All-In Design

Episode #56 - Interview with Leah Newton

• Chad Moore & Mark Griffo • Season 3 • Episode 56

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 1:20:33

Join us on this episode of All-In Design, as we speak with Leah Newton with Live Design Group. Live Design takes a different approach to the initial conversations and design process, with a 2-day in person design session with their clients. We also discuss technology and where the industry may go as AI becomes a bigger and bigger part of our lives and, of course, we get sidetracked and talk about movies and TV shows. It's a fun discussion and we hope you check it out! 

SPEAKER_03

Recorded while no one was watching. This is All in Design. Hello and welcome to All in Design IDA Alabama's podcast. Thank you for listening. My name's Chad Moore here with my co-host Mark Griffo. Hey everybody. And it is May 1st, Mark. It is. It's May 1st. Happy birthday to my wife.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, happy birthday, Chess. Isn't that nice? That's awesome. Yeah. Is she going to be our guest?

SPEAKER_03

No, no, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, thanks for having me on, guys. Yeah. No, and she probably she does listen to the podcast, but she isn't usually current. Yeah. She kind of goes in waves, and so there will be there'll be a month, or probably like two or three months from now, she'll listen to like five or six in a row and get caught up.

SPEAKER_04

But that's so when she comes home in September and she's like she's like hey, thank you. Right. And you're like, for what? She'll be like, oh, mentioning my birthday. It's a birthday shout-out. Yeah. Yeah. Well, happy birthday, Chesney. Happy great day. Yeah. I hope you like your gift. Hope you have your great day on your actual birthday and the day you listen to this episode. September 14th. Yeah. Calling it. Calling it now.

SPEAKER_03

All right. So um we've got uh guests here with us today who's it's not her birthday. It's not. Well, I don't know. Is it is it your birthday?

SPEAKER_00

No, but it is in May.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. What's day in May?

SPEAKER_00

The 17th.

SPEAKER_04

May 17th. Okay. Just curious. You know, we got my sister's in May, Chesney's in May. May 17th, that's a good day. All right. Well, on May 17th, everybody can wish Leah Newton, who is our guest today. Nice segue. Um, did you like how I did that? Yeah. I'm really becoming a pro. So we've got Leah Newton, who is an interior designer at Live Design here in Birmingham, and we are thrilled to have you on the show. Uh Leah, welcome. Um tell the folks a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you. Glad to be here. Um, so I'm originally from Hayden, Alabama, which is like 45 minutes north of here. Um I was always pretty creative, loved drawing, uh, make like little figurines out of clay and stuff as a kid. Um and then at one point as a kid we went to the Rosenberg House up in Florence, Alabama. Right, Frank Floyd, right? That was kind of my first experience like truly experiencing like architecture and interior design to that degree.

SPEAKER_03

How old do you think you are? I'm just curious because I've got kids, so I'm like, what's the age to influence them positively? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I would say probably like between the ages of like eight and eleven. Like I was a little bit older.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. So we still have an opportunity with one of our children. The rest, yeah, the rest you've ruined. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You're going to Florence too.

SPEAKER_02

Too late.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um But I really like I loved the just the integration with nature. Um, and I remember I went back home and made my like made a little floor plan uh with an idea. Uh and then didn't think too much about it until I guess when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a degree. Um and interior design was like kind of like a perfect blend between uh the practical side of me. You know, I knew I didn't want to be like the starving artist. Um and being able to do something creative. So that because I knew if I didn't have that in my job, I would not be very happy.

SPEAKER_03

Right. When did when did you start thinking about your degree? Was that in high school or were were you a senior in college going, yeah, I probably should. I should really declare a major.

SPEAKER_00

I just probably like freshman year, but I just couldn't and I'd kind of debated.

SPEAKER_03

And you were already at Sanford at this point or uh freshman year of San Francisco.

SPEAKER_00

Of high school. Oh high school, okay. And I'd kind of So not at Sanford. No, not yet. I debated um interior design and like psychology. But then I didn't want to do grad school, so I picked interior design and went to Sanford. Um and then my senior, my last semester of my senior year, I got an internship with Live Design Group and have stayed ever since. So I think I've been there about five years now.

SPEAKER_03

Mark, do you know anybody at Sanford? No. Okay. I've never heard of it actually. It's been it's in Birmingham.

SPEAKER_04

I don't know him either. Yeah, yeah, you don't you don't know him either. Um when when you went to when you went on the trip to Florence, were your were are your parents architects interior designers? I mean, like or is it or is it like what what spawned that trip?

SPEAKER_00

No, I mean my mom has always kind of been interested in interior design, more as a hobby, I guess. But uh my my dad is a like a my microbiologist degree. He's a professor at Calhoun Community College. My mom is uh works in a hospital, my sister's a nurse. So I was a little bit of the black sheet. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Most most interior designers are.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's true. So do you still do any um I again, like I said before we started, I'm the one who bounces around and Chad keeps us on track. Right. Do you so you do interior design, obviously that's your profession, but you started when you're you know, you mentioned like, oh, like when I was a kid, I did clay art figurines. Do you still do art in any sort of way? Or are you just, you know, now you're grown and you know, all the hobbies. That part of hers died. Yeah. So I was gonna say, yeah. I wish I could.

SPEAKER_00

It's more like I'd have like spontaneous hobbies that last like a few weeks is kind of what my adult hobby life has become. Like baking, uh, I got a sewing machine, I've made curtains.

SPEAKER_03

Um but this is a two-week hobby, so you get a sewing machine, you make curtains, and you're like done.

SPEAKER_00

Well, and I and I'll let it sit there and I'll be like, you know, that one project that's sitting right next to it, I'm gonna get to that.

SPEAKER_04

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00

Mm-hmm. And then maybe I will.

SPEAKER_04

Mm-hmm. Might. I'm gonna connect you with my wife because she just bought a sewing machine as well. Oh. Yeah. She wants to make clothes.

unknown

Oh.

SPEAKER_04

Apparently. Okay. Right now she's got a little bit. Can't wait to see you in a few weeks what you're wearing. It's gonna it's gonna be it's gonna look like a frock. It's gonna be great. But yeah, I'll connect you with you with Eric. You two can just both get together and and sew things and explore this new hobby. So anyway, Chad, get us back on track. Nope.

SPEAKER_03

You're running the ship, Mark. Yeah, no, really, you are. I'm I'm done.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. All right, so you're in. So did you go to uh when you're in high school, so now you're looking at colleges, did you always know you wanted to go to Sanford? Did you go there for the interior design program?

SPEAKER_00

Uh I looked at UA. Um I knew I had to stay local, probably. Um I had my daughter, and so I needed to stay with close to my parents so that going to college was a little bit easier feasible. Um I chose Sanford because it was interior design close by, and then I mean I also just it was such a beautiful campus. Yeah, it's great. It is, yeah. And you know, at that time it was like we graduated with I think 14 people, and that was a huge class. Yeah. Right. It has changed quite a bit. It's grown a lot, which is amazing. You know, props to your dad and Ryan and all the other professors.

SPEAKER_04

Mostly mostly Ryan. Do you know how how big was their graduating class this year? This past year. Does anybody know? Uh you wouldn't. I mean it's probably I mean, we feel like it's like I feel like it was like 40, maybe 35 or 40. Um, I know that they had I know that they had an incoming freshman class recently. Now I think this includes interiors and architecture. Okay. But of like 70 students.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Wow. And that's a swing from you know, in the last 10 or 12 years, which is pretty amazing.

SPEAKER_03

And I think Auburn, because my daughter is planning on going to Auburn in in interior design, they take 60 and that's it. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah. I actually didn't know that. Yeah, they only admit 60 per year. Yeah. Um but I mean they it's a bigger school. Yeah. And that's, you know, so that's pretty impressive. Um so live design, what can you tell us about kind of the projects you guys typically work in?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, of course. So we're it's primarily worship and theater. Um and then we kind of dabble in uh some other things. We've we're trying to look into um some housing for people with disabilities is what we're kind of the direction we're starting to go to along with worship and and theater, but we're people who serve people. So a lot of nonprofit. Um and I mean we've done a few offices here and there.

