Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My inspiration is the gap itself. Coastal Georgia is full of creative and entrepreneurial potential, but it just lacks the infrastructure to unlock it. When I see a local filmmaker with nowhere to screen their work, or a small business owner who doesn’t know resources exist nearby, I don’t see a problem. I see my next project. Communities like the Golden Isles deserve investment, infrastructure, and their own stories told. That’s what drives everything I build.

How do you stay motivated?

I stay motivated by showing up for the entrepreneur who just launched their business, to the filmmaker submitting their first short film, to the community member who didn’t know a camera-ready ecosystem was being built in their backyard. Progress in ecosystem-building is slow and often invisible. But the moment someone finds their people or launches something they couldn’t before, that’s the fuel for me.

What would you do with the $25,000?

It would go toward SoGlo Theatre, a performing arts and entertainment venue in downtown Brunswick, Georgia. SoGlo Theatre will give local creatives and entrepreneurs a permanent home and stage worthy of the community it serves. This funding would help us build the foundation to see this vision through. This includes foundational startup equipment, software/licensing, furniture, and funds to fully rebrand and active the space. Also, I will donate $5,000 to the Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship.