American Dream Factory (ADF)

A build_ cities podcast hosted by Nick Smoot and Joe Toney
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The American Dream isn’t dead—it’s being rebuilt. The American Dream Factory is a podcast about the people and ideas reshaping what it means to build a life of purpose in the modern world. Hosted by entrepreneur and civic innovator Nick Smoot, the show dives into conversations with founders, investors, policy leaders, artists, and system disruptors who are creating new models for work, community, and human flourishing. From the factory floor to City Hall, from Silicon Valley to small-town Idaho, this podcast explores how we reimagine power, ownership, and opportunity in an age of automation.

  1. Building What Matters In The Age of AI

    1D AGO

    Building What Matters In The Age of AI

    In this episode of American Dream Factory, Nick Smoot sits down with Morgan Dixon, a 24-year-old PhD student in artificial intelligence and machine learning at the University of Idaho. Morgan represents a rare but replicable archetype: a young man preparing to launch into the world with technical competence, grounded character, and calm confidence. While many of his peers feel uncertain about the future of work, Morgan is building inside it. He works as a consulting data scientist and software engineer, contributing to healthcare and behavioral health systems, including AI-driven modernization efforts connected to state-level crisis infrastructure. This conversation is not about hype. It is about formation. It is about how young men develop direction in an era of automation, distraction, and drift. What This Episode Covers: The Launch Path Morgan shares how his path was shaped by: Early entrepreneurship in his teens Dual enrollment in high school Pivoting degrees after academic setbacks Walking resumes door-to-door in Seattle Working full-time while pursuing graduate studies His story reinforces a simple truth: initiative compounds. Proof of Work Over Credentials A degree is common. Proof of execution is rare. Morgan explains why many computer science graduates are struggling and why building real projects, writing models, and demonstrating competence now matter more than ever. In a world where AI lowers the barrier to entry, differentiation requires depth, discipline, and visible output. AI Is Changing the Shape of Opportunity The conversation explores: How AI has democratized software development Why domain expertise now matters more than surface coding ability Why Morgan is exploring hardware and security-heavy industries What he has learned from working inside healthcare data and reimbursement systems Innovation follows incentives. Understanding those incentives creates leverage. Healthcare and Government as Builder Environments Morgan offers insight into working within healthcare and state systems: Data fragmentation and interoperability challenges Billing structures that shape innovation The need for simplicity in behavioral health and remote monitoring The patience required to work in public infrastructure These are complex systems that reward serious builders. Raising Men Who Build Nick asks a direct question: “What should I do so my kid’s not a turd?” Morgan’s answer is direct: Send them into the real world. Have them job shadow. Let them see real work. Expose them to adults who build and solve problems. Direction comes from exposure. Confidence comes from competence. Drift comes from isolation. Key Takeaways For young men: Stop waiting. Go build something. Meet people in person. Initiative creates luck. Develop technical depth and real-world exposure. Do hard things before you feel ready. For parents: Exposure beats lectures. Responsibility builds identity. Encourage initiative, not comfort. In an era where machines are accelerating and many young people feel unmoored, this episode offers a grounded alternative: calm confidence, technical competence, and the discipline to build. Learn more at buildcities.com or Morgan Dixon