SPEAKER_03

What is um, and because I've I've seen I guess videos or pictures online, you know, social media that you guys have posted. The um the live design, the live sessions, I guess is what they're called. Yes. Yeah, can you describe that process?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so the live sessions we bring the client in for about two days. So sometimes they're we're flying them in, they stay at a hotel here, uh and we go from, you know, we've got their existing conditions or their new site, and we have that already built, have the programming blocks that we've uh gotten from a programming document from them, and then we uh work with them through programming, you know, what are their keep, toss, create um get to meet all of them and work through the process live and get their feedback quickly live.

SPEAKER_03

It's all coming together. Just like how she dropped that in there. Yeah, just yeah, we do it live.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

How many how many people are in these sessions? I'm sure that depends on the client, but like, I mean, are we talking like 10, 12 people, 15 people in the same room? Six?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like the no I've had some that are like two, and but uh we've had some that have gone all the way up to like twelve or fourteen. Yeah. Uh we like to say our like sweet spot is probably like between like six and eight. Uh because if you get too many opinions in a room, then it can happen. Yeah, it can slow that process down. It will slow that process down. And because the goal by the end of it is by the end of those two days, is to have kind of a real quick, kind of schematic but 3D uh building and have rooms placed. And then we'll have two weeks and we'll do what we call like a postwork A of renderings, and then we meet with the client to get their feedback, and then we have a postwork B to get that finalized, and then they get a rendering and animation package along with floor plans. And then um they'll usually go out and kind of do some marketing for about a year and then come back and build.

SPEAKER_04

Oh cool. Do you is this so this too, it's almost like a two-day conference workshop, it seems like. Is it structured in terms of like the schedule for those days?

SPEAKER_00

We have lunch typically at 12, but we tell the clients, you know, it's not but it's not structured, so it could be at 12 a year. It may not be usually maybe at 9 a.m. And they're like, let's go eat lunch. Yeah. So that's I mean, it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03

I mean it sounds like I mean I've seen again images and in the room even looks somewhat like a theater or somewhat, right? Um but that you're you're designing live in front of them as far as they're getting feedback and you're building this thing for them in in real time. That's cool.

SPEAKER_04

Do they get do do do some clients uh like how am I wording this question or am I just gonna stutter? Are some clients more open to the process than others? Like, you know, I'm not open spine.

SPEAKER_03

Can you name the ones that didn't like the process?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, who did not like the process? Like I just imagine just because people are different, that some people come in and they they probably instantly get into a groove and they're they're working with you, and then other people you're like, we gotta pull this out of them.

SPEAKER_00

Like, and I think that's part of where like that six to eight people is good because you do now you know they're typically pretty excited to be there. You know, this is something exciting for them, especially if it's a church, you know, it's not like they're renovating their space every day. Right. So and they've probably, you know, saved for a while to get to get here. And so they're typically pretty excited. But even like the the quiet people, part of like what you're doing while you're working in Revit and they're watching you work in Revit is also kind of like active listening while you're working. So I'm trying to pay attention to the quiet people and the little bitty comments that they make and show them that I am also listening to their little bitty comments, you know, and and seeing that dynamic between all of them in one room is really helpful as well.

SPEAKER_03

Right. I did like um the question was what is your design philosophy? And your answer was that good interior design should be a tool to help people see their passions come to life. And I guess that that goes well with the type of work that you guys are doing.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_03

Um and then also uh you know the the next comment was that I'm not a decision maker, but a guide in the design process. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I just thought that was you dropped some pretty good nuggets in your in your answers. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I highlighted highlighted them. I did too. The joke there is Mark highlighted every answer that she gave. Yeah. They were all that good. They were all worthy. Worthy of print. Yeah. Um but we did I one of the questions was where do you find inspiration? And the question was, can you share a specific project that was particularly inspiring? But you came back with a uh studio gang? Anything Studio Gang is doing?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_03

Who are they?

SPEAKER_00

Uh Studio Gang is a genie gang. It's in Chicago. Okay. Um she's probably one of the like most well-known kind of female architects. Oh, yeah, her. Yes. I was sitting there with it.

SPEAKER_04

I'm letting Leah like answer this diplomatically. And I just want to be like, she's like the most world-famous living female architect right now. You've actually seen a bunch of her building. I can't tell if you talk.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, uh, yeah. I was just because you don't know who if people listening to the podcast know that they all know. Okay, they don't. You're the only person, apparently. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Even though you do know, no, you don't.

SPEAKER_03

I was trying to think of how to I can tell if you're like, uh, you really don't know. Well, there's um I I do listen to a podcast called uh Diary of a CEO. Have you seen his before?

SPEAKER_04

I haven't I've not listened to it, but I've seen it.

SPEAKER_03

He he makes a strong point to of course his his audience may be a little bit bigger than ours, slightly. Um but he tries to make a point like if somebody says something goes, okay, can you explain you know just kind of make it a little bit more clear for people. So I was I was trying to like do that. I was trying to, but I guess our audience would already know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And it's just funny that you did it on the female architect one Leah looked at you like So Studio Gang. Studio Gang, okay. They do do that. I'm I only know two of their buildings just because I've been for those who are listening that have been to Chicago and especially the ones that have been on the architectural boat tour, um, there's two at least that they highlight often. Um, and one is the marine tower. I can't remember, it's the one with the wavy white balconies. Yeah. Right. And then the other one is it's all blue glass. I'm not an architect or interior designer, so I'm not describing this well. Um, but it's like a tiered, like two or three buildings that are tiered that are wavy, with the tallest one that has the vents that go through like the 33rd and 34th floors. Okay. Um because I've been on the architecture boat tour like 12 times in the last time. I've only been once. Yeah. So anyway, I just took over the uh speaking of Nikon is in studio gang.

SPEAKER_03

You guys going to Nikon? You guys want to go? Are you going?

SPEAKER_00

Not that I know of. Not that you know of Sierra.

SPEAKER_04

Have you been before?

SPEAKER_00

We went in, was it 2021? It was the one right after the weird one in October.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. That was when I went on the architectural courtier. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Because we had more free time. True. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We've been a lot just because of clients and stuff. We just had a you know, been to Chicago. I went to Chicago five times last year. That's not a humble brag. It just is what it is. Yeah. Um but yeah, you should go back. It's it's uh because it's it's the dynamics change so much between neocon and design days. Design days. Because so many of the manufacturers have moved out of the Mart. There's still a lot going on in the Mart, but like they're all now so many are at Fulton Market now that the dynamics just changed. Um I can't say if for better or for worse, just different. I think it's probably harder for the multi-line reps like yourself if you've got potentially.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it hasn't been for us too bad because most of ours are in the merchandise mart. So we're still largely there. We've got one that's over well, I guess technically two that are over in Fulton Market. But it seems like the like the merchandise mart is not as crowded because people split their time. So they might be like, okay, on Monday we're going to design days, Tuesday we'll be at you know Neocon. And so you split the crowds and it's not quite so the elevators aren't as packed. So it's it seems like it's more manageable.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's true. And when you go into the showrooms, you can actually see the furniture.

SPEAKER_03

Right. And the flooring and then the lighting. And then within the merchandise part, a lot of manufacturers, I mean it's still full. So they've had other people fill those spots, or manufacturers that have been stuck on the 11th floor in a small showroom have now moved to the third, or they moved to the tenth, they've got a larger showroom. So they've been the ones that are there that have stayed have been able to expand the showrooms.

