Shady Characters

Thatch Creative

0.0 (0)
BUSINESS

In this series, we step out of the spotlight and into the shade - to have conversations and uncover real stories behind topics like brand-building, creative thinking, entrepreneurialism, music and entertainment, and the interesting characters who shape them.

5 DAYS AGO

EP 026 - Christian Scott

Christian Scott, Global Director of Sports Marketing at TravisMathew, joins Shady Characters to talk modern sports branding, athlete partnerships, and creative risk taking in golf culture. From left of center campaigns and unexpected collabs to St. Andrews trips and family priorities, Christian shares how authenticity, hustle, and relationships shape both great marketing and a meaningful life. In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Christian Scott, Global Director of Sports Marketing at TravisMathew and a longtime leader across major sport and lifestyle brands including Nike and Oakley. The conversation blends brand strategy, creative instinct, athlete partnerships, and personal values into a candid look at what it takes to build relevance in modern sports culture. Christian shares how TravisMathew helped reshape golf apparel by rejecting country club stiffness and leaning into lifestyle, humor, and creative storytelling long before it became trend. He walks through how the brand approaches athlete and ambassador partnerships, from NBA guard Austin Reaves to Reggie Bush and pro golfers, and why unexpected content often outperforms polished campaigns. From pickup court shoots to in office gauntlet challenges, the focus is on authentic moments over overproduced spots. We also explore how sports marketing translates across categories. Christian explains how his love of competition and storytelling carries from basketball to skate, surf, and golf, and why he is always looking for ideas that sit slightly left of center. The discussion covers music collaborations, including projects with Avenged Sevenfold and country artists, plus limited product drops like the TravisMathew x Guinness shoe release and upcoming brand partnerships. Beyond work, this episode goes deep on priorities. Christian speaks openly about choosing family over titles, leaving roles that did not align with his values, and intentionally creating experiences with his wife and two sons. From traveling through Greece and Croatia to never missing games and practices, he shares why presence matters more than position and how success at home defines success at work. It is an honest, grounded conversation about creativity, leadership, sport, and the long game of building both brands and families the right way.

39 min
31 JAN

EP 025 - Jim Taylor

In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Jim Taylor, comedian, master of ceremonies, and the driving force behind San Juan Capistrano’s iconic Swallows Day Parade. Jim’s story is one of humor, hustle, and heart, spanning decades in stand-up comedy and nearly a decade leading one of Southern California’s largest volunteer-run community events. Jim shares his early love of comedy, including his admiration for George Carlin and the mentorship that helped him find his own voice on stage. He reflects on years spent performing, hosting a long-running monthly show at the Irvine Improv, writing jokes for others, and learning the hard truth that comedy, like business, takes time, humility, and relentless persistence. The conversation shifts to Jim’s unexpected second act as president of the Fiesta Association, where he now helps coordinate a 300,000 dollar parade powered almost entirely by volunteers. Jim walks through the realities of managing logistics, city and county relationships, safety planning, fundraising, and the delicate balance of keeping Swallows Day fun, inclusive, and family friendly. What was once known as a wild party has become a tradition centered on community pride, kids, and shared experience. We also dive into Jim’s philosophy on volunteerism, leadership, and guerrilla marketing. From building visibility without ego to creating moments that make people stop and say, “I helped build this,” Jim explains why giving back is both selfless and deeply personal. He speaks candidly about failure, reinvention, and the satisfaction that comes from creating something bigger than yourself. This episode is funny, honest, and deeply human. It is a look at how finding your voice, surrounding yourself with people smarter than you, and showing up year after year can leave a lasting imprint on a community. Jim Taylor is proof that legacy is built quietly, one joke, one volunteer shift, and one parade at a time.

43 min
24 JAN

EP 024 - Linda Hakim

In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Linda Hakim, a true connector and community builder in South Orange County. Linda is the publisher behind three hyper-local magazines with Best Version Media, serves as an ambassador for multiple Chambers of Commerce, and leads communications for the San Juan Capistrano Rotary. Few people are as deeply embedded in the fabric of South OC as Linda, and this conversation reveals how she has built an entire career around local storytelling, relationships, and trust. Linda shares her journey from working at Vons in the 1970s and selling Yellow Pages ads with Verizon to becoming a modern digital marketer who manages more than eight social media accounts and reaches tens of thousands of local followers daily. She reflects on how social media evolved from a creative outlet for travel and family memories into a powerful professional tool that now supports her magazines, chambers, Rotary work, and business clients. We talk about her passion for featuring real families on magazine covers, why hyper-local print still matters in a digital world, and how community recognition creates meaningful impact for businesses and residents alike. Linda also opens up about personal loss, resilience, and how work became both purpose and legacy as her children grew and life changed. The episode explores her newest venture, SouthOrangeCounty.com, a professional interview platform that gives business owners high-quality video, podcast, and social media content from a single conversation. Along the way, Linda shares stories from decades living in South OC, including San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, and Rancho Santa Margarita, offering insight into how the region has grown while maintaining its character. This conversation is about tenacity, reinvention, and the power of showing up for a community every single day. Linda Hakim is proof that local storytelling, done with authenticity and consistency, can build an enduring legacy.

