On Success: A Conversation with John Thomas
The 411Brand Podcast — Directed & Edited by Insomniatic Media · July 9, 2026 · Sage Atlanta
Success rarely starts where people assume it does.
On July 9th, we had the privilege of directing a podcast production in partnership with 411Brand, recorded live at Sage Atlanta. Host Paris Giles sat down with Mr. John Thomas, founder of 411Brand, for a conversation that was less interview and more homecoming — the kind of conversation where you can tell the person on the mic has been carrying these stories for years, just waiting for the right room to tell them in.
The topic was Success. But what unfolded was really a story about origin — Mr. Thomas walking us through his childhood, and the way a basketball court became the first place he understood discipline, community, and purpose all at once. That early love for the game didn't stay on the court. It became the blueprint for everything he'd go on to build: 411Brand, an organization dedicated to bringing sports, education, and technical training programming to underserved urban youth.
Mr. Thomas didn't talk about success as a destination. He talked about it as something you construct, piece by piece, usually out of the very obstacles that were supposed to stop you.
What made this production special wasn't just the content — it was the clarity. Mr. Thomas didn't talk about success as a destination. He talked about it as something you construct, piece by piece, usually out of the very obstacles that were supposed to stop you. Paris asked the right questions to let that unfold naturally, and our job was to direct and edit the episode so the room, the sound, and the story all did justice to what was being shared.
This episode is part of The 411Brand Podcast, recorded in Sage Atlanta's Podcast Production Studio with engineer Frank Owusu behind the board. It's exactly the kind of work Insomniatic Media exists to do — sitting at the intersection of media, education, and purpose, helping organizations like 411Brand turn lived experience into content that can actually reach and reshape the next generation.
- Direction & Editing: Insomniatic Media
- In Partnership With: 411Brand
- Recorded At: Sage Atlanta, Podcast Production Studio
- Audio Engineer: Frank Owusu
- Host: Paris Giles
- Featuring: John Thomas, Founder of 411Brand