Ryan Davis, founder of People First, joins Drop The Mic to unpack how AI is transforming not just marketing, but leadership, influence, and trust. From political campaigns to brand building, Ryan shares how artificial intelligence is changing how we communicate, connect, and convert in a world of digital overload.

Jason and Ryan dive into how micro-influencers are outpacing mass followings, how AI is reshaping customer targeting and content creation, and why authenticity—not automation—will define the next era of digital strategy. This is a real look at what marketers, consultants, and creators need to do now to future-proof their brand in 2025.

We dive into:
🤖 AI-driven influencer strategy and what’s coming next
🎯 Why micro-influencers are winning the attention game
🧠 Human creativity vs. AI copy — what still matters most
📢 How to balance authenticity, automation, and speed
🔍 What a political campaign would look like if it launched today using AI

Whether you're a brand leader, consultant, or creator, this episode will help you rethink how you show up and lead in an AI-first world.

[00:00] – Intro: Drop the Mic with Jason Hunt
[00:05] – Living in Guadalajara as a digital nomad
[02:31] – From theater director to digital strategist
[06:47] – Early political marketing + Howard Dean campaign
[09:12] – The birth of internet influencers in politics
[10:49] – What a 2025 AI-powered campaign would look like
[12:05] – AI-generated ICPs and smarter targeting
[13:42] – Why real content still beats AI output
[16:01] – Emotion, storytelling, and human copywriting
[18:00] – Reporting, measurement, and creative testing with AI
[22:21] – Hyper-personalized marketing and influencer strategy
[24:45] – Red flags in AI-generated engagement
[27:40] – Micro-influencers: why authenticity scales
[32:30] – How to avoid over-optimization
[35:11] – Full-funnel influencer planning + creative
[38:57] – Funnel-stage content and scalable creator assets
[40:04] – Behind the scenes of the People First newsletter
[41:26] – Ryan’s favorite digital trends & wrap-up

🌐 Website: https://jayhunt.social
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayhuntofficial

Greg Kaiser has over 30 years in the corporate world—including time at Hershey—and now running his own consultancy, Greg shares lessons in management, delegation, time optimization, and how to think about AI from a leadership perspective.

Jason and Greg dive into why most managers are spending time on the wrong things, how to stop micromanaging, and why meetings and communication are often a company’s real bottleneck—not the employees. Greg also shares how he's using AI as a research and decision-making tool, and why leaders shouldn't try to master it—but should know how to hire people who do.

We dive into:
🧠 The mindset shift from corporate exec to independent consultant
📊 How to delegate better and stop being the bottleneck
⏱️ Why time—not money—is your most valuable resource
👥 The problem with meetings and how to fix communication instead
🤖 How Greg is using AI in his consulting business today

Whether you're an executive, founder, or team lead, this episode is a crash course in managing smarter and leading more effectively.

⏱️ Timestamps:

[02:20] – Greg’s new venture: Management Mastery
[04:50] – Greg’s corporate journey from mailroom to managing global ops at Hershey
[09:20] – Why he left corporate after being told “you’ll never be COO”
[12:55] – First client story: how Greg launched into consulting
[15:15] – Why business owners need to stop doing everything themselves
[17:30] – The cost of micromanagement and poor delegation
[20:50] – How to help leaders identify time waste with “Know Thy Time”
[23:10] – 80/20 rule and Return on Invested Time
[25:15] – How to structure effective meetings in 2025
[28:50] – What remote work changed about team communication
[31:30] – The myth of multitasking & how to fix your focus
[34:10] – How Greg uses AI for research and decision support
[39:00] – Why AI works best when humans know how to prompt it
[41:20] – Where to find Greg online and learn more about his work

🔗 Connect & Support:

🌐 Website: https://jayhunt.social
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayhuntofficial

Sponsor: https://chatello.ai

Kasim Aslam is one of the most respected voices in performance marketing. He joins Drop The Mic to share how he scaled his agency to 200+ clients, exited for 8-figures, and why he believes AI and answer engine optimization (AEO) are the future of digital strategy.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Kasim gets raw about his entrepreneurial failures, the dangers of chasing hype, and what really moves the needle when building a scalable, sellable marketing business. He also shares why traditional digital marketing is dying, why the quality of your people matters more than your tools, and how businesses can win by adopting a bottom-up AI strategy.

We dive into:
🚀 What it takes to sell an agency for 8 figures
💸 Why private equity is targeting media buying businesses
🧠 How AI-enabled executive assistants are transforming operations
🔍 The rise of AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and what comes after SEO
🤖 Why most AI conversations ignore the real opportunity: empowered humans

Kasim brings fire, honesty, and real frameworks for marketers, entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to stay relevant in a rapidly changing digital world.

Episode Timestamps:

[01:30] – Building (and exiting) a top Google Ads agency
[03:00] – 60 offers in 6 months: Why agency valuations spiked
[05:20] – The Google Ads advantage and solving for traffic
[09:40] – Post-exit identity shift and investing lessons
[12:00] – AI as a bottom-up revolution, not top-down
[15:10] – Why mediocre employees + AI = dangerous
[18:45] – Kasim’s EA hiring strategy & human capital model
[22:30] – What most agencies get wrong about AI adoption
[25:40] – Why "Answer Engine Optimization" is the new SEO
[29:30] – The future of nimble teams vs bloated orgs
[32:15] – Paradigm shifts in training, culture & incentives
[36:50] – Empowering team members to lead with AI
[41:00] – Building businesses through delegation & ownership
[43:30] – Kasim’s vision for owning the AEO category

🌐 Website: https://jayhunt.social
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayhuntofficial