Apologies in advance if today’s episode makes you hungry- we have Newks’ CEO Chris Newcomb in the building. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Newk’s Eatery is a fast-casual chain that operates and franchises just under 100 units in 16 states. Ever since it’s founding in 2004, Newk’s has been a go-to for sandwiches, soups, salads and pizza whether you live in Jackson, Atlanta, or Birmingham. Chris was inspired by his Dad to buy in to the food business and was a career college student in Oxford, Miss...
Jul 29, 2024•48 min
A Vicksburg native and Ole Miss graduate, today’s guest uses incredible storytelling skills only the south can provide. Ellis Nassour has a background in Journalism and has been writing books about the history of Broadway musicals for decades. He is back home this week to sign copies and inform his statesmen of his newest book, Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon. In this book Nassour shares little-known stories about the production of the record and sho...
Jul 22, 2024•49 min
Today’s guests were recently recognized by the New York Times as some of the best pizza-makers in the United States. Leña (which translates to firewood) makes dough from scratch and brings it to life with traditional proofing practices. Located in the rural Mississippi Delta, this Cleveland staple provides pizza and bagels unlike anywhere else in the region. Today we’re talking to the masterminds behind the award-winning joint- Marisol Doyle was born and raised in Mexico and studied her art in I...
Jul 16, 2024•49 min
If you’ve worked in television in the state of Mississippi in any capacity, today’s guests are no stranger to you. Emmy award-winning television legends Walt Grayson and his daughter Keri Grayson Horne are joining us in the studio today to talk about what they know best- how storytelling and educational media can truly shape an entire state. Walt has spent over five decades working in the media industry and is currently with WJTV. He hosts and produces Mississippi Roads at MPB, where Keri has wo...
Jul 08, 2024•49 min
Our guests today know all about the importance of keeping it in the family. Connie Hollins and her son DeSanto Rollins will be the the guests of honor in a soon-to-come episode of Family Owned: A Legacy Leadership podcast, produced in partnership with Ole Miss and MPB. The owners of Rollins Funeral Home in Woodville, this entire family has been dedicated to serving grieving families in the state for several years. They join me today to tell the story of their family’s legacy and tell some inside...
Jun 24, 2024•47 min
Our guest today wants to talk to you about the importance of giving life. Christopher Swafford is the President and CEO of Mississippi Blood Services (MBS) based in Flowood, MS. MBS is a community based blood center that serves hospitals throughout the state of Mississippi and was established 45 years ago. Christopher is the 3rd CEO of the organization and has been at MBS since June of 2023. His background is in healthcare leadership and most recently he served as the chief operating officer at ...
Jun 17, 2024•48 min
We have two guests this week with one mission. Big House Books is an organization that provides literature to the incarcerated, making sure those in the prison system still have access to reading materials and the right to read. The team recently won a 2024 Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence or GIVE Award. Here to discuss the success and mission of their initiative is Holly Smith, who serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Big House Books and Miranda Vaughn, a program ...
Jun 10, 2024•48 min
Our first guest in the month of June is a local activist determined to save lives. Christina Dent is the Founder & President of End It For Good, a Mississippi-based nonprofit advocating for approaches to drugs that prioritize life and the opportunity to thrive. Christina supported a criminal justice approach to drugs until her experience as a foster parent sparked her curiosity about drug policy. What she learned changed her mind about the best ways to reduce drug-related harm, and in 2019 s...
Jun 03, 2024•48 min
Happy Memorial Day! We are out of the office so in lieu of a new episode, here's an instant classic from earlier this year. We are honored to welcome an iconic Mississippian from an iconic family to the show today. Reena Evers-Everette is the daughter of civil-rights activists Medgar Evers and Myrlie Evers-Williams. Born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, she studied business merchandising at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. She is now executive director of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Insti...
May 27, 2024•51 min
Marshall welcomes director Ann Ford and long-time producer Perez Hodge to discuss the new documentary on film on the now-defunct WZZQ radio station. For a brief shining moment (the 70’s!), this free form, counterculture, FM radio station in Jackson, Mississippi rocked the mid-South. With no playlists, no rules, and very few inhibitions, the legendary WZZQ represented a way of life for its young listeners. Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares h...
