Episode 12

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Published on:

10th Oct 2024

Harmony and Hometowns: Griffin Eaton On What South Bend - Elkhart Must Do To Keep Creative Businesses

This week host Marty Mechtenberg and Susan Ford sit down with Griffin Eaton, the visionary behind Juke—an innovative platform likened to a modern jukebox for live music. Griffin shares the origins of Juke, revealing how a personal need for song requests at a live music event evolved into a thriving business venture. He shares the initial challenges and opportunities in South Bend, leading to the eventual relocation to Nashville, pursuing deeper industry connections. He also discusses expanding Juke's features, including fan interactivity at live events and breaking into sports. 

Listen as Marty, Susan, and Griffin talk about the supportive South Bend community and give advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

QUOTES

  • "I don't know anything about being a musician. So I started talking to them, and it seemed like there was a need, there was changing economics with streaming, right? I was like, well, it looks like a market, a little piece of technology sitting between the artist and the fan could solve both issues for them and issues for fans.” -Griffin Eaton [06:29]
  • "The worst vice is advice. I like that line. The thing I kept doing was just telling people about the idea, telling people where I was and working on it and just doing it, just taking the next step in my previous ideas I'd had of a startup and working on different things. ” -Griffin Eaton [37:11]

TIMESTAMPS

(00:01) Exploring Juke: A Modern Take on the Classic Jukebox

(07:13) From Side Hustle to Startup: Griffin Eaton's Entrepreneurial Journey

(16:45) Innovative Fan Engagement with Juke at Concerts and Sports Events

(23:49) From South Bend to Nashville: Building Music Industry Connections

(27:31) Creating a Self-Sustaining Live Music Ecosystem Through Collaboration

(29:48) Building a Thriving Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in South Bend

(42:26) Empowering Artists and Enhancing Concert Experiences with Juke

RESOURCES

Griffin Eaton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-juke/ 


CONTACT

Martin Mechtenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mechtenberg-515a648/ 

Susan Ford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-howard-ford-8446441/

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About the Podcast

Rooted and Reaching
Stories about local Startups and Founders in South Bend and Elkhart
There’s a job to do, and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, a midwestern work ethic is changing the narrative from rusty to ready. Our cities are opening up and working together as a region—universities are engaging beyond their campuses, sharing their brainpower and realizing that they’re bigger and better with the community behind them. Organizations are reaching out to newcomers and helping them build local networks, leveling the playing field. Infrastructure is being creatively adapted to be gathering places where new deals are made, new collisions happen, and new entrepreneurs take root. Join the Rooted & Reaching podcast, where we discuss the startup life with entrepreneurs with connections to the South Bend - Elkhart region.

In doing this, we will inform the general public and ourselves about what resources are available and the major pain points of entrepreneurs in our region. This podcast is also intended to tell the amazing stories of our local entrepreneurs in the hope that it will inspire another person in the region considering an entrepreneurial pursuit to take that leap of faith and see the supportive atmosphere in the area.