    54 min
  2. Free $, AI Agents, & Reno’s Unicorn Moment

    FEB 5

    Free $, AI Agents, & Reno’s Unicorn Moment

    Nick Smoot sits down with Doug Erwin, the entrepreneurship lead at EDAWN in Northern Nevada, for a wide-ranging, high-energy conversation about two things happening at once: AI is moving from “chat” to “do.” Agents are booking meetings, running workflows, and changing the cost and speed of building. Reno is quietly turning into a real startup boomtown. And EDAWN is literally putting money behind the people who want to strengthen the ecosystem. The punchline: Doug’s team has a grant program called BESTI that funds community-led events, meetups, and builder gatherings. Nick shows how to submit an idea through BuildCities.com by linking a project to the BESTI challenge. What BESTIE Is (in plain English) BESTI = EDAWN money to help you host ecosystem-building events. Not top-down programming. Not “EDAWN's event.” It’s community-led. Typical awards: around $1,000 Larger requests: up to $5,000 Purpose: reduce friction, validate community leaders, and get more builders in the room together Examples they want to fund: founder meetups, workshops, pitch nights, Startup Weekend, niche communities (AI, art, games, hardware), and simple gatherings that create collisions. Why This Matters Right Now Doug and Nick both make the same point in different language: the future is not coming. It is here. AI is turning into an “autonomous assistant” era, which means anyone can build faster than ever. That is awesome. It is also chaotic. The communities that win will be the ones that create places for people to: meet consistently learn together get unstuck build real things people actually want Nick’s frame: we’re splitting into two worlds. World A: amuse-yourself-to-death consumption World B: disciplined creation with friends BESTI is a lever to help people choose World B. The Best Stuff Doug Says Ecosystems are rainforests, not row crops. They need culture, collisions, and long-term consistency. The role of economic development is often to be the “ghost in the machine.” Reduce friction so the community can lead. BESTIE is partly funding, partly social validation. Sometimes people just need permission and support to lead. The Best Stuff Nick Says If you want to run an event, do three, not one. Your first one will be awkward. Your third one will have momentum. The real shift is from consumption-based social life (restaurants, concerts) to creation-based social life (build nights, learning nights, show-and-tell). The winning community model is Discover, Dream, Design, Deliver. Gather people through those phases so building becomes a rhythm. Reno’s “Wait, What?” Moment Doug teases a big local milestone: Reno’s first homegrown unicorn announcement is imminent. Nick uses it as a reminder: “overnight success” is usually two years plus a lifetime of experience, relationships, and timing How to Apply for BESTIE (simple steps) Go to BuildCities.com Create a profile Create a Project for your event idea (name it, describe it, add collaborators) Search BESTIE and link your project to the challenge EDAWN gets notified, and you are in the pipeline Nick’s advice: keep it low lift. BBQ + builder conversation is valid. Pizza and folding chairs counts if the room is full of creators. Talked About in the Episode Brad Feld and the “entrepreneurs lead” thesis Better ecosystem thinking AI agents, MCP, automation, and the new workflow era Startup Weekend as a proven collision engine The deeper reason communities matter: loneliness, purpose, belonging, and getting unstuck Guest and Contact Doug Erwin Director of Entrepreneurship, EDAWN (Economic Development Association of Western Nevada) Nick Smoot Email: nick@buildcities.com

    1h 1m

  3. JAN 5

    Don’t Wait for Permission or Perfection

    In this solo episode of the American Dream Factory podcast, Nick Smoot explores a simple but powerful idea that keeps people stuck. Waiting. Waiting for permission. Waiting for perfection. Waiting for someone else to go first. Nick shares a personal story about solving a ridiculous traffic problem with a bucket of yellow paint and a little courage, and how that small act quietly changed behavior for hundreds of people and eventually the city itself. This episode is a reminder that cities do not change because of committees alone. They change when ordinary people take responsibility for the problems they see and act on them. If you feel lonely, disconnected, or frustrated with your city, this conversation is for you. Why waiting for permission keeps cities stagnant How perfection becomes an excuse to avoid meaningful action A real story of grassroots problem-solving that actually worked Why no one will ever invite you to build the world you see Taking responsibility for the chaos you notice around you Creating beauty, value, and order through small actions Why community begins with initiative, not authority You do not need permission to care about your city. You do not need perfection to get started. The gap between the life you want and the impact you could have is often one small action. Nick also shares how Build helps people take action together. Build is a community platform where you can: Post projects you are working on Share challenges your city needs solved Create events and third-place hubs List skills you want to learn or contribute Get introduced to people nearby through AI-powered matching Learn more at buildcities.com Nick invites listeners to the upcoming Build Summit on January 16–17, featuring two legendary mentors: Flint Dille World-builder, storyteller, and creator behind iconic universes including work with Steven Spielberg, Pokémon Go, Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Chronicles of Riddick. Flint will lead a workshop on world building, games, and creative storytelling. Amish Patel Inventor, technologist, and venture builder whose work includes the Xbox controller, smartwatch sensor technology, and advanced robotic surgery systems. Amish will teach a workshop on venture capital and what is investable in 2026. The summit includes workshops, fireside chats, pitch sessions, community-voted micro-grants, and time to connect with builders working on real projects. Website: buildcities.com Email Nick: nick@buildcities.com If this episode resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and take one small action this week that creates beauty and value in your city. The world does not need more spectators. It needs builders. If this episode resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and take one small action this week that creates beauty and value in your city. The world does not need more spectators. It needs builders.

