MAVERICKS with MARTY KOTIS
Mavericks. Independent thinkers and entrepreneurs who laugh in the face of peer pressure and are brave enough to get things done. Marty’s expertise covers topics including real estate development, concepts, street art, hospitality industry, UNC, politics, and Greensboro, NC. His Maverick guests sit down for a open and frank discussion about a wide range of topics including many controversial ones.
Mavericks. Independent thinkers and entrepreneurs who laugh in the face of peer pressure and are brave enough to get things done. Marty’s expertise covers topics including real estate development, concepts, street art, hospitality industry, UNC, politics, and Greensboro, NC. His Maverick guests sit down for a open and frank discussion about a wide range of topics including many controversial ones.
Episodes

Jun 29, 2022
Joe Killian - Media, Politics & UNC
Jun 29, 2022
Jun 29, 2022
2hr 59 min
I asked my guest Joe Killian – a veteran journalist - to write these episode notes given his chosen profession:
What happens when a right leaning libertarian businessman and a left-leaning veteran journalist get together and talk? Sometimes they find common ground, agree on contentious issues and respectfully disagree on others. Shocker? It shouldn’t be.When you’re a maverick, you make up your own mind and aren’t intimidated by opposing ideas.This conversation has everything. The history of journalism and the shifting media landscape. Cancel culture vs. actual censorship. Ben Shapiro. Nikole Hannah-Jones. In my opinion there are few things more enjoyable than a long talk with someone who is intelligent, intellectually honest and with whom you may disagree on many things.Links to learn more about Joe Killian:NC Policy WatchJoe’s Twitter.Joe’s guest column for the News & Record (waaaaay back in 2004) about Tristan Taormino, the lecturer he tells us about from his days at UNCG.His story on Nikole Hannah-Jones turning down UNC tenure offer, going to Howard University.His interview with Walter Hussman.
His interview with Susan King, former dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
His story on the UNC Hussman faculty and Walter Hussman’s core values statement.
Joe Killian, Investigative Reporter, joined N.C. Policy Watch in August of 2016. His work takes a closer look at government, politics and policy in North Carolina and their impact on the lives of everyday people. Before joining Policy Watch, Joe spent a decade at the News & Record in Greensboro, reporting on everything from cops and courts to higher education. He covered the city councils of High Point and Greensboro and the Guilford County Board of Commissioners before becoming the paper’s full-time government and politics reporter. His work has also appeared in the Winston-Salem Journal, Go Triad, the Bristol Press in Bristol, Conn., and the Cape Cod Times in Hyannis, Mass. joe@ncpolicywatch.com919-863-2402

Jun 23, 2022
Jun 23, 2022
2hr 5 min
Jenna Rice and Doug Cason are two very talented street artists in North Carolina, USA. In this episode we chat about:
Artistic freedom
How people sometimes misunderstand art
The role of art
Making a living as an artist
The spray can medium
Street Art and Graffiti
And advice for aspiring mavericks
This is part of a whole series of street artists that I’ll be hosting as part of our Kotis Street Art effort.
Doug’s Website
Doug’s Instagram - @douglascasonart
Jenna’s Website
Jenna’s Instagram - @jennariceart
Kotis Street Art Website
KSA Instagram - @kotisstreetart

May 27, 2022
May 27, 2022
3hr 3 min
Two black democrats and two white republicans - who happen to be friends - come together for a candid conversation about race, Black Lives Matter and finding common ground.Rev. Odell Cleveland and Bill Goebel from Common Ground Podcasthttps://thecommonground.showDeshawn Adams - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Googlehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/deshawnadams/A native of Greensboro, NC, Deshawn Adams is Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Program Manager at Google. In his role, Deshawn is responsible for building and scaling DEI programs across Google and providing business leaders the knowledge and skills needed to build a more representative and inclusive company. Prior to joining Google, he advised Fortune 100 companies in technology, media, and entertainment industries as a human capital consultant at Deloitte, a global consulting firm. He began his career at UPS’s corporate office in Atlanta, GA after converting his internship into a full-time opportunity in CRM Technology and Sales during his time at Morehouse College.Deshawn received his B.A. in English from Morehouse College in 2015.
Odell Cleveland is a nationally recognized leader helping diverse groups reach common ground related to pressing social problems. He has decades of experience in business and nonprofit agency leadership, as well as expertise related to addressing tough societal issues. Having grown up in poverty, he has seen safety nets turn into hammocks. One of his goals is to help individuals untangle these hammocks/safety nets and lead productive and fulfilling lives.
He provides consulting services to individuals and other organizations, with specific expertise related to poverty, welfare reform and community relations. Odell has been called on by national think tanks such as the Urban Institute and the American Enterprise Institute, as well as many local and regional organizations to provide insights that lead to solutions. He is a motivational speaker, executive trainer and an esteemed meeting facilitator, leading diverse groups through tough issues and uncomfortable conversations, while at the same time understanding the common ground that leads to positive solutions.
On the administrative front in the nonprofit world, he has expertise in legal requirements related to setting up and running agencies, board member selection and training, controlling growth, financial stability, preventing mission drift and understands the business skills required to accomplish agency mission.
On the podcast Odell talks often about his grandmother who was a member of The Gullah Geechee people.
Bill Goebel has thirty years’ experience in senior management in training, marketing, sales, licensing, manufacturing, importing & exporting and finance. Bill teaches many subject areas including culture change, leadership, LEAN, troubleshooting, problem solving, and team building. He has provided instruction to over 30 different organizations.
He is the owner and President of MPACT Solutions LLC, a training company that provides online and hands-on instruction. MPACT has a propriety online skill assessment for identifying the technical skill gap for maintenance technicians and machine operators. He also owns a franchise of Focus CFO Focus CFO, a provider of fractional CFOs.
He has been on numerous boards for both profit and nonprofit organizations.
He recently served on a team that started a bank to service small business commercial loans in NC.
Bill is an Eagle Scout and currently serves as Vice Chair of Territory 15 of BSA. He is a Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope Award recipient, and a Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow. He served as Area 7 President for BSA.
For the past 18 years, he has mentored high school boys from his local church. He has been on 13 short term mission trips to underprivileged areas of the USA, Cuba and Israel. He has traveled to over 42 countries.
He is married to Dori and has three children Will, Jessa and Elisa Kay.
He studied at Harvard, Case Western University in Cleveland, Roosevelt University in Chicago. His degree is in Business Management from Cleveland State University