32 min
16 JAN

EP 023 - Jon Colburn

In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Jon Colburn, owner of Realtime AV—a high-end audio/video and smart home company based in San Juan Capistrano. Jon shares how a job at 14 (thanks to his speaker-engineer dad) turned into a 25-year career, a 50/50 partnership earned through sweat equity, and ultimately full ownership through seller financing. We talk loyalty, grit, learning by screwing up, raising boys with work ethic, and where smart homes are headed as AI changes everything. Jon’s story is a rare one: loyalty, sweat equity, and playing the long game when most people bounce every few years. He got his start at Realtime as a teenager—working in the warehouse, taking out trash, and slowly earning his way into installs and sales. But the real turning point came after the 2008 financial crisis, when the business was still clawing its way back and Jon had just gotten married. With a family depending on him, he went to the owner looking for stability—and instead got a challenge: keep grinding, stay loyal, and good things will happen. Three years later, over a meal at a local Sizzler, Jon was offered a path: 10% ownership, with profits reinvested into the company to build equity over time. What followed was years of nights, weekends, holidays, and relentless effort—until a Christmas party announcement revealed Jon had earned 50% ownership. From there, the partners formalized a buyout plan through seller financing, setting Jon on track to take full ownership and continue the company’s growth. Along the way, Jon shares what loyalty really means (and why it’s becoming rare), how failure becomes “installed wisdom,” and why he believes the younger generation needs more opportunities to work, earn, and learn. He also talks about raising two boys, teaching them responsibility by having them show up at the office, answer phones, and get comfortable doing hard things. And of course, because Realtime is at the intersection of luxury and technology, the conversation goes deep on what the company actually does today: from whole-home audio/video and hidden TVs to lighting, shades, security, networking, pool control—and “anything that turns on, off, opens, or closes.” Jon also breaks down where smart homes are heading next with AI-driven automation—and why robots still make him think of Terminator. If you like stories about grit, leadership, and building something real over decades—not quarters—this one’s for you.

30 min
9 JAN

EP 022 - Danielle Braithwaite

In this episode of Shady Characters, Danielle Braithwaite—founder of Variant Movement—shares her journey from aspiring professional dancer to studio owner, mentor, and working mom. Danielle opens up about career-altering injury, launching a business during the pandemic while pregnant, and building a studio rooted in discipline, kindness, and community. It’s an honest look at creativity, leadership, and redefining success on your own terms. Danielle never planned to become a studio owner. Her early dream was to dance professionally—traveling, performing, and living fully inside the art form she loved. But at just 21 years old, a serious hip injury abruptly changed her trajectory. Faced with an uncertain recovery and the loss of her professional path, Danielle found herself falling in love with teaching, choreography, and the impact she could have on others through dance. After more than a decade of teaching and creating within other studios, Danielle took a leap—launching Variant Movement in 2021, during the tail end of the pandemic, while pregnant and navigating a high-risk pregnancy. What began as a low-risk experiment with a single studio room and a goal of 15 students quickly evolved into a thriving program of nearly 100 dancers in just four years. Throughout the conversation, Danielle reflects on what it means to grow intentionally. Rather than chasing scale or multiple locations, she built Variant to stay small, personal, and deeply connected—ensuring every student is known, supported, and held to high standards both technically and personally. Success, for Danielle, isn’t just trophies or placements, but how students carry themselves, treat others, and grow into confident, respectful people. The episode also explores Danielle’s experience as a working mother, balancing late nights at the studio with family life, and intentionally modeling ambition and leadership for her son. She speaks candidly about perfectionism, burnout, self-doubt, and the quiet pressure of wearing every hat as a founder. Now entering its next chapter with the launch of Vivid, Variant’s elite performance team, Danielle reflects on the excitement—and fear—of growth, and why staying rooted in purpose matters more than ever. This is a conversation about movement in every sense: physical, emotional, and personal. A powerful listen for creatives, founders, parents, and anyone navigating a pivot they never planned—but were meant for.