    16 min
  4. Data That Could Save America

    10/17/2025

    Data That Could Save America

    America is running out of workers and time. The baby boomers are retiring, birth rates are collapsing, and colleges are struggling to prove their value. In the middle of that chaos, a new movement is forming built on skills, not degrees. In this episode of The American Dream Factory, hosts Nick Smoot and Joseph Toney talk with Josh Wright, Head of Growth and Partnerships at Lightcast, one of the world’s top labor market data firms. Together they explore a defining question for America’s next chapter: can the nation rebuild its workforce fast enough to handle the coming labor storm? Josh, a former journalist turned data storyteller, shares insights from Lightcast’s Rising Storm report, revealing how demographics, education gaps, and untapped human potential are reshaping the labor market. The conversation moves from workforce data to civic purpose, showing how cities, schools, and employers can realign around skills and human creativity instead of outdated systems. This is more than an economic discussion. It is a moral one about how we value people, purpose, and contribution in the next American century. The Great Workforce Reckoning Baby boomers are aging out while the next generation is smaller and slower to engage. Labor shortages are hitting manufacturing, healthcare, trades, and public works hardest. America’s talent pool is shrinking, and the gap between open roles and available skills is growing. Degrees Are Losing Their Power A four-year degree no longer guarantees opportunity. Employers are shifting toward skills-based hiring, yet systems for verifying skills are still forming. Parents remain one of the biggest barriers, pushing children toward traditional degrees even as the trades and new credentials gain traction. Data as Civic Infrastructure Lightcast’s 34,000-skill taxonomy shows which abilities matter most right now and where. When data flows between educators, employers, and governments, cities thrive. Without shared data, everyone is guessing and losing. The Hidden Workforce Millions of Americans already have valuable but invisible skills. Unlocking that hidden capacity can fill jobs, drive innovation, and rebuild civic pride. Cities that activate this potential will outcompete those that do not. The Moral Imperative of Work Work is not only about money. It is about meaning, belonging, and participation. The Skills Revolution is the path to restoring human purpose in an automated world. The Demographic Drought series and its warning for U.S. labor markets The decline of degree-based hiring and rise of digital credentials How cities can use data to align workforce pipelines Immigration’s impact on the workforce crisis The role of parents, perception, and pride in shaping the next generation of workers Real examples from Greensboro, North Carolina and Fargo, North Dakota showing how data builds resilient cities “You cannot separate skills from the individual, their learning, and their lived experience.” — Josh Wright “The data does not solve the problem. People do. But the right data helps people take better action.” — Josh Wright “There is a missing dataset, the skills people already have but no one can see. That is the next frontier for cities.” — Nick Smoot Lightcast — Global leader in workforce and labor market data The Rising Storm report — Insights on the demographic labor crisis Guest: Josh Wright, Head of Growth and Partnerships, Lightcast Hosts: Nick Smoot and Joseph Toney Learn more at AmericanDreamFactory.com or email nick@americandreamfactory.com

    1h 4m
  5. The Soul of a City

    10/07/2025

    The Soul of a City

    In this episode of The American Dream Factory, hosts Nick Smoot and Joseph Toney sit down with creative veteran Lee Davis, founder of Clean, a Raleigh-based agency known for its soulful approach to branding. Lee’s three-decade journey spans legendary firms like Wieden+Kennedy and J&J, giving him a rare vantage point on how brands—and cities—can rediscover their essence. Together, the trio unpacks what it means to build belonging in an age of isolation. Lee reflects on how communities lose their identity when they chase growth without soul, and why cities need to stop marketing for tourists and start engaging their residents. From Raleigh’s “City of Oaks” to Durham’s bold “Marry Durham” campaign, they explore how design, storytelling, and community behavior can transform a place into something people feel. Key Themes: The difference between brand and marketing—and why cities often get both wrong Why it’s okay to “offend” people in branding—and why not every city can (or should) be for everyone The hidden cost of moving from the front porch to the backyard How sports, design, and shared storytelling can rebuild civic pride The spiritual side of place-making—and how “we” must matter more than “me” Takeaways: Great cities, like great brands, are built on truth and tension, not slogans. The best marketers for your city are its residents—if you give them something to believe in. Growth without identity breaks community; design for the people who already live there first. Learn More: Follow Lee and his team at Clean Agency and connect with him on LinkedIn. Join the American Dream Factory community at AmericanDreamFactory.com for updates, live events, and tools for city leaders and builders.