May 19, 2022
Mavericks with Marty Podcast Trailer
May 19, 2022
May 19, 2022
5 min
Welcome to Mavericks with Marty. Mavericks are independent thinkers. They think outside the box. They're people that don't bow to peer pressure. Basically, people like me. In this podcast, we don't shy away from difficult topics. We tackle all the things that you're not supposed to talk about in polite conversation. In the first episode, we talk about politics and dark money in politics and the nitty gritty and the backroom deals that go on. In the second episode, we talk about race and Black Lives Matter. In the third episode, I talk with two street artists and we talk about the challenges of being a professional artist. In the fourth episode, I chat with a liberal member of the media.But most importantly - we have open and honest conversations with independent thinkers who don't bow to peer pressure. I look forward to having you join our discussions!

May 13, 2022
May 13, 2022
1hr 24 min
Former US Congressman Mark Walker exposes the dirty side of politics - dark money PACs and backroom deals. But as a maverick - he doesn't bow to pressure from the establishment or the king makers. We talk about how his voting card isn't for sale and how to navigate politics with integrity and faith.
https://walker4nc.com
https://www.instagram.com/repmarkwalker/
Who the Hell is Marty Kotis?
Meet Marty Kotis: developer, restaurateur, street art curator, adventurer, maverick. His company, Kick Ass Concepts, owns 1 million square feet of retail space in the Southeast — from traditional grocery stores and chain restaurants to high-end tattoo parlors and whisky bars. It’s easy to spot his properties in Guilford County, North Carolina. They’re the ones covered with colorful murals and graffiti painted by some of the world’s most renowned street artists.
Kotis’ holdings are as eclectic as the man himself. He’s the owner of Greensboro’s last independently owned movie theater, RED Cinemas, and the only remaining Darryl’s Wood Fired Grill. One of his proudest accomplishments was when his Pig Pounder Brewery commissioned a piece of art for his new beer called No Filter, an imperial stout aged for 12 months in bourbon barrels. You need 3-D glasses for the full effect: Look through the red lens and you'll see a nice image of President Donald Trump. Look through the blue lens and you'll see a pig. Look without the glasses and both Trump and the pig appear. The concept outraged liberals and conservatives equally, but got everyone having a conversation — which is exactly what Kotis wanted.
He’s a motorcycle rider, a gun enthusiast and world traveler. When he was younger, he finished the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco six times, swimming 1.5 miles from Alcatraz Island to the shore. He’s free-climbed Mt. Olympus and kayaked around Manhattan Island with ferries rambling by. He works hard and plays hard.
He serves on the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees and previously served on the UNC Board of Governors for eight years, where he was often the lone dissenting vote.
Most of all, he’s a maverick: independent, daring, decisive and unafraid to speak his mind.

Topics
Tune in as we have in-depth conversations on topics covering Marty's expertise: real estate development, concept development, street art & graffiti, the University of North Carolina, politics, Greensboro, NC and more.
But no topics are off limits with our guests - so we lean on their expertise and what sets them apart as a Maverick!

Upcoming Mavericks
We have a great line up of guest mavericks including Rev. Odell Cleveland and Bill Goebel (Common Ground Podcast), DeShawn Adam (Google DEI), Mark Walker (US Senate Candidate and former Congressman), Jenna Rice and Doug Cason (Street Artists), Joe Killian (NC Policy Watch Journalist), Dale Conboy (Painted Lady Tattoo Studio), Brian Hernandez (Zero Dark Nerdy Pop Culture Podcast), Mike Rosado (Pencil Pusher's Podcast and Artist), JEKS (Street Artist), Stuart Arnold (Fortnight Brewing), Nick and Dima (4099 Podcast), Carolyn Woodruff (Woodruff Family Law), and Joseph Wilkerson (Artist and Uptown Greensboro Advocate).