SPEAKER_00

Aaron Powell, yeah. That's what when we went, Jeannie Crumdyke had kind of told us like that we were actually, you know, since there were a lot less people, we were getting to see all the furniture. Right. And, you know, having one-on-one talks with the reps, and uh she was like, this might have actually been like one of the best.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, we had we sent we only sent about four or five people that year because of that, because there were there were so few people coming up, but everybody that went up there came back. They were like, We got to see everything.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it was easy to get to the restaurant and then there weren't there weren't as many reps up there, and so even like if the ones from Birmingham, um, I'm trying to remember what night it was. It might have been Monday night because there were fewer parties, like you know, and then the restaurants all were closing at like nine or something like that. Yeah, yeah, you couldn't, you know, really couldn't go out, go out. And so we ended up having people over to we had a a rooftop deck where we were staying, and so all the reps and all the designers that you know largely were there kind of all went to that one spot. But it was kind of like it was like, who cares? Like we're all together, you know, we're all from the same same market. So that was fun. Are you gonna go? Yes, I mean you're always going. Yeah, we're always going the thing that's different this year is they've moved um the start date for Neocon is now on Sunday.

SPEAKER_04

I hadn't even noticed that. People have mentioned that to me, and I thought it was just Fulton Market showrooms because I know that Sundays are now open for Fulton Market. I wouldn't pay any attention that Sundays and Neocon.

SPEAKER_03

Neocon from 12 to either four or five, I can't remember which. But yeah, but that screwed everything up because normally the manufacturers have their sales meetings on Sunday. So as a so as a rep, we go, we we go up, usually we go up Friday, and um we'll have some sales meetings you know Saturday afternoon, and then usually Sundays, wall to wall, you know, from nine o'clock till five training. Training and yeah, learning all the new products. But now half that day's gone. And the manufacturers they quite haven't quite pivoted well yet. So the ones that have reached out to us are like, all right, we're looking at you know Sunday morning um at nine or ten or eleven. It's like, okay, those are booked. You know, those are they're already booked. They're only, you know, and so they're like uh Saturday afternoon at four, you know. Um we've got we've got two that are having meetings at two o'clock on Sunday during the open hours. And I still yeah, and I still haven't gotten an answer back from them, like because one of them uh you know was like we're only doing two o'clock on Sunday. And so I immediately went back to my sales manager and was like, Um, you know, the Mart's open, you know, is are you gonna lock the door and keep people out or are we gonna have people wandering through? And he was just like, That's what marketing wants to do. Like, okay. Because they haven't thought of anything else to do. So they're just like, Yeah, we'll do it that way. It's kind of like, all right, well, if I've got an appointment then, then I won't be in the meeting. Or I'll be walking through the meeting with my appointment. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

You know, I don't know. I'm really glad we're having this chat because I did honestly think that it was just some of the showrooms in Fulton Market that had bumped it up.

SPEAKER_03

No.

SPEAKER_04

The Mart the Mart is open from twelve to it's not all my responsibility it is to know that this is what's going on. Now I now I'll get the right flights. I am not staying as long this year as I've done in the past because I will be flying back to go to the Argentina Iceland game. Oh, nice. Good for you. In Auburn, Georgia. Yeah. Yeah. I assume you're probably staying until Wednesday.

SPEAKER_03

Um I've got my flight currently is going out late Tuesday night. Okay. Yeah. So yeah. Because I had a friend reach out to me about that and I was like, uh, I'm going to be up in Chicago. I was like, but next time, next time Argentina. Next time Argentina I play there. I'll be there.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, no, so I have not since it's a good thing I haven't booked my flights yet, since I obviously don't know anything about neoconnor designs this year. But I would be happy to find late Monday or early, early Tuesday back to make that game.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. So I'm fine up and then it's it's this has become about us going to Neocon, less about you. Um I'm going up Friday because I'm on the IDA board this in the city centers is the focus of CLC. So Jess and Dea were like, hey, um so do you want to go to the thing Friday night? And then also, you know, all day Saturday is, you know, uh CLC. You're welcome to come to that. And we'd like you to come. And I was like, I can do the morning of Saturday. I can make the Friday thing and I can do the morning of Saturday, you know, up through lunch, and then I'm I gotta do my job. I gotta do my job.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Well, thanks for coming on. Anyway, so Leah studio gang. Yeah, what design days. Yeah, great. Um I did want to ask, you know, because the one of the questions again was, you know, share a memorable experience working closely with a client, and you talk about that you largely do kind of religious or in or theater. Um, but you mentioned American Red Cross. Can you talk about that project?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I think I I mean I was pretty freshly out of school and got and was put on this project as a 250,000 square foot building. The renovation was, I believe, around 160,000 square feet. Um and I kind of got to be put on it and is this 2021? Probably 21, 22. Okay. Um and good schematic design all the way through construction um and it was I mean, it was just pretty crazy to be that soon out of school, and then like I was the lead interior designer on this huge project. Um me and uh Satchel Starling is an architect in the in our office, and he was also pretty fresh out of school, and we were both put on this project uh with oversight. Right. Um but kind of got to, you know, put on our Yeah, I mean talk about learning so much right out of school.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. I mean that's that's how you learn.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And it was, I mean, it was like getting to, you know, you're on this project that takes years. And so you're you have a close relationship with the client and the contractors and the engineers by that point. So it was it was pretty impactful.

SPEAKER_03

Right. And you said it was kind of surreal going to see it, I guess, once you know. Because it's finished now, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, it's finished now. Uh just getting to s go inside the building the first time was surreal because it's like I already know this entire floor plan and I've I've never even been here. That is kind of cool. Yeah, it's like you don't have to tell me where the restroom is. I I know how to get there.

SPEAKER_04

I put it there. Yeah. Yeah. Did did did that experience set you up for like ease, for the lack of a better word, with other projects? Because you had that, you know, kind of out of the gate. You're like, I'm doing this big project.

SPEAKER_00

Um I think so. You know, it's kind of like you go from something so large that the medium-sized projects don't feel too big anymore to where it's not overwhelming because you've gone through this process for such a big a big one that medium-sized ones like, oh yeah, we can do that. Right. This is easy. I got this. I can do twice.

SPEAKER_03

Several of these at the same time. That's really cool. Well, um, as a younger designer, um, can you speak to technology? Do you feel like because you're a younger designer, you're more up on technology than others that might be in the industry?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I mean, I I don't feel like I should make I would make that like bold of a statement, I guess, because I I don't feel like I would really know. Um, but I think you know, technology is really important in our firm, trying to stay on top of it. Right.

SPEAKER_03

Um it does so seem like you're a very technology forward company in the in the way you approach with your clients.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah, we're you know, we're d working in Revit in front of clients. So you need to be need to know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_04

Um, hold on. Yeah. Hold on, backspace. Yeah. Things are just glitching. You're deleting entire floors. It's it's a two-day meeting.

SPEAKER_03

It really should only be about an hour and a half. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um Yeah, and I mean we primarily use like Revit, Lumion, um a little bit of Inkscape, and then we're we've kind of dabbled in some AI rendering, but it just doesn't seem to quite be there yet.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_00

Uh something like it can adjust lighting and do lighting pretty well. Right.

SPEAKER_04

But you know, like you give it an image or rendering that you've already done. And say change change the lighting.

SPEAKER_00

But you you have to be like, and do not change. Right. XYZ. Did not want a horse there. Yeah. And sometimes it still will put the horse there, but it'll be upside down.

SPEAKER_04

So Yeah. Yeah. It's like if you're gonna put a horse in the middle of the lobby, at least have it be you know right side of floor. Right. You know.

SPEAKER_00

But we're trying to stay on top of it. Um and you know, I think like ChatGPT, we have a like an office chat GPT. Um, and like if I'm looking for furniture, I can be like, you are a uh commercial interior designer, you know, I'm looking for the specific size table within this range. Give me some options. And it'll kind of give me some options and I mean you still have to click on them and do your job and make sure that this is an actual table. It's an actual table and it is actually you know to the standard of what an interior designer should specify.

SPEAKER_04

When you say office chat GPT, explain that to me.

