David Bash and Chris Nabholz - Augusta Podcasts
Chris Nabholz (l) and David Bash (r) in the Augusta Podcasts studio in downtown Augusta.
Stories help us to understand how things came to be. Be it a business, a work of art, or a spectacular event, learning about the background of an endeavor puts it into perspective. David Bash and Chris Nabholz love getting the story out there, so they formed Augusta Podcasts to help others do it as well. Though, as with nearly every narrative, this was not a clear cut path to entrepreneurship.
Chris and David met while working with Amplified Events. Through shared interest and complimenting skillsets, the pair started a podcast. Initially it was a SportsCenter-styled format which ran through a list local restaurants and bars with reviews. They considered these episodes practice, and shared that they have relegated them to “never be heard again”. They followed up with the query of “What’s Under Lake Olmstead?”, getting at what lays beneath the surface here in Augusta. That led to more thematic presentations including their “What’s the DAM situation?” with them interviewing the Savannah Riverkeeper. This enabled them to tackle an issue which was not fully understood by the public and to present it in layman’s terms. This episode really helped them figure out what works for a podcast in the Augusta area, so they decided to focus on introducing people in Augusta who are doing cool things, allowing them to tell their stories about different parts of the city. This laid the foundation of what would become their Drop the Dis podcast.
“Our goal is to allow anyone with a message to create and build a platform, to meet their individual version of success.” - David Bash
David emphasizes that experience guided them. As they started, the thought that experience was so crucial seemed like others putting limits on what they could do. In time, David has embraced the need for experience as he has learned a lot in the last couple of years that he had not foreseen.
Along with the trial and error of the process, infusing people to their process and methodology has been crucial. Simply running into folks, meeting them, and learning their story has led to episodes which provided unique perspectives about Augusta.
An early guest on their podcast said something along the lines of, “Augusta does not always do a good job of telling its own story.” In order to help Augusta tell its story, David and Chris recognized it was important to create a community where people can share their stories of the city.
They decided to officially begin their new podcast in late winter 2020. They had no idea this would end up occurring in what was turning into a global pandemic. Their first episode had to be via Zoom, cancellations and rescheduling followed, and some iffy moments arose as they maneuvered through the restrictions to maintain a safe experience for their guests.
Originally, they had titled their new podcast “Drop Disgusta” to encourage their listeners to give up the negative moniker of the city. A guest of the show early on had quipped, “Drop the Dis”, accidentally perhaps, though it started a conversation about the use of the name “Disgusta” reinforcing the negative view, so the guys opted to go with the name “Drop the Dis” by summer 2020.
A breakthrough in the marketing of Drop the Dis came with their first real sponsor, Nancy Powell. David says she shares a similar vision and mission of business in Augusta. This established a foundation for all future sponsorships. David and Chris started their podcast as a way to highlight the city. As they have continued their efforts, it all goes back to building up the city and ensuring it continues to grow with this younger generation getting involved. In addition to NancyPowell, Drop the Dis has gained Edgars, Tranter Gray, and theClubhou.se as sponsors.
Chris Nabholz is highly focused on the marketing end. He manages the social media, guest booking, sponsorship sales, and similar needs.
As they developed their own podcast more and found a stride, they regularly found people who wanted to elaborate on their own story more. More podcasts were being born! “We formed our own podcast and learned a lot through trial and error,” says David. “We have been fortunate to learn what works and be able to find sponsors to help us to upgrade our technology. Now we want to share our knowledge,, technology, and expertise with others, local and otherwise.” With that, Augusta Podcasts was on the scene! “We see an opportunity to meet a need that traditional media companies simply do not seem to be interested in,” explained David. “Our goal is to allow anyone with a message to create and build a platform, to meet their individual version of success.”
Their original idea was to simply invite others to their studio to use the equipment. David said, “Many people want to do their own recording, but then don't have the software or experience to properly edit and publish. Over time, we decided to step in and really emphasize education and production.” Augusta Podcasts looks at the entire enterprise of developing a podcast and how it ties into the brand. Their services focus on the need to improve sound quality, determine a consistency to publication and posting, and continuity of a brand.
Asked about significant experiences that have influenced their growth as a company, they stated that those experiences “are mostly failures.” David explained, “We have tried many different ways to record podcasts, many different ways to edit, different styles of episode publishing, different marketing strategies, and every time we have learned a lot of lessons. Augusta Podcasts gives us an opportunity to share those lessons and save others from making the same mistakes as us.”
Aligning with theClubhou.se value of Risk Boldly, David shared, “To me, it does not mean that we went out and over leveraged ourselves financially and created a bold growth plan that is boom or bust. To me, it references our attempt to create our market. Many people that we talk to have no idea that a business like our’s exists. To create a category for production and consultation for podcasts is going to be an uphill battle. Of course, we are also sharing solutions from our experience.”
A typical day has David working on the the technical side of production. He handles video editing, voice-overs and sound touch-ups, and podcast recordings. Chris is highly focused on the marketing end. He manages the social media, guest booking, sponsorship sales, and similar needs.
Coming up next, Augusta Podcast plan to renovate their studio to create a more robust experience and add auser-friendly video production element. They also hope to bring on new team members to fulfill production and marketing roles.
Learn more about Augusta Podcasts, LLC and Drop the Dis.