Building Bold Brands: How Jonathan Halley Turned Big Slate Media into a Creative Powerhouse

Jonathan Halley didn't set out with a master plan to build one of East Tennessee's most recognized creative agencies, but a drone, a viral video, and a willingness to say yes changed everything. In this episode of We Built This Brand, Jonathan shares the story behind founding Big Slate Media, growing from a one-person operation into a 30+ person production company and creative agency, and what he's learned about leadership along the way. He opens up about hiring his first employee, learning to let go of control, why relationships matter more than marketing, and how coaching has made him a better leader. The conversation also explores the future of branding in the age of AI, the launch of B-Roll Bank, Big Slate's expansion into sonic branding, including creating Regal Cinemas' new audio identity, and why authenticity is becoming a brand's greatest competitive advantage. Whether you're building a business, leading a creative team, or navigating entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with practical insights and honest reflections from someone who's built a brand by embracing change instead of chasing perfection. ---------------------------------- Show Highlights: ---------------------------------- (00:17) Meet Jonathan Halley (01:47) Origin Story to Big Slate (07:07) Early Growth Catalysts (11:45) Brand Name and Scaling Up (20:02) Big Slate Today (21:57) Sonic Branding Wins (23:08) New Mega Studio Move (25:36) B Roll Bank Explained (29:43) AI Shaping Brands (36:56) Host Picks Orvis (38:08) Wrap Up And Where To Connect ---------------------------------- About Jonathan: ---------------------------------- Jonathan Halley is a creative entrepreneur, executive producer, and founder based in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the founder and owner of Big Slate, an integrated creative company that brings together strategy, storytelling, production, social media, advertising, and technology to help brands communicate in more meaningful and memorable ways. Jonathan launched Big Slate in 2015 and has since grown the company from a small production operation into a multidisciplinary creative team working with regional and national brands. Under his leadership, Big Slate has developed campaigns, commercials, branded content, digital experiences, and original storytelling across a wide range of industries. His work is driven by a belief that strong creative ideas, thoughtful collaboration, and exceptional execution can help organizations build deeper relationships with the people they serve. In addition to Big Slate, Jonathan is the founder of B Roll Bank, a media technology company developing private, AI-powered tools that help organizations organize, search, and unlock the value of their video and content libraries. The platform is designed to make large media archives more accessible, useful, and secure by connecting directly to an organization’s existing storage infrastructure. Jonathan is also the owner of Marble City Studios, a production and creative facility in Knoxville designed to support commercial productions, photography, podcasts, events, education, gear rentals, and the broader creative community. Through Marble City Studios, he hopes to create a premium destination for production in East Tennessee while helping attract more ambitious creative work to the region. Across each of his ventures, Jonathan is passionate about building creative businesses, developing talented people, creating strong company cultures, and expanding opportunities for filmmakers, artists, entrepreneurs, and storytellers. He is especially interested in the intersection of creativity, leadership, technology, and community development, and in exploring what it takes to build companies that are both ambitious and deeply human. Jonathan’s work and leadership have been recognized through honors including the Knoxville Chamber Pinnacle Young Entrepreneur Award, Knox.biz 40 Under 40, and VIP Knoxville’s 50 Under 50. He lives in Knoxville with his wife, Cassie, and continues to invest his energy in building companies, developing people, and helping shape the future of the creative industry in East Tennessee. ~~Links:~~ Big Slate Media – https://bigslatemedia.com HumblePod – https://humblepod.com We Built This Brand – https://webuiltthisbrand.com