32 min
2 JAN

EP 021 - Matt Morgan

Photographer Matt Morgan sits down with Shady Characters to unpack a 20-year career that started in a high school photo class and led to shooting world-class athletes, punk rock icons, and award-winning commercial campaigns. From San Juan bathtub birth stories to photographing Shaq with nothing but a reflector, Matt reflects on creativity, lighting, fatherhood, golf, and the joy of capturing life — one frame at a time. In this episode of Shady Characters, hosts Evan Burgher and Tim DeBrincat welcome longtime friend and collaborator Matt Morgan — a photographer whose career is equal parts craftsmanship, curiosity, and character. Born (literally) at home in San Juan Capistrano, Matt stumbled into photography in high school after ditching a one-on-one construction class. What started as a creative elective quickly became a lifelong obsession. With encouragement from his dad, a hobbyist photographer, and the early influence of surf/skate culture, Matt spent his teens shooting friends in the water, at skateparks, and for a small clothing brand he helped launch. After a fleeting attempt at the corporate world, Matt found his calling in wedding photography — a space where entrepreneurship and artistry collided. That foundation eventually propelled him into the commercial world, where he built a reputation as a master of lighting and a photographer who can make anyone comfortable in front of the camera. Matt shares stories from shooting global athletes for Power Balance, including a surreal first encounter with Shaquille O’Neal, where he had under ten minutes to get the shot and ended up standing on a chair just to reach eye level. He talks about capturing punk legend Dwayne Peters (while driving him to set as he rolled a joint in the passenger seat), working with deeply trained classical musicians, and leading the technically demanding multi-person composite portrait for the Pacific Symphony. The conversation dives into Matt’s obsession with lighting, his ongoing commitment to learning (including workshops with iconic photographers), and his unconventional philosophy about not specializing in one niche — but instead using diversity of experience to fuel creativity. Outside photography, Matt opens up about fatherhood, surfing, the camaraderie of golf culture, generational traditions, and the infamous Morgan Family Christmas Card — a full-scale, Norman Rockwell-inspired creative production he now builds every year. It's a warm, funny, and deeply human look at a photographer who’s spent two decades capturing stories, studying light, and celebrating the beauty in the everyday. Whether you’re a creative, a photographer, or just someone who loves a good origin story, this episode is packed with heart, humor, and inspiration.

45 min
25/12/2025

EP 020 - Harrison Taylor

In this heart-forward episode of Shady Characters, hosts Evan Burgher and Tim DeBrincat sit down with Harrison Taylor, Director of Leasing & Development at Almquist, and one of the key minds behind River Street Market — the new cultural hub redefining San Juan Capistrano. Harrison shares what it’s like to raise four kids on Los Rios Street, the oldest residential street in California, and why the community’s small-town heartbeat is something he never plans to leave. From Trader Joe’s managers picking figs off his tree to seeing neighbors at River Street every weekend, he reflects on how intentionally connected San Juan really is — and why he believes that’s worth protecting. He walks through his unexpected career pivot: leaving a decade in corporate electrical and solar sales, joining the Planning Commission to learn the development world from the inside, and ultimately being tapped by developer Dan Almquist to help shape River Street’s tenant mix. Harrison breaks down how he evaluates brands, why personality matters as much as financials, the wild story of landing Kovás Boots, and the pressure of curating a space that both honors history and brings something new. Beyond development, Harrison opens up about starting Rad Dads, a men’s group born out of church, friendship, and vulnerability. He shares stories of pushing past comfort zones, dealing with stress and mental health, and the surprising power of showing up for other men in similar stages of life. The conversation ranges from generational rowing stories and heirloom rings, to family legacy, surfing accidents, faith, and finding your place in a fast-moving world. At its core, this episode is about community — how to build it, how to protect it, and how to grow with it. A must-listen for anyone who loves San Juan, is curious about development, or believes deeply in the value of showing up for the people around you.

51 min
19/12/2025

EP 019 - Amy Miller

From Oakley to ASICS, Amy Miller has made a career out of helping people find happiness at work. As the brand’s Director of People Capability, Culture & Global Engagement, she joins Shady Characters to talk about leadership, purpose, and how a 102-year-old Big Bear cabin, a VW van named Goldie, and a Japanese philosophy called Ikigai all tie into building a life—and workplace—you actually love. THE PURSUIT OF HAPPY: AMY MILLER ON PURPOSE, PEOPLE, AND IKIGAI AT ASICSIn this warm and inspiring episode of Shady Characters, hosts Evan Burgher and Tim DeBrincat sit down with Amy Miller, Director of People Capability, Culture & Global Engagement at ASICS, to explore what it really means to find happiness at work—and in life. A natural storyteller and connector, Amy shares her journey from retail training at Oakley to shaping culture at one of the world’s most recognized athletic brands. She talks about ASICS’ founding philosophy, Anima Sana In Corpore Sano—“a sound mind in a sound body”—and how that guiding principle has shaped not only her leadership style but also her personal outlook. From her global role bridging cultures between the U.S. and Japan to her efforts in building ASICS’ first-ever global career development program, Amy gives a candid look at what drives true engagement: joy, purpose, and connection. She reflects on lessons from Japanese concepts like Ikigai, the sweet spot where passion meets purpose, and shares how she’s bringing that philosophy into modern corporate life. Outside of work, Amy’s adventures are just as intentional—from weekend escapes to her century-old Big Bear cabin, van trips in Goldie, her trusty VW camper, and life with her 16-year-old “adventure cat,” Soba. Together, they embody the same spirit of curiosity and balance she champions professionally. This episode is a reminder that success isn’t about climbing faster—it’s about pausing long enough to ask the question Amy built her career on: “Am I happy?”

25 min

In this series, we step out of the spotlight and into the shade - to have conversations and uncover real stories behind topics like brand-building, creative thinking, entrepreneurialism, music and entertainment, and the interesting characters who shape them.

Creator

Thatch Creative
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

26
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2025 Thatch Creative
Show Website

Shady Characters