SPEAKER_00

So if you have like a public like if you're just going on ChatGPT public and they're stealing everything you put in.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Well then it any any in for any client information, anything that you're putting into it, then the public has access to it. So if you have a license with them I'll be right back. Yeah. Then um it's you know, it's just contained.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, it's can it's so you're using their services, but the search is contained within Yes. Okay, that makes sense. Because I always wondered this because we've talked about something similar here, and I know that there are other firms, including Gresham, just where my wife works, that they have that as well. But I didn't understand what that meant when she was like, Yeah, yeah, we have our own chat GPT. I'm like, What do you mean you have your own chat GPT? That makes sense.

SPEAKER_03

It's in this closet. Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

It's their own, they built it. Right. They've got a Sam Altman that's you know on the second floor. Um that makes sense though. So Okay. Yeah, yeah, that's neat. Learn something.

SPEAKER_03

Right. Um what do you think the evolution of design is or the trends that you're seeing kind of um horses, horses? Yes, I just horses and horses. They're big right now. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That and slat walls. Um I guess trends, you know, clearly we're going like warmer. Um I think I mean residential, there's definitely more of like a traditional aspect that's kind of coming back into play that I think is beginning to affect commercial design. Um like an example is like a theater project I worked on. We worked on a live session for them. Um and she wanted it to be a like 1940s Art Deco style because this theater was originally built in the 1940s Art Deco. Okay. Um and I'm just it's kind of seeing more of that, seeing wanting to stick with a little bit, at least a hint more of traditional.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. Um as in paying like in the example you just gave, like the the the projects that are paying homage to kind of how they originated. Yeah. Interesting.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um there's because there's just so many micro trends with you know with social media that it's become, I think, a little bit more difficult to narrow down specifically what's trending. Right. So you kind of have to look at it in an overview and see what are the overlapping things.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Yeah, you mentioned, you know, just like with social media that that's moving, the trends are moving a lot faster. And I know this is kind of all subjects slightly, but my daughter who's 17, um she would like their little again, trends, kind of TikTok trends. Yeah. Um, not necessarily related to interior design, but just in general. Like we would growing up, we would have there would be things that would cycle through kind of the the consciousness of kids on the playground. But now it just seemed like there were a movie seemed like ever something every week that there was yeah, that the kids were into or that we're talking about. And I guess it's similar to that, but with interior design.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. My my daughter really wanted a laboo boo, and then I haven't heard about a and then it's like they're out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And now that's over. Yes. How old is your daughter?

SPEAKER_00

Um, she's 10.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. I've got a 13-year-old daughter um as well who has been through oh we her house her room is just full of these she gets obsessed about a laboo-boo or whatever it is, and that's all she talks about for three months, six months, and then all of a sudden it switches and it's something else entirely. And it's like, okay, great. Is the labu-boo, is that the little like furry thing on a chain?

SPEAKER_04

Yes. Okay. You're looking at me like, what?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_04

I got support from Leah. Yeah. Yeah. Isn't it like a little creature on a chain?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, they're not they're not attractive, I don't think. Yeah, they never run a weird look. I never understood it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. It's like a Japanese. It's a whole Japanese thing. It looks like a little monster.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Do they do anything? Or they just like not they cost money. Yep. That's all I know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, my daughter swears if you throw it on the ground, then it won't come wake up or something.

SPEAKER_04

It won't wake up because she killed it.

SPEAKER_03

I don't want it waking up now. Yeah. I took all of ours and threw them on the ground immediately.

SPEAKER_00

And I didn't know that they were like a cryptid or something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Well, no, you know. What is she into now?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I can't remember the name of it. It's like these little bitty, squishy. Like you remember when you get the little the ball that has the net around it and you squish it and this like poops out?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It's kind of like that, but no net. And then it's little animals are inside. Just it's already shape of it. It's already the shape of it.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

What is old is new again. Yeah. I mean, I feel like we had stuff like that when we were kids. Right. You know, or some iteration of some rubbery squishy something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

My daughter at 13, now she's into music, and so she's into uh a band Cat's Eye, which is uh Okay. Um which is kind of it's K-pop-ish, but they're not actually Korean, but it's that music, that style. So we were at record store day um this past weekend. Oh it's C Sick. Yeah. Yeah, it's C Sick, yep. So that was fun.

SPEAKER_04

Um I have I have a I have a trends question. Okay. But it's not really a trends question, kind of a trend. In your in your ex both you know, your experience and then your career experience, have you seen changes in worship spaces? That's a good question. Thanks, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a good question. You guys start talking about laboo boos and I'm like, bring it back, bring it back. And then we killed the laboo boos and like gonna go back to worship spaces.

SPEAKER_00

Um where did the laboooboos worship?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

We'll go to Japan and we'll find out. We'll find out, yeah. Um so yes, I think one of the first ones that I saw that had like kind of a big change. You know, we were doing like black box um worship rooms for a long time. And then those still, you know, have their place and they're still being built.

SPEAKER_04

Um what's a what's a black box worship room?

SPEAKER_00

So black box is uh kind of like what you've been seeing in like the contemporary worship rooms. Um, it's just a big walls are black space that everything's black, kind of.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, like literally.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, literally black. I was raised Baptist and you know um my Jesus didn't have a backing bass beat and a guitar solo.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so it's almost uh you've almost got kind of a a stage and the lighting and all that. Is that what very theater-ish.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, dark, yeah, but like the your AVL is and acoustics are very important. Right. Yeah, yeah. Um and that's kind of what's giving you that experience. Yep. Okay. Um I would say Auburn Community Church was kind of probably one of our biggest projects that had a shift, and the pastor there kind of talked about uh that we've had a lot of like rev we've been focusing on relevance. How do we bring back like reverence? So it's kind of like balancing both of those. And so they have a good phrase.

SPEAKER_03

It was, yeah. He probably thought about it. He I mean he is winging it. And he nailed it.

SPEAKER_00

So um they're you know, bringing back like windows, but making it to where you can, you know, have um shades that will automatically come down, and how do we make it to where people aren't noticing that they're coming? That the light is kind of like starting to fade um and and synchronize with your music and audio industry.

SPEAKER_03

It sounds very theatric.

SPEAKER_00

It is very theatrical, but I think like like the walls are white in that one, and you've got more wood tone and um a little bit more. It's again having looking at traditional worship spaces and kind of trying to bring in those influences, but in a new way. So, you know, we maybe we don't have stained glass windows anymore, but we do have a way where there's light coming in. Right. That's natural light.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. We were um we went on spring break a month ago, and so we went to we're Catholic, and so we found a Catholic church it was a Saturday evening, um, close to uh Universal Studio. So it was outside of Orlando, it wasn't in Orlando, but it was like the city close by. And so we go there, we go through mass, and uh we walk outside, and uh my wife who's uh trained as an interior designer, uh it's not practicing anymore, but has that background. I was like, so as an interior designer, what did you uh what how did you feel about that space? Uh because and my take on it was it looked like they gave 20 different people different parts of the church to design and then explicitly told them not talk to talk to each other. Like do not talk to the, you know, you do your little area. It was the most crazy, disjointed thing I've ever seen in my life.

SPEAKER_04

Um was it cobbled together like it looked like it was cobbled together over time, or was it like, oh, they built all this at once? Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I mean I'm I'm sure probably part of what's happened is you know they built the big space, and the big space was it would I think it by itself, the bones of it could be okay, although there were still sections of it was like that's a really odd choice. Um but then they added acoustic panels, and instead of just having the acoustic panels just be level, they were they had they had them you know kind of staggered. Yeah. Um so it to me it looked like uh Space Invader, little the little Space Invader face um on the wall. And there was a clock, like a digital clock that was sitting there that was like for the priest that you could see, and the projector, and they had um in the the pews, they had pieces of paper stapled to the back of with a QR code where you give money. It was just the whole thing was just literally stapled together. Literally, yeah. I mean it was just it was it was pretty you would have enjoyed it, I think. For all the wrong reasons. Your wife and I could have could have really got you know talked about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So um what project are you most proud of and why?

