Can Culture, Purpose, And AI Redefine Modern Marketing? W/ Lee Deas

How are we doing? Who do you want to learn from next? Text us with notes and ideas.A fashion pitch in mall clothes. A Hotmail address that became a company name, Obviouslee. Salsa lessons to cover rent. That’s how Lee Deas' story begins, but the real ride is how she turned that grit into a values-led, 30-person B Corp agency that punches far above its weight.We dig into what B Corp certification looks like beyond the badge—how standards drive client selection, environmental practice, DEI, and leadership accountability. Lee shares why she pursued two people-first mergers, starting with shared values and a test project before financials, and how blending cultures led to smarter operations across Charleston and Boulder. With a portfolio anchored in outdoor lifestyle, impact brands, tourism, and major tennis and golf events, the team narrows focus to deepen expertise and protect creative energy.Then we get practical. Lee walks through building private large language models to securely store client knowledge, accelerate onboarding, and eliminate repetitive work. Weekly AI mastery challenges and a director of optimization keep innovation grounded and useful, while experiments like digital twins hint at the next wave of client service. We also talk retention, generational friction, and why flexibility plus purpose beats perks every time. Her favorite local campaign—an energetic, bilingual “get out the vote” effort duringSouth Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors. King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.comSupport the showTitle Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing AssociationPresenting Sponsor: Charleston Media SolutionsAnnual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research AuthorityQuarterly Sponsor: King and ColumbusCAMACast Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen, Silicon Harbor Hot Take Host: Stanfield Gray, https://digsouth.comProduced and edited: RMBO AdvertisingPhotographer | Co-host: Kelli MorseScore by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenuStudio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew ChaseYouTube...