Butternomics the Business of Culture

Most companies are still spending millions on beautiful, polished content that almost nobody cares about. Shannon Watkins has sat at the top of the brands that figured this out and the ones that didn't. Former CMO of Aflac, global CMO of Jordan Brand, and former global CMO at Fiserv, she's spent her whole career at the intersection of brand and culture, and she pulled up to Butternomics to break down what's really changing in how brands win. We get into the multimillion dollar mistake brands keep repeating, why people stopped trusting brand voices and started trusting people instead, and what brands are actually buying when they pay a creator. Shannon breaks down the difference between brand, marketing, and advertising, why the agency model is getting disrupted in real time, and the earnings report move every creator should be using before they pitch a single brand. She also takes us through the road that got her here. The pre-med plan she walked away from at Fisk. The worst assignment at Kraft that taught her the foundation of business. The Powerade campaign built around Derrick Rose and a Tupac poem. The Teyana Taylor partnership at Jordan Brand that changed how she saw creators forever. And now Watkins Brand Advisors, where she's helping CEOs, nonprofits, and creators figure out the problem behind the problem. This one's for the founders, the creators, and anybody trying to build something real around their creativity. Shannon doesn't hold back. Watch the full episode and let us know what hit hardest. Connect with Shannon Watkins on LinkedIn and Instagram, and check out Watkins Brand Advisors. #Butternomics #ShannonWatkins #BrandStrategy #CreatorEconomy #Marketing #Atlanta #BlackEntrepreneursSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simone Hardeman-Jones flew into ATL to break down how she's reimagining what philanthropy actually looks like. As executive director of Green Light Fund Twin Cities, she walks into rooms full of wealthy people and convinces them to invest in the communities everybody else overlooks. We get into the Minnesota paradox. It's ranked number one in quality of life and dead last in the income gap between Black and white residents. Same state. Two completely different realities depending on who you are. Simone shares how Green Light Fund finds high-impact programs that don't exist yet in a community, brings them in, and backs them with $600K in seed funding over four years. We talk about the maternal health crisis where 95% of Black maternal deaths were preventable, the food logistics problem hiding behind 9 million food shelf visits, and why she stopped selling her community as a problem to fix. She also gets into what it means to be a Black woman asking for money in rooms that weren't built to welcome her, the difference between deciding for a community versus with it, and the fifth-grade letter-writing campaign that started it all. Learn more about Green Light Fund at greenlightfund.org Subscribe for more conversations on the business of culture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Butternomics, host Brandon Butler sits down with Greg Mike—the artist who turned painted soda cans into a global brand and a 500 square foot studio into ABV Gallery, one of Atlanta's most influential creative houses. Greg Mike's signature character, Larry Loudmouth, is everywhere from the Beltline to the Swiss Alps. But his story isn't about overnight success. It's about starting with nothing, using what you have, and building something that lasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Butternomics, we’re kicking it with Angela Watts, the visionary behind Atlanta Fashion Week. Angela saw the potential for ATL to be more than just a hub for music and culture—she knew it could be a global fashion hotspot too. So, she built a platform that highlights everything from streetwear to high fashion. Fast forward over a decade, and Atlanta Fashion Week is pulling in designers, brands, and fashion lovers from around the world. Tap in as Angela breaks down how she turned her vision into one of ATL’s biggest fashion events, what it really takes to make it in the fashion game, and where she sees the future of Atlanta’s fashion scene heading.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.