SPEAKER_00

Um so I think you know I'd mention it's not built yet. Right. Um it's in con contract negotiation right now. But uh it's Christ Health. Um it's with Salvation Army, but it's uh you might pass by the building um if you're on 65 and it looks a little abandoned because it has been for a while. Um but it's uh it was originally built this like campus was kind of built to to help the community, and this specific building was built to be a outpatient clinic for people of color that were not able to get uh good health care in other parts of the city at the time. This was in the I believe 1940s, 1930s. Okay. Um and it was open for a while, uh closed down, and then Board of Education bought it, and it was a special education building for uh for probably about 10 years and closed I think it was the 60s or 70s. Okay. And it's been vacant ever since. Pretty much has had vacant vacant ever since. Wow. Um and the entire building is concrete, all the interior walls are concrete. Uh there's a existing mosaic floor that we are going to be trying our best to keep throughout because it's throughout, it's in all of the rooms. Oh wow. Um but it is now going to be Christ Health, which is uh a you know I forgot the word.

SPEAKER_03

Awesome? Is that the word you're gonna say? Yeah, it's which is awesome. It'll be awesome.

SPEAKER_00

It's like a company that um that provides health like affordable health care for people. So it's I just love that it's kind of going back to its original purpose and you know getting to design something with a Art Deco influence, um, but in a again in a modern way.

SPEAKER_03

Right. And have such an impact.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

You mentioned you set off I-65, but where? Like what what area?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, because we're all and now we're all like I gotta get on 65.

SPEAKER_00

So the campus, Salvation Army owns the campus. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Um Are we going north or are we going south? North. North, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um it's is it off Fairway? I can't remember the.

SPEAKER_03

We're gonna go find it. Right. How how far outside of town?

SPEAKER_00

Uh you pass by Caraway. You pass Caraway, you go over the bridge, and then you turn left. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04

So not that far out of town. Yeah. Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Right. Okay. On the right or left? It's on the right. Well, after after you turn left, it's on the right. Yeah. Yeah. What's the ad? No, can I tell you? Uh so what advice do you have for individuals aspiring to become interior designers?

SPEAKER_00

Ooh, what did I write?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, yeah. You've been doing so good.

SPEAKER_03

I know, she has been.

SPEAKER_04

It's middle of the page. Mine is highlighted in red, though, if that's easier to do it. Uh she's she's choosing which one she wants to look at.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah. Um, that interior design is some is a skill that you gain over time. So to not get kind of discouraged if if you're in school and maybe you're presenting your project that you put your heart and soul into, and then Mark's dead.

SPEAKER_03

And then no one in particular but my father. Somebody that might kind of look like him.

SPEAKER_00

Well, he's very nice. Um but yeah, I mean, and or even you're starting out, and you know, we we know that going out of college and school. Starting your job. You don't re I mean you you know a a baseline, right? But you don't know what you're doing. And to not kind of get discouraged or compare yourself in a way because you're just learning. I'm I'm five years out and I'm still learning. Right. Mm-hmm. You know.

SPEAKER_04

So I'm twenty years out and I'm still learning.

SPEAKER_03

I'm twenty-one and a half years out. I don't just make that up. It's more than that, Genersking. It probably is, yes. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, well, actually, I mean I I mean I I'll I'm 24 years out. So Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Coming up twenty we are 24 years out. Yeah. That sounds good for you guys. Yeah, we'll just we'll leave it at leave it at that. No, I actually now that I've realized I'm 24, I've stopped learning. I'm no longer learning. But I do think what you said, that I think that's important that people understand that I mean it's a with anything though, it's it's just it's a constant process.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, and the industry itself changes, the the projects you're working on changes. I mean, there's so much.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I went to a CEU uh today. So we're always learning.

SPEAKER_04

Did you learn anything? Was it a good CEU?

SPEAKER_00

It was actually pretty good. The rep was Irish, so that was that also kept you intrigued the whole time. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Now I want to ask more questions about this. I know. Yeah, I do too. Was this an architectural CEU or an interior? I was like, I was like, there's no way we don't know an Irish CEO.

SPEAKER_00

She's based in Queens, New York.

SPEAKER_04

Oh what was she what was she repping? Or what was she talking about?

SPEAKER_00

Masonry. Was it transition? Not transitions. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Is she actually Irish or just doing an Irish accent? Because that would be fun if you were doing if you were just popping into different areas.

SPEAKER_04

Born and bred in Queens and comes to Alabama to do an Irish accent that fools everyone. Like, oh man, this person's great. I love how we're both like, there's not an Irish.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, we're thinking that this does not sound correct.

SPEAKER_04

Architecture. Okay, yeah, fine. I don't know those people.

SPEAKER_03

So how do you see the future of interior design evolving? And do you need this piece of paper back? Maybe you talked about AI. Where's the I think? I guess we talked to it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I mean AI will is, I think, how it's going to evolve. Yeah. I think, you know, we d I don't think we 100% know how it's going to make it evolve. I more think it's going to be integrated in the programs we already have. I don't necessarily I mean there might be a program that just kind of like makes it big and we all move towards that, like how everyone started to move towards AutoCAD and Revit. Right.

SPEAKER_03

Um Yeah, certainly right now it seems like it's it's integrating into existing tools. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I think just like the process is gonna get faster. Right. Um but I d I don't think that it will necessarily take away like the personal aspect. I do think that you need that.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_00

And I I I think you need, you know, someone to professionally, you know, evaluate is this the right move.

SPEAKER_04

You need to have those you need to have those those two-day conferences, you know, where you're having you're having an actual conversation, you know, with people. Yeah, you know, the the that are listening to you know the human needs and human understanding and and that that know all that and can put implement solutions to those problems.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. And you know, we don't have them in there just for them to see us work for two days. Like we're getting we're getting to know them and they're getting to know us and you're you're building that relationship so that they feel like they can rely on you and that you're gonna you're gonna do their project justice.

SPEAKER_03

Right. I think. Yeah. Yeah. I mean currently, and of course it's gonna continue to improve and get different and change, but we currently you you know you get the the overly chipper AI agent that's talking to you, like, oh that's a great idea. Oh, what what a what an astute observation, you know, like all these things that you're doing. Are you saying that I'm I'm not astute and I don't have because I get that all the time. Yeah, I know, sure. It's just lying to me. Yeah. Well there is there is, I mean, there's there's been studies where you know people have thought they've come up with like a new math because the AI is like, that's really interesting. Yeah, I think I can see where, you know, it just wow, yeah. And so they've thought in this, you know, people that don't have any math background but they had an idea. Yeah, right. And it's so chipper and happy about it. It's like, that's so great. Um but it it is you know, end of the day, even though I think there is people can I can see where people can get addicted to talking to something that's so positive that it's just feeding their own ego and you know makes them feel good. But end of the day, you're building something out of the ground. You're gonna need individuals to go there and and see it be built and be correct and have a relationship with those people. So I mean I I don't see it replacing what we do or what you do. Um but it certainly is gonna be involved in a heavy way.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I don't think humans communicate just cut and dry like AI does. You know, there's tone of voice and you know, you can pick up on body language and like, okay, you're saying that you like this, but I can tell you.

SPEAKER_03

But you're shaking your head no.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Yeah. I I can tell you actually disagree with every single person in the room. Yes. And you're frustrated that you're wanting to convey that you're agreeing with everybody in the room when you really don't. Yeah. That's all true.

SPEAKER_03

Um Well, I want to talk about TV shows and movies.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

I'm just that was you had that on your list of things that we should talk about. I appreciated that you put something there.

SPEAKER_04

I didn't talk about this before. A lot of people just leave that blank.

SPEAKER_00

I thought about it. Yeah. And I was like, well, we could just talk about that. Everyone watches TV and movies.

SPEAKER_04

Everyone watches TV and movies.

SPEAKER_03

Um So I guess I'm I'm assuming you you do a fair amount of watching, or maybe it would be funny if you're like, I'll talk about TVs and movies. I don't really I'm just do you guys have any recommendations? Because I've just starting out watching movies and TV myself.

SPEAKER_00

Um so yeah, is there something you currently are watching or uh I mean currently I'm watching Sopranos for the first time.