    1h 22m
  6. Rethinking Power, Community, & the American Dream

    08/28/2025

    Rethinking Power, Community, & the American Dream

    In this episode of American Dream Factory, Nick and Joe sit down with two transformative leaders in the world of politics, community, media, and capitalism: Matthew Barzun – Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. & Sweden, bestselling author of The Power of Giving Away Power, and architect of “constellation thinking.” Seth Levine – Venture capitalist, co-founder of Foundry ($4B under management), and co-author of The New Builders, with a new book Capital Evolution releasing December 2025. Together, they explore what it will take to reboot the American Dream in an era where trust in institutions is collapsing, cities are strained, and communities are hungry for new ways of working together. Join our community of city leaders at AmericanDreamFactory.com and learn how to get the city building tool, BuildCities.com for free. Chapters Chapters 00:00 The American Dream: A Shared Vision 09:22 The Role of Venture Capital in Empowering Entrepreneurs 12:12 Meritocracy and Economic Mobility 15:11 Populism and the American Dream 21:12 Collaboration vs. Competition in Governance 24:02 Reimagining Capitalism for the Future 26:59 Local Businesses and Community Development 35:17 Navigating Local Government Regulations 37:25 Community Engagement and Overcoming Barriers 39:11 The Interdependence of Community and Economy 44:07 Building Trust Through Collaborative Efforts 44:45 The Role of Local Government in Community Dynamics 50:20 Creating a Culture of Open Dialogue 55:01 The Power of Shared Vision in Community Development 01:04:02 Bridging the Political Divide 01:04:54 The Importance of Deliberate Processes 01:09:51 The Role of Community in Decision Making 01:14:55 Navigating Future Paths 01:20:37 Creating a Collaborative Future 01:26:16 Building a Community of Leaders If you have future guests you'd like us to interview, email us at LFG@AmericanDreamFactory.com

    1h 29m
  7. Lessons From 50 Years of Economic Development

    08/09/2025

    Lessons From 50 Years of Economic Development

    In this episode Nick Smoot sits down with Ernesto Sirolli of the Sirolli Institute. Chapters 09:42 Engagement with the Community 26:00 Lessons from International Aid 42:36 The Joy of Helping Others 46:24 Building Community Through Collaboration 56:21 The Importance of Passion in Business 01:00:22 The Role of Cooperatives in Society 01:06:08 The Nature of Entrepreneurship 01:08:57 The Debate of Nature vs. Nurture in Development 01:12:03 The Role of Pain and Love in Growth 01:13:50 The Importance of Community Participation 01:15:24 Finding Passion and Purpose in Work 01:17:46 Creating Value and Beauty in the World 01:19:08 The Journey from Idea to Market 01:19:57 The Sacred Act of Creation 01:21:00 Unlocking Social Capital for Community Growth 01:23:59 Measuring Community Prosperity through Social Capital 01:25:42 The Role of Frameworks in Economic Development 01:27:56 Indicators of Community Success 01:32:41 Enlightened Capitalism and Community Transformation 01:35:09 The Unexpected Beauty of Human Potential 01:38:10 The Importance of Digital Infrastructure 01:39:57 Empowering Communities for the Future

    1h 42m
  8. Managing Cities In Turbulent Times

    07/09/2025

    Managing Cities In Turbulent Times

    What does it take to lead a city when everything is on fire... literally and figuratively? In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with longtime friend and civic leader Joe Toney, who has spent nearly two decades inside city government, including serving as City Manager of Malibu during the recent catastrophic wildfires. Together, they dive deep into what’s breaking modern cities—and what might still save them. From AI and remote work to affordability, isolation, and polarization, cities today are struggling under a storm of converging forces. Joe offers a rare inside look at the emotional, operational, and political pressure of managing a city during crisis, while Nick challenges what’s possible for the future of work, belonging, and civic life. What You’ll Learn: – What really happens behind the scenes when a city is in disaster – Why cities can’t pivot fast—and what that costs – The emotional toll of being “number two” in civic leadership – Why purpose and community might be the best mental health infrastructure – How policy and entrepreneurship could align to rebuild social fabric – Whether AI, ambition, and affordability will break cities—or make them better Who It’s For: – City and civic leaders – Entrepreneurs, policy makers, and reformers – Anyone who cares about community, belonging, or the future of work – People trying to lead something hard, in a time of instability Quote Highlights: “Running a city today is like steering a ship through a hurricane while everyone on board argues about the map.”“Belonging isn’t a luxury. It’s infrastructure.”“We expect city leaders to fix everything, fast, but they’re operating inside decades of decisions that weren’t built for now.”

    1h 14m
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About

The American Dream isn’t dead—it’s being rebuilt. The American Dream Factory is a podcast about the people and ideas reshaping what it means to build a life of purpose in the modern world. Hosted by entrepreneur and civic innovator Nick Smoot, the show dives into conversations with founders, investors, policy leaders, artists, and system disruptors who are creating new models for work, community, and human flourishing. From the factory floor to City Hall, from Silicon Valley to small-town Idaho, this podcast explores how we reimagine power, ownership, and opportunity in an age of automation.

Information

  • Creator
    A build_ cities podcast hosted by Nick Smoot and Joe Toney
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © A build_ cities podcast hosted by Nick Smoot and Joe Toney
  • Show Website
    American Dream Factory (ADF)