, and you’ve been scared or “unnerved” of these experiences- this episode is for you. We got weird in this episode and explored some of our personal first-hand experiences “beyond the veil” of our day-to-day lives, as well as discussing the emotional health demands of the event industry (and what you can do to nurture yourself to bounce back quicker.)

Buckle up for this episode.

Meredith Tanton is co-owner and principal designer at Sweet Grass Social -- an exceptional luxury event planning company here in Charleston SC. Meredith and her business partner Jacqueline have been in business for the past 11 years in Charleston and are truly some of the "OG"s of our event community; we've had the privilege of working alongside their incredible team and documenting their gorgeous events for several years now. Without further ado -- I give you the lovely Meredith Tanton!

If any of this is hitting home, this episode is meant for you.

Meet Cole Wadsten, twenty-something millennial entrepreneur, innovator, and founder of The Break Room: Charleston's first ever "rage room." 

It's exactly what you think it is -- A safe place where you go and smash shit. Choose your unique weapon of choice (crowbar, screwdriver, golf club, baseball bat-- you know, the things fantasies are made of) and then proceed to wail on items such as microwaves, box fans, china, TV's; even cars. 

Now, I needn't remind you we're in good ole Charleston, South Carolina -- a land laden with rich Southern tradition and heritage (which overall is a beautiful, beautiful thing), but at times can come with an undercurrent of conformity. So we've got parts of our community still dripping with nepotism, small-minded thinking, and strong resistance to anything considered "different;" then we've got Cole Wadsten over here launching a business that freely encourages letting out not-so-southern-charming emotions while listening to Ludacris. Think he may have ran into a little resistance?

If you have a trail you're meant to blaze in your heart, this episode is for you. 

1:00 How did The Break Room get started?

1:49 What exactly is a Rage Room?

2:40 What are the biggest take-aways

6:15 Why this doesn't encourage aggressive behavior.

8:42 Instrument of Choice- What you can choose to smash with

10:10 What are the responses from the public from opening a “rage room”?

11:25 How did this idea come about?

14:25 What other things are you up to?

15:10 How do you find and choose people to train who will facilitate the Rage Room?

16:45 The Key to running a tight ship- Don’t Be Weird!

17:50 “Don’t let your food get cold looking at someone else’s plate”

19:10 What is a moment in your life that has contributed most to where you are now?

21:00 Staying in your lane as a millennial: How to avoid getting caught comparing your life with your millennial friends

25:45 Being a twenty-something in 2020:

26:35 1990s Babies - How to cope with being in "young" and in business

27:49 The one question you should be asking yourself about running your business as a twenty-something year old.

31:00 Playing on Neopets in 2002 as a 12 year old compared to sexting in 2020

33:28 How being young in business is an ASSET, not a liability, and the power of picking up the phone

34:00 the most sought after skillset for the next generation's workforce

37:00 Ditching your phone in social situations, and mocktails: The lost social skillset and upcoming trends of the millennial generation

38:30 Why YOLO is bullshit: Stewarding your life well

39:05 What’s been your journey having a disruptive company in a culturally conservative market?

42:00 What advice do you have for someone who has their own disruptive idea?

46:30 How to find Cole Wadsten and Rage Charleston?

Visit The Break Room and schedule your smash party online or social -- @ragecharleston or on their website: https://www.tbrcharleston.com

Have you ever had that moment where you're stuffing your face with Nutella and Ritz crackers during a His Dark Materials binge-fest, and then one of those horrific starving children in Africa commercials comes on?

You look down, spoonful of Nutella trembling in-hand, and you have that moment where you feel like an utter and absolute asshole? If you've ever felt that pang of oh-my-gosh-what-am-i-doing-with-my-life-i' m-such-a-cold-hearted-lizard, I made this episode just for you.

Meet your new girl crush and today's podcast guest, Hope Caldwell. Founder of KLH Group here in Charleston, Hope is an advocate for bringing your soul back into the workspace (and especially corporate Fortune 500 workspace.)

This woman gets CEOs of multibajillion dollar organizations to put their hands in the dirt (literally) one half of the day, and then on the other half of the day throws the most baller 5-star gala event you've ever been to in your life.

In this episode, get ready to be liberated from the old "martyrdom thinking" that you have to take a vow of poverty to be a soulful person - and step into the truth: that you need to be wildly successful so you can radically bless and serve the things that light your heart on fire (and have your Nutella, too.)

This guy is who you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse. Chef Shaun Brian’s roots are in fishing off his dad’s sailboat and foraging on St. John, USVI. Named 30 under 30 by Zagat, nominated for a Rising Star by StarChefs and invited to cook in the James Beard House — Shaun is one of the most progressive and talented chefs of our generation, and he’s right “in our backyard” for us foodies here in Charleston. In this episode Shaun shares his unorthodox (and wildly entertaining) journey through his culinary career, what it’s like growing up in the Caribbean, funny stories cooking for celebrities, and offers some practical AF advice on building your team and growing as a leader.

It’s one thing to see a wedding photographer's work online, it’s a whole other thing to meet them in person and meet the person behind the lens. Today we interview Sara Boyd, one of our all time favorite friends in the wedding industry, who's came a long way from her roots of dropping cameras in glasses of chocolate milk. In this incriminating episode, Shelby tells all the bad and inappropriate jokes she knows, Sara shares horrific childhood tales as a tiny dancer, her most embarassing wedding day stories, and how unapologetically being her awkward, weird @$$ self has helped her find real down-to-earth connections with her clients.

In this inaugural episode of the Ruby Hour, we bring in the big guns — Jessica Rueger, Shelby’s personal self-mastery coach. In this episode Jessica shares some Jedi mind tricks on how you can kick butt and take names this holiday season— regardless of your child’s meltdown in the airport, Uncle Terry not wearing a shirt to Thanksgiving dinner, or "that b*tch"’s social media feed that’s constantly reminding you how much better her life is than yours.