SPEAKER_03

This is somebody else did that recently. We had somebody on there mentioned that, right?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah. And I've still never seen it. I have neither.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Like I well, I I love like probably one of my favorite TV shows is Mad Men, which I think was kind of the Right the successor of the Sopranos in a way. And so I was like, you know, it was something that was like, I know I need to watch the show because I I rewatch Mad Men like every two years. Okay. So it was like uh such a good show. It is. Yeah. Yeah. I just love the have you watched that, Mark?

SPEAKER_04

I've watched the first few seasons. Okay, but I have not finished it. We actually started well Aaron's seen it uh I believe more than once, and then we just started watching it off and on uh several months ago. Okay. So yeah, I think we've gotten through season three. All right. We do a lot of like program watching and a lot of bouncing around. You mentioned the pit before we started recording on HBO. Yeah, and Aaron watches that. She has HBO, so I watch that. It's too realistic. Right.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. My my cause I mentioned, I guess my sister's a nurse, and I've been watching it. My mom's been watching it, and she asked me, she was like, Should I watch it? And I was like, No.

SPEAKER_03

No.

SPEAKER_00

I was like, it's gonna it's gonna be too close to home.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Well, it's like the the bear. Have you watched the bear? Yes, yeah. But even that, like, it it can be so anxiety inducing. Yeah. I mean, it's a hysterical comedy, I guess that's the ad uh it gets put in that category for the awards. It's like a comedy or whatever. It's like it's not funny. This is not funny. Meanwhile, places are burning down and screaming at each other. Crying and like a shaking out of the wreck at the end of it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. My wife, she's like, she's like, yeah, but she's like, I love the pip because it is surreal. And I was like, and and she says it, she says this about documentaries too. And I I love watching a good documentary. It depends on what the documentary is. Right. True. Because she'll be like, well, it's important to know that these things are going on. And I'm like, I know that these things are going on. But I also kind of just want to watch Seinfeld sometimes.

SPEAKER_03

I just want to, yeah, I just want to like laugh or not think too hard about it. Right, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I think I kind of go back and forth between like a drama and just a sitcom. So, you know, it's like I love Gilmore Girls. It's solid. So does Chad. Friends, that 70s show, I'm a mother. But then I get I get bored of like the same format and then want to watch something different. And the pit. I'm usually not a doctor show person. But I think that's because doctor shows tend to be like a a Gray's anatomy that's kind of a little more a little more dramatic in a different way.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sort of dramatic. Right.

SPEAKER_03

I just watched um Ludwig, which is on Brit Box. Okay. And that was good. I really enjoyed that.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. I'll have to add that to the list because Erin is a big Brit box person.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Like when I like go to bed, because I go to bed at like a reasonable hour, not to say that she doesn't, but she doesn't. And uh then when I leave the room, it's like I haven't even left the room and she's like already got it on Brit Box. Okay. And it's always some like old detective show or something. Right.

SPEAKER_03

This one's a new detective show, but it's got David Mitchell. I don't know if you know who David Mitchell is. Uh, but he's in it. It was, it's it's very entertaining. And uh so because of that, I got a it was one of those things Amazon was like, you know, free, free, whatever. And I so I watched the first episode. I was like, oh, this is great. And so I went to the second episode and it was like, you need to subscribe. And it's like, ah, they got me. Amazon. So I did, so I did a seven-day free tri trial and watched the series. Um at then and then I thought, you know, uh, my wife's birthday's coming up, so I'm gonna get her a subscription to Brit box. There you go. But she likes the she likes the old like the period, um, you know, kind of down abbey type stuff. So it would be that would be right up her alley. So if she does listen to this on her birthday. Happy birthday, honey. Subscription to Brittany.

SPEAKER_04

Subscription to Brit Box. Have y'all speaking of AI and people talking to and having relationships with AI, have you seen the movie Her? I have.

SPEAKER_00

That's a good movie.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's a good movie. But I think about that. I mean, that movie came out I mean, probably six or seven years ago. Yeah. You know, maybe eight. And it's just interesting now that with chat bots and and and LLMs and all these things, and like that people are doing that now already to some degree. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and they're all falling in love, and it's just kind of heartbreaking a little bit and scary.

SPEAKER_00

It is that there's a person on YouTube that I watched that um his the whole part thing of his video that he was doing was he was gonna see how far AI would let him go. Like, and like I'm gonna act as the like I'm gonna act as though I'm going insane, and that I feel like I've come up with this idea and that I think that it's you know, new, and it would tell him that he was correct. And that like, yeah, you don't need to talk to those people that are telling you that they're wrong. That you're crazy? Yeah, to the point where he was like, I mean, like he's not actually crazy. Yeah, but you know, he's pretending like he's crazy.

SPEAKER_03

Sure, to see how far he can push it.

SPEAKER_00

And eventually was to the point where it had told him to like get away, like he was in the in it's like he was in the middle of the desert in like uh RV by himself for like a month. And it was like continuously.

SPEAKER_04

The chatbot was like, this is a good idea.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, this is a good idea.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

See, that's insane.

SPEAKER_03

But he wasn't actually in the desert in an RV.

SPEAKER_00

I mean he he did go to a remote. He did go insane. He did go insane.

SPEAKER_04

He he he was like, you know what? This started as a joke. But now yeah, now the chatbot's on to something. But so he did actually go.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, he was he did he was like, I'm gonna do everything that it tells me to do apart from like part of myself. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

And it was So he started with the premise of, okay, I'm gonna act like I'm kind of crazy and have some crazy ideas and just let it steer me wherever and I'm gonna do whatever it's doing. Yeah. Was he documenting this? Was it documentary? It was just for fun.

SPEAKER_00

Uh he yeah, he documented it.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Like, like as and I mean, I guess it was mostly kind of set up in sort of a I guess a vlog type way, but it wasn't like continuous like he had he edited it into segments.

SPEAKER_03

But interesting. Do you remember what it's called? I don't. Shout-out. No, no shout out.

SPEAKER_00

He's got a he's got a strong mustache, that's all I remember. Just like really thick mustache.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, just Google that. Yeah, it's just it goes a hundred different ways.

SPEAKER_04

Googling strong mustache on YouTube.

SPEAKER_03

Middle of the desert, strong mustache. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

See what you get. Should have a follow-up, follow-up in the next episode to report back what people find when they when they google strong mustache in the middle of the desert.

SPEAKER_03

All right, so movies. Just since we've talked TV shows, is there a particular movie that you seen recently?

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I think that Sinners rightfully won all the awards that it's I just finished um one battle after another two nights ago, Sunday.

SPEAKER_03

I watched that. Which was that was the best picture. The Leonardo DiCaprio Paul Thomas Anderson. Yeah, it was it was between that and Sinners for Best Picture, and one battle after another, I think won best picture. Um but Sinners won, I think, Golden Globes and other other things. Um but yeah, that was really good. And I saw Sinners as well. That was that was excellent.

SPEAKER_04

I'm trying to think of what I saw out of the best. I liked Train Dreams. Did you? I did, and I mentioned this because was it your brother that hated it? No.

SPEAKER_03

Well, okay, so um so train dreams was also one that was up for best picture.

SPEAKER_04

I'm looking them up now.

SPEAKER_03

And so Lou, who often is the one who chooses what we watch at my parents' house when we're all together for the holidays, so it was Christmas time. And um and I don't I don't know, I think maybe he just he firstborn, so he feels like he has the right to just choose what we watch, I guess. Um and he usually does a pretty good job. Uh but he so he read about this movie and thought, you know, it's gotten great, you know, is that for best picture, or you know, it's one of the top pictures. And so as a family, we sat down to watch it. And it's a it's a contemplative movie. And I got up and left um and I forget what I went and watched instead uh on my laptop. The opposite of train rate. Right, right, yeah, which was uh what I had recommended that we watch instead, uh, which I think would have worked better as a group movie. Yeah. Um but I did recognize when we were watching Lou got just raked through the crohls because everyone was like, This was just awful, you know. Um but I was I as watching it, I was like, this I could see myself enjoying this if it's just me kind of watching it and I'm in the right mood and it can be just a beautiful film.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. I I liked it. You should check it out.

