Beacon Media is supporting and partnering with small town Mayors Preston Blakely (Fletcher, N.C.) and Dalton George (Boone, N.C.) on a new podcast (Do You Even Live Here?) that centers small towns, communities and belonging. Preston and Dalton don’t come from a typical political background — and this dynamic, fun, curious show reflects their Western North Carolina upbringing, experience and values. Dalton is the youngest mayor in the state and Preston isn’t far behind, so you’ll also hear a bit about Pokemon and gaming, too. Come along for the ride and subscribe below! Coming to a radio station near you soon.
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Call for Applications
Freelance Content Creator(s): Exploring the cultural influences and interests of North Carolina’s working people
Application review begins on August 21, 2026. Open until filled.
Beacon Media, DYELH and the labor rights organization Unite Here are seeking a wide range of pitches and storytelling that will be applicable for social media and building a diverse audience, focused on marginalized communities and working people across North Carolina. To us, that means storytelling that is personal, compelling and narrative-driven. However, this pilot is about experimentation and are not being prescriptive and would love to see a broad of range of pitches and experimentation. That could look like:
- A series of clips/interviews for social media, with longer interviews placed on YouTube;
- A series of informative, direct-to-camera videos that showcase an under-covered story or topic;
- A short 5-7 minute documentary, with compelling sequences clipped for social media channels and interesting subjects featured for in-depth interviews on our podcast;
- An audio-only story about an under-covered story in a North Carolina town
- A cultural story featuring an artist and their messaging about what makes North Carolina special.
Latest Episodes
Episode 