May 20, 2024•49 min
Francine Reynolds has been the artistic director at New Stage Theatre in Jackson since 2006, and has worked as a theatre artist for 35 years. A Michigan native and current Jackson resident, Reynolds has served three terms on the board of directors for the Theatre Communications Group, a national organization for American theatre; and is on the board of directors for the Mississippi Theatre Association. She has directed and performed in a plethora of theater performances and is committed to the g...
May 13, 2024•48 min
Kate Medley is a North Carolina-based visual journalist and filmmaker documenting the American South. Her photography work explores issues of social justice, community, and the shifting politics of states like Mississippi. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and her collection “ Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South ” is currently on display at the Mississippi Museum of Art . She is originally from the Magnolia ...
May 06, 2024•47 min
Ana Lampton Triplett is a documentary maker and a retired attorney. In her episode of “Family Owned, a Legacy Leadership Podcast,” she discusses how she and her family have entrepreneurship running through their veins. Part of the Lampton family that owns manufacturing powerhouse Ergon in Jackson, Ana has used her talents to help with both the family business and her own project, a documentary film on the life of William Faulkner. Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning edit...
May 01, 2024•54 min
Currently serving as the head honcho of the Mississippi Children’s Museum, Susan Garrard has been with the museum since it’s inception, serving as a volunteer when the museum was still in its planning stages. Originally from Sebastopol, she earned her undergraduate degree at Mississippi State University before attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. She and her family eventually moved back to Jackson where she would eventually serve as the first ever executive director of the...
Apr 23, 2024•49 min
Trigger Warning: this episode of Now You're Talking contains recounts of war. Marshall Ramsey sits down this week with Mississippi Public Broadcasting's very own Chief Operations Officer Anna Neel as she discusses her career coming up in the world of media and communications. From her time as a humble intern with CNN all the way to where she is today with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, she goes over her life as a prominent and seasoned storyteller working with people from all walks of life all...
Apr 15, 2024•50 min
World-renowned Chef, restaurateur, and Pike County native Austin Sumrall is no stranger to the kitchen. Owner of White Pillars in Biloxi, Austin is also a former Champion of Food Network’s “Alex vs. America” in May 2023. The James Beard nominee for “Best Chef: South” and crowned “King of American Seafood!” in the 2021 Great American Seafood Cook-Off, the self-proclaimed lover of oyster aquaculture is here to discuss his grand title win, life in Biloxi, growing up on a ranch and more! Marshall Ra...
Apr 08, 2024•50 min
Marshall Ramsey sits down the week with second generation jazz musician and singer Antonia Bennett, renowned daughter of Grammy Award winning jazz musician Tony Bennett as she discusses what it was like growing up surrounded by the jazz music scene and how it shaped her into the musician she is today. From growing up surrounded by greats like Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra to collaborating with her father as early as four years old she recounts her journey through the music...
Apr 01, 2024•50 min
Marshall Ramsey sits down with Natalie Perkins, a Rolling Fork-based journalist and recently named USA Today Woman of the Year. She discusses her journalistic efforts during the devastating EF4 tornado that struck her community in March 2023 and how she was able to keep those around her informed during that time of crisis. Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also ...
Mar 25, 2024•50 min
Dr. Roderick Little is an accomplished conductor, clinician, adjudicator, composer, arranger, drill writer, and instrumentalist, and currently serves as Director of Bands/Assistant Professor of Music at Jackson State University. A native of Jackson, he grew up in a musical family/background, and received his Bachelors and Masters in Music Education, and a Doctorate in Urban Higher Education Administration, all from JSU. He has worked in some form of leadership role for the Sonic Boom since 2012,...
Mar 11, 2024•51 min
Our guest today is Peter Zapletal, one of those most recent recipients of a Governor’s Arts Award. A five-time Emmy Award-winning puppeteer, Peter had an illustrious career right here at Mississippi Public Broadcasting that spanned over several decades, and recently retired as the director of the Puppet Arts Theatre, a professional touring theatre company. Originally from Czechoslovakia, he has a Master’s Degree in Puppetry from the Academy of the Performing Arts in Prague and immigrated with hi...