SPEAKER_03

Begonia also is very good.

SPEAKER_04

Begonia, we watched, yeah, we watched begonia, and begonia is really good. It's insane. It's insane, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

But it's really good. Yeah, and the whole time you sit there and you're like, okay, I think I figured it out. No, I've changed my mind. Yeah, no, it's this way. Yeah. No, it's probably this way. Um, and I did see a review on that one where the person was like you could put it into a particular category as far as genre, but it really is so many different genres all in one movie.

SPEAKER_04

And I can't remember that director's name. Right. It's like Yugos his name's like Yugoslavic or something. If we had fans that wrote in and complained, they would complain about me saying that, but it is something like that. Jurgen Yugos or something. I think you got it. But he but he does weird movies. There were several with what's her name? Uh Emma Stone. Emma Stone. Yeah. But yeah, so we had the best picture nominees was one battle after another, which won Centers. Sentimental Value. Have not seen. I have not seen that. Have you seen that one? No. I can't even remember who's in that one now, but I've heard of it. Uh Marty Supreme. Have not seen it, but want to. Heard, yeah. I saw it. I enjoyed it. Okay. Uh, there's some members of the family that that disagreed. I was like, yeah, I liked it. And that got to like the side-eye glance. I was like, really?

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Uh Hamnet. I'll recommend Lou to recommend that for a family picture.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, it does, it's it does keep going. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Uh Hamnet, which is the It's supposed to be great, but also like you're going to cry through the whole thing.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. I haven't seen it. Begonia.

SPEAKER_04

Frankenstein?

SPEAKER_03

Did you watch Frankenstein? I did see Frankenstein.

SPEAKER_00

I saw bits and pieces of Frankenstein because I didn't have Netflix. So Netflix? I saw it. Whatever it was on. I think it was on Netflix. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Um so did you watch Bits and Pieces because you couldn't get into it?

SPEAKER_00

I watched Bits and Pieces because I walked like I I was late to a like a uh we had like a group of friends that were staying at an Airbnb and I got there late. Oh, okay. And so they were watching it.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. The only reason I ask is because um I won't say that Aaron and I are quick to turn off something that we're not enjoying, but we have no shame in it. Oh yeah, I have no shame.

SPEAKER_03

And we we made it about half an hour. I've not finished it, if that's any indication. I did see it, but I'm probably at least half. It switches perspective. And I got to where it switches perspective. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

But it did not get I'm also not the biggest Del Toro fan, and I feel like I've actually said this on the show for so now that's twice. Yeah, I'm like it's official. If you say it twice, it's official. And then there's F1.

SPEAKER_03

Did you see F1? The Brad Pitt? Saw that one first in the theater um in IMAX, and that was pretty great.

SPEAKER_04

That was good. And then there's Train Train Jerems and then The Secret Agent. Right, which is a foreign language film.

SPEAKER_00

I saw Zootopia 2. I've seen that.

SPEAKER_04

I have not seen Zotopia 2, but Zootopia 1, uh which I watched as an adult because it came out when I was an adult. Aaron and I watched it several years ago, and didn't know anything about it. I knew it got rave reviews. It's like at home. We're like watching on Netflix or whatever. And knew it was like, you know, the 98% on Rotten Tomatoes sort of thing. So we knew we were gonna get into something good. And like out of the gate, like enjoying it out of the gate. And then it got to the scene at the DMV with the sloths. Yeah. And I think I was crying. I was laughing so hard. Right. Yeah. Because they just leaned into the joke so hard. Just when you think that it's gonna like speed up for like a second, it doesn't. And then they walk outside and it's dark. Yes, yeah. It's like perfect.

SPEAKER_03

So perfect. Yes.

SPEAKER_04

Do you have a favorite movie? It's a tough question.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. That was actually one of my rapid fire questions. Was If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be? Oh god. You could only choose one movie.

SPEAKER_00

Only one movie. See, I could pick TV show, but I don't know. I don't know about movies. Well, this is a two-part question. Okay. Now it is. Now it is. Now it is. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Is this our subtle way of moving in? It is.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I really like finding Nemo, but that doesn't feel like the very artsy way to go.

SPEAKER_03

If you enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00

But it's like a good, like a feel-good movie. Right. I have to play it on a repeat. You know, you don't want to pick something. Right. You don't want to pick Frankenstein. Yeah, you don't want to pick Frankenstein. No.

SPEAKER_04

Do you want to get do you want to have your part two to that? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So a TV show. If you seem to be.

SPEAKER_00

I mean probably well. Maybe how I'm a well no, that one ends bad too. Um I guess I'll go with Gilmore Girls.

SPEAKER_03

Gilmore Girls? Okay. Nice.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's a that's a good, like, you know, not carefree. What's the word I'm looking for?

SPEAKER_03

Um feel good.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, but it's good. It's kind of light, easily digestible. Yeah. Yeah. All right. It's a good snackable. We're gonna show we're gonna bounce around. Um, what's your ideal Saturday with nothing planned?

SPEAKER_00

Nothing planned. Go to the lake. Like, we did this the week a weekend or so. Or do I need to get into detail of like I wake up? You can do it.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, start with the alarm goes off or not, because it's Saturday. No, so you go to the so you go to the lake, do you guys like you do you go swimming and ski and stuff? You fish, you just like family gets together and you're like, Or do you just drive around it and head back home?

SPEAKER_00

We so we live like yeah, just to leap. Yeah, we we dri live probably like I guess like 35 minutes from like Gunnersville. So we'll just pack all the bags, get in the car, and find out a park and you know, pick a spot, and you can walk up the sidewalk and you can go under the bridge and get to the they've got like a harbor that's new that's got restaurants so that we can go and eat there and just spend the day. Uh and sometimes we'll sometimes we'll kind of like maybe go on like a hiking trail or something, but just and you've got two kids, is that right?

SPEAKER_03

Yes. Okay. The 10-year-old and one and a half. One right, what's your walk-up music or theme song to your life? Like if you had like if you were walking in this room right now and a theme song's planned.

SPEAKER_00

I would like a like a like a dancing queen with ABBA.

SPEAKER_03

Queen. Nice.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. That's a good answer.

SPEAKER_03

I think I already know what the uh genre for the song's gonna be at the end. Disco.

SPEAKER_04

Disco, baby. What's the material you love? Oh wait, this is a better question. What's the material that clients love that you don't?

SPEAKER_00

Plastic laminate? Like the counters?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's good. I think probably most of us go plastic laminate. What food did you absolutely refuse to eat as a kid, but like now?

SPEAKER_00

I'm not very picky. I really would kind of eat anything. The only thing that I like genuinely hate is probably like radishes.

SPEAKER_03

You hate radishes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, like a canned radish. That's gross.

SPEAKER_03

What about a fresh radish?

SPEAKER_00

Like in a salad? It's fine.

SPEAKER_03

What if it was fresh that somebody had stuck it in a can just briefly? How long is brief?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Yeah, we got some uh local uh produce delivery coming each week. From uh I think it's coming from Jones Valley here in Birmingham. I'm not quite sure if Aaron did it. Um but they gave us a bunch of radishes in our in a box a week and a half ago. And I was like, what are we gonna do with these? I don't cook. And Aaron just like diced them up and put them in a salad, and you know, there was a lot of dressing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

They were really good. Yeah. Yeah. It was just an uncooked fresh radish. Who knew? Right? Yeah, who knew it?

SPEAKER_03

Stay away from the canned radishes. 45 almost.

SPEAKER_04

46, yeah, write that down. Okay. No canned radishes.

SPEAKER_03

What's the most useless talent or skill you have that you're oddly proud of? Didn't you just skip me? Did I? Yeah, I think you did, but it's fine. If you could be the sales rep, I'm just gonna skip. I'm gonna have to ask all of them. I'm just gonna like lean you guys to it. No, you go ahead. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_04

Uh now I forgot what I was gonna ask. Oh, what's the most goes. He comes in with five questions, and I've got my typical 50. These are better though than they have been. Yeah, yeah. They used to be terrible. They used to be terrible. Um what's the most unnecessary purchase that you've made recently? Canned radishes.

