Justin Samuels didn’t wait for Silicon Valley to bring tech opportunities to Atlanta—he built them himself. In this episode, we dive into how he turned RenderATL into one of the most exciting and culture-driven tech conferences in the country. From bootstrapping to booking A-list talent, Justin breaks down the strategy, the challenges, and the big vision behind Atlanta’s growing tech scene. If you care about tech, culture, and making big moves, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Justin Samuels didn&rsquo;t wait for Silicon Valley to bring tech opportunities to Atlanta&mdash;he built them himself. In this episode, we dive into how he turned RenderATL into one of the most exciting and culture-driven tech conferences in the country. From bootstrapping to booking A-list talent, Justin breaks down the strategy, the challenges, and the big vision behind Atlanta&rsquo;s growing tech scene. If you care about tech, culture, and making big moves, this is an episode you don&rsquo;t want to miss.

Butternomics: The Business of Culture takes a deep dive into the intersection of business and culture, showing how brands, entrepreneurs, and tastemakers use culture level up. Join serial entrepreneur, thought leader, and CEO of Butter.ATL, Brandon Butler (@mrsuperbran), as he brings you exclusive interviews, trends, insights, and more. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned pro, Butternomics is for you.

Butternomics: The Business of Culture takes a deep dive into the intersection of business and culture, showing how brands, entrepreneurs, and tastemakers use culture level up. Join serial entrepreneur, thought leader, and CEO of Butter.ATL, Brandon Butler (@mrsuperbran), as he brings you exclusive interviews, trends, insights, and more. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned pro, Butternomics is for you.

Butternomics the Business of Culture

Butternomics - The Business of Culture

How Justin Samuels Built RenderATL into a Must-Attend Event for Tech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5fb68d4e-187f-4caa-bde3-b280014753b6/transcript

Tendernism didn't start on the internet. It started 50 years ago in a kitchen in Robbins, Illinois, with a young Walter Johnson cutting wingtips off chicken wings for his brother's restaurant.

50 years. 50+ states. Casino kitchens, backyard cookouts, and every Southern state he could get to so he could learn what the old folks knew about a pinch of this and a pinch of that. By the time the camera found him, the craft was already there. The world just hadn't caught up yet.

In this episode, Brandon Butler sits down with the man who invented Tendernism to tell the full story. How the word actually got named (an oxtail, the sun, and meat that peeled off the bone like an orange). Why he calls oxtails "Black Diamonds." How he ended up on the phone with Snoop and Ron Isley. And the Muhammad Ali line that made him realize this was bigger than food: "Ali shocked the world in '65. I shocked 'em in 2025."

Walter is proof that your time is your time. The meat was just the entryway. Tendernism is the movement.

▶ Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@butternomics?sub_confirmation=1

#Butternomics #BusinessOfCulture #Tendernism #WalterJohnson #BlackDiamonds #AtlantaPodcast #BlackEntrepreneurs #SouthernFood #BBQ #AtlantaBusiness

Tendernism didn't start on the internet. It started 50 years ago in a kitchen in Robbins, Illinois, with a young Walter Johnson cutting wingtips off chicken wings for his brother's restaurant.
50 years. 50+ states. Casino kitchens, backyard cookouts, and every Southern state he could get to so he could learn what the old folks knew about a pinch of this and a pinch of that. By the time the camera found him, the craft was already there. The world just hadn't caught up yet.
In this episode, Brandon Butler sits down with the man who invented Tendernism to tell the full story. How the word actually got named (an oxtail, the sun, and meat that peeled off the bone like an orange). Why he calls oxtails "Black Diamonds." How he ended up on the phone with Snoop and Ron Isley. And the Muhammad Ali line that made him realize this was bigger than food: "Ali shocked the world in '65. I shocked 'em in 2025."
Walter is proof that your time is your time. The meat was just the entryway. Tendernism is the movement.
▶ Subscribe: https://youtube.com/@butternomics?sub_confirmation=1
#Butternomics #BusinessOfCulture #Tendernism #WalterJohnson #BlackDiamonds #AtlantaPodcast #BlackEntrepreneurs #SouthernFood #BBQ #AtlantaBusiness

Tendernism: The Untold Story Behind the Word That Broke the Internet

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/486f9867-2080-494e-82c0-b45101021ba0/transcript

It costs $300,000 to $400,000 a year just to protect voting rights in Georgia. The SAVE Act would charge you $33 to $130 for a new ID just to vote. DEI rollbacks are cutting off SBA loans and grant funding to Black businesses right now. Attorney Gerald Griggs sat down with Butternomics and unpacked the economics of civil rights, how legislation is quietly hitting Black wealth, and why Georgia has the highest rate of people under state control in the entire country. He also dropped a number that should stop every Black professional in Atlanta: 2.2 million registered voters. A governor's race takes 1.9 million.

It costs $300,000 to $400,000 a year just to protect voting rights in Georgia. The SAVE Act would charge you $33 to $130 for a new ID just to vote. DEI rollbacks are cutting off SBA loans and grant funding to Black businesses right now. Attorney Gerald Griggs sat down with Butternomics and unpacked the economics of civil rights, how legislation is quietly hitting Black wealth, and why Georgia has the highest rate of people under state control in the entire country. He also dropped a number that should stop every Black professional in Atlanta: 2.2 million registered voters. A governor's race takes 1.9 million.

Attorney Gerald Griggs on Voting Rights, Private Prisons, and Black Power in Georgia

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b71e423f-e9d5-48b5-ab16-b42b010fc871/transcript

Walter Johnson cooked for 50 years across 50 states before a single camera found him. He started cutting wingtips off chicken in his brother's restaurant in Robbins, Illinois. He worked casinos, restaurants, and backyard cookouts across the South, collecting seasonings and techniques from every state he passed through. Then a video went viral and the world learned his name. Forbes wrote about him. Snoop Dogg invited him to the compound. Now he's building a seasoning line, planning a national food festival, and turning a lifetime of craft into a brand empire. He calls it Tendernism. The rest of us call it proof that your moment comes when it comes and not a second before.

Walter Johnson cooked for 50 years across 50 states before a single camera found him. He started cutting wingtips off chicken in his brother's restaurant in Robbins, Illinois. He worked casinos, restaurants, and backyard cookouts across the South, collecting seasonings and techniques from every state he passed through. Then a video went viral and the world learned his name. Forbes wrote about him. Snoop Dogg invited him to the compound. Now he's building a seasoning line, planning a national food festival, and turning a lifetime of craft into a brand empire. He calls it Tendernism. The rest of us call it proof that your moment comes when it comes and not a second before.

The Man Behind "Tendernism" Built a Brand the Internet Didn't See Coming

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/65df24fe-96c2-414a-afb7-b42b010fb90c/transcript

How Justin Samuels Built RenderATL into a Must-Attend Event for Tech

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