Mar 04, 2024•49 min
Sally Burchfield Doty was recently named as the first director of BEAM - the Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi. This office serves as the State's sole point of contact for broadband policy and oversees the administration of federal funding for broadband infrastructure expansion. Sally previously served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff where her team provided recommendations to the Mississippi Public Service Commission on all utility...
Feb 26, 2024•48 min
We are honored to welcome an iconic Mississippian from an iconic family to the show today. Reena Evers-Everette is the daughter of civil-rights activists Medgar Evers and Myrlie Evers-Williams. Born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, she studied business merchandising at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. She is now executive director of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute in Jackson, Miss., the same city where he saw her father assassinated at their home in 1963. In addition to the Institu...
Feb 12, 2024•50 min
In the past few months, today's guests have made their own "black history," Here at Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Director of Television Taiwo Gaynor and Director of Radio Java Chatman are the first black individuals to ever serve in their respective roles for the organization. On today's show, both of these men chat with Marshall about upcoming projects, meeting impactful Mississippians, and why our beautiful state has some of the best storytellers in the world. Marshall Ramsey, a nationally...
Feb 05, 2024•48 min
If you’re a Jackson native, my guest today needs no introduction. Bill Ellison is a musician/radio host based in Jackson, Mississippi. Bill, a vocalist, guitarist and pianist, has performed professionally for more than 40 years, playing all styles of music from bluegrass to jazz. Bill has also worked for radio and television stations in Jackson and Memphis during his 45-year broadcasting career in several capacities, including news reporter, morning radio personality, account executive and in ma...
Jan 29, 2024•49 min
If you’ve ever wondered what good it would do if large organized faiths joined forces, todays guests will certainly be of interest to you. Lapidus & Myles is a collaboration between two faith-based musicians in Atlanta. Micah Lapidus is a Reform rabbi who serves as school rabbi for The Davis Academy and is also composer-in-residence at The Temple. Melvin Myles is a highly regarded soloist with the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Choir, former pulpit of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and is al...
Jan 22, 2024•49 min
Happy New Year! We’re doing things a bit differently today and sharing some of our favorite moments from 2023 with you. Join me and my producer Lacey Alexander as we talk about some highlights from the past year, from moving conversations to belly laughs to talks of exciting future projects with some of the coolest guests we’ve talked to this year. Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's E...
Jan 08, 2024•49 min
Our guest today is Nina Parikh, the director of the Mississippi Film Office. She celebrates 25 years with the office this year, as she began working for the Film Office as the deputy director in 1998 and became director in 2017. She studied filmmaking at New York University and the University of Southern Mississippi, and her work place is celebrating a massive anniversary. Mississippi Film is now celebrating 50 years, and she is here to tell us how much has changed since filmmakers started comin...
Dec 18, 2023•49 min
Coach Bill Courtney is a native Tennessean and an Ole Miss graduate. Though already a successful business owner, in 2003, Bill began volunteering at Memphis’ inner city Manassas High School in an effort to turn its underperforming football team around. In 2003, the team had 19 players with a dismal 4-95, 10-year record. In the 2008 & 2009 seasons, the team’s record improved to 18-2, with 75 players. The story inspired a Hollywood film—Undefeated—which won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Feat...
Dec 11, 2023•49 min
Growing up in a military family, George Fondren knows very well what it means to have loved ones overseas for the holidays. That’s why he and his family are hosting the 8th Annual Christmas for the Troops party on December 9 in Ridgeland. This event has grown considerably over the years and now includes scouts and veterans from central Mississippi. George and his two sons use the event to send care packages to military personnel from Mississippi who are deployed and teach young Mississippians th...
Dec 04, 2023•46 min
Joining us today is Michael Farris Smith. He is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Oprah Magazine, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters, and the state he knows so well serves as a backdrop for his recently critically acclaimed novel, “Salvage This World.” A prolific master of the Southern noir, Rough South, and Grit Lit traditions who has ...
Nov 27, 2023•49 min