SPEAKER_00

Unnecessary purchase. I mean, I bought like a outdoor pillow for our porch.

SPEAKER_04

Completely unnecessary. Yeah. Is it decorative?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, just decorative.

SPEAKER_04

Oh yeah, necessary. Yeah. It's not like anything anybody's gonna sit on it. No. It just looks nice out. But so long as you love it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. It I mean it ties in. It ties the outdoors together.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, it's spoken like a designer there. Right. Alright, I'm gonna ask this question for the first time. What's the most useless talent or skill you have that you're oddly proud of?

SPEAKER_00

Um probably like I I mentioned that I could I when I was a kid, I would mix stuff with clay. I would like challenge myself to see how small I could make it.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And I I could I can get pretty small and pretty detailed.

SPEAKER_03

Alright. And what what are these are little characters or radishes?

SPEAKER_00

Uh as long as they're not canned. Um but yeah, just like little characters. Okay. Little animals and stuff.

SPEAKER_04

You should put these on social media so people can see.

SPEAKER_00

I'll have to find them. I didn't know. You lost them all because they're so tiny.

SPEAKER_04

They're very, very small. They're right here. I brought them for you guys to look at. Can't you see them? It's like a flea circus. Uh what's your most used app that isn't email or text?

SPEAKER_00

YouTube.

SPEAKER_04

YouTube. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Nice. All right. If you could be the sales rep for any product, it doesn't have to be an industry-related product. What would it be and why?

SPEAKER_00

Industry related, I would say maybe tile.

SPEAKER_03

Tile.

SPEAKER_00

I would like to sell some really pretty tile.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um not industry related. I'll pass on that one. Maybe like like I've seen people do like marketing. Like there's this one person that I've seen that she did like all the marketing for like crocs. And you know, crocs were a big thing for a hot minute, and then they went away and then they came back. And which is just I would love the way that how do you market a croc to where it's now it's a thing again. It's a thing again. And you know, who are you collaborating with? Like they call it. The button companies. Yeah. Or or Shrek crocs as a thing. I would love to come up with those types of ideas.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Have I ever told my croc story? I don't think so. Okay. I don't, but I don't know if I want to hear it.

SPEAKER_04

It's kind of it's kind of random. Okay, go. So, and I'll tell this quickly. So in 2007, I lived in New York for a year and worked in film. And I was in locations. And we Did you did you meet an Irishman from Queens? I met an Irishman from Queens. Okay. And uh I worked uh I worked in locations, and so we would be, depending on what we were shooting, we might be in a given location, exterior location, either for a week or it might be a recurring spot. And one of the recurring spots was in it was an exterior scene in Soho. And we had the stoop of this old brownstone, and one of the guys that lived there was like five stories, and different people lived on each story, and he had a full story. And this guy was a young guy, his name was Steve Boas, super cool, relatively young, but retired. And to give just a little bit of Steve's story, he and his buddies, he and his buddy were from Seattle, and they owned a cabinet company and they started making cabinets for Starbucks. And he became so wildly successful that he retired at like 44. But Steve had a lot of really interesting friends that came to him with really interesting ideas because he had a lot of money. And one of these one of these stories that he told me he had two. One was he had a friend, I'll just cut to the chase, with one of the he had a friend who started Chipotle and wanted Steve to help him franchise it. And Steve was like, restaurants are very dangerous, and no, you can't have the money. And then that turned out to be Chipotle. The next story that he told me was he had a dinner party at his house, and a buddy of his was like, Hey, I'm just to give you a heads up, I'm coming over with a prototype of this thing that I want you to look at. And they get done with that.

SPEAKER_03

I think I know where this is going.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, but he comes over and it's like literally had like a brown paper grocery sack, and he goes and he pulls out, and by this time, this is 2007. Crocs have been around for several years at this point. And he pulls out these rubber shoes with holes, and I'm looking at Steve like, no way. And he's like, he let us borrow a pair for the weekend. He's like, I hated them personally. My wife tried to garden them in them and her feet got wet and sticks stuck her, and he was like, I don't, I'm not, no, like, no. And he goes, the dude wanted a hundred, it was either a hundred or a hundred and fifty grand.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

As like kind of like seed money. And Steve was like, No way, no way. And he goes, Here's the thing, Mark, I am doing fine and I'm perfectly happy with my life. I'm retired. I live here. My wife and I have they had a house on some island somewhere in the Caribbean. He goes, but I would have 20 million extra dollars today if I had given that guy$150,000. So his buddy invented Crocs in like 2003, somewhere around there. And then four years later, they were they were sky high. So my followed that up with a conversation with Steve, and I said, I don't have any money, but the next time one of your friends comes to you with an idea, call me and I will find a hundred bucks. Right. Exactly. So that's my croc story.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I've not heard that. Random. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

He was in the same building as Susan My Salis. And if anyone knows any famous photographers, Susan My Salis is very famous. Okay. And I met her. She was very cool. Okay. Enough about me. We're using go back to Leah. Humble Bragg. Humble Bragg. It's not at all. It's just kind of what I do. Seven degrees of Chipotle. Seven degrees of Chipotle. What's a small hill you'll die on that has nothing to do with your job? And you can say canned radishes are terrible. Yeah. Or name a hill that you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Very literal. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I feel like this is like this is under a category this is light and personal, but I feel like that's more of like a hot take question.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, but I mean you're you're married, so you might there might be something you and your husband disagree about. Um where it's like, uh no, I like this way, no, I like this way. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

Just trying to uh I mean maybe I could talk about that, like having the kitchen clean at the end of the night. Like have it having a re like the reset.

SPEAKER_03

Right. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So that when you wake up toys or in the baskets and your go-to-bed clean.

SPEAKER_03

I'm go to bed clean. Yeah. Same. Yeah, I agree. I agree. Although my wife listens to this and you're like, but you don't do that. I try that. I just don't know. I do, I do, yeah, well, I do in the like, you know, the certainly not the whole house, but the kitchen certainly. I I think we get the dishes all cleaned up, everything.

SPEAKER_04

Well, you guys have kids like before.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, before you have children, so there's I'd you know, I may die on that hill, but I don't do that at place.

SPEAKER_03

Right. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

I just that's the goal.

SPEAKER_03

Right. Yeah. Okay. Life goals. All right. So I did want to point out uh before we get off. I don't know if anyone's still listening at this point, but if you are after my Steve Boaz story. I'm gonna make this real quick. And uh he lived on the brown. You started going into so much detail, I was like, that doesn't seem super quick. Long story long to call me. But uh today being May 1st, uh in one week on I guess yeah, it's just under one week, May 7th, Thursday will be uh AIDC's a night at the races. It'll be a gallery services. Doors open at 4:30, first race kicks off at 5 30. It's a lot of fun, a lot of prizes that you can win. Uh if you're an interior designer, you can also win a trip. So hopefully you can make it out. Um again, always a good time and and for a good cause.

SPEAKER_04

So it's a blast. Yeah. And Leah's gonna be there, so she'll be there signing autographs.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, if she doesn't, we're gonna be pissed. We're gonna look silly. I sign the contract. Yes, I sign the contract. All right, so normally um we do a custom song for you at the end. I was gonna ask what genre you want the song in, but disco, does disco work for you? Disco works for me. Disco works, all right. Um is there a uh a catchphrase or a uh uh a word that you want me to throw in there or just kind of as a no canned radishes. Canned radishes, I think you're right. See if I can work in canned radishes into a dancing queen type.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe upside down horse.

SPEAKER_03

Upside down horse. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That works for a disco.

SPEAKER_03

It does.

SPEAKER_04

It does.

SPEAKER_03

This is I've seen so many upside down horses on Dance Force. All right, thank you so much for coming on. Well, yeah, thank you for having me. And thank you for listening.