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One of the greatest communication tools of the modern age has nothing to do with paper, pens, pencils, typewriters, computers or artificial intelligence. It’s photography and a picture is really worth a thousand words. Photos can speak to you whether you see them or take them; whether they’re in black and white or 21st color; blurred and damaged, unplanned or staged and professionally composed. Photos freeze time. Videos are able to record and replay history. But photos still have the power to create additional images in your mind.

So imagine the legacy of someone who has a collection of more than one million pictures. The photographer, Bud Smith can make this statement and his pictures include one-of-a-kind shots of people such as Mohammed Ali, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, Maynard Jackson, Lionel Richie and the Commodores. He’s snapped shots of momentous events such as the funeral of legendary civil rights icon and former United States Congressman John Lewis. In addition, he also has photographed the homegoing ceremonies for almost every one of Lewis’s peers. This incredible accumulation of photos also has shots of Atlanta’s first ticker-tape parade, which was for Richard Nixon and sports photographs from the beginning days of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and a five-year chronology of aerial photos showing how Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was built .

This edition of TELLING OUR STORY allows Bud to explain how his pictures live up to the title of this series. He has a lifetime of interactions with people whom most of us have only seen on big and small screens, in newspapers and magazines. Bud had the unique experience of actually providing the pictures we saw. He worked for the Atlanta Daily World which was a Black owned newspaper, owned by a Republican family. Johnson Publishing employed him for decades, as did individual record companies who had him follow big-name stars.

Bud’s stories in this episode chronicle both his life and the cultural development in the United States through photos taken of leaders, exceptional performing artists, once-in-a-lifetime events, sports and architecture. The insights he shares through his lens are the only thing more impressive than his memories of taking incredible pictures.

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This episode of the Atlanta Business League’s TELLING OUR STORY podcast was recorded in front of a live audience. It also honors the memory of a woman who helped establish the largest continuously operating conference for Black women business owners and professionals in the country. The woman who spearheaded the formation of that conference isn’t a household name. However, she was very well-known among decision makers at Atlanta City Hall. This edition of TELLING OUR STORY introduces you to Alice White Bussey as remembered by two very well-known names, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Honorable Judge Penny Brown Reynolds.

Both explain why women like Alice, and others named in their discussion, make a difference when elected officials make choices.

Judge Penny and former Mayor Shirley also talk about their legacies in government and what they see for the future.

This live question and answer session is powerful, motivating and even dives into topics such as mental health stability and Shirley’s nine months of professional counseling. The five hundred people who heard this exchange at an Atlanta hotel ballroom during the 41st Annual Super Tuesday conference in October 2025 left feeling renewed. This podcast gives millions a chance to feel that way by listening to the deep insights shared by two friends who are also very wise women.

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AS SEEN ON TV...

More than 80 percent of the population in the United States watches reality TV and one of the most popular genres deals with home renovations. Many of these shows are often produced to cater more to cameras than construction and there don't see a lot of people of color on camera. That’s why real estate expert Egypt Sherrod and her husband, master builder, Mike Jackson, have garnered a worldwide audience of enthusiastic viewers.

In this podcast, they explain that none of their TV projects were window-dressed. In fact, some took up to a year to complete. They also discuss why a business plan and the objective of doing more than just starring in a reality show has made them millionaires.

They’re a part of this series because, first and foremost, Egypt and Mike are astute business people.

In addition to having decades of experience in their industries, they have built companies that aren’t dependent on on-air programming. Mike owns Jackson Draper Construction, which he runs with Egypt’s uncle, Mark. Egypt has developed products that sell nationwide at JC Penny and Target stores under her Indigo Road family of companies. This episode of ABL DUOs explains how this couple was able to use their reality show to create sustainable business models while also building a following.

But there’s another inspiring story behind the slick production, most recently seen on their Emmy nominated HGTV series, “Married to Real Estate.” This is a married couple who has been together for more than 20 years and have a hilarious story about how they fell in love. They describe the dynamics of their relationship and explain how they use it to run successful businesses while also raising three children.

Through it all, they both focus on remaining positive while working in an industry that makes money showcasing negative behavior. The reward for their perspectives is the ability to build success in the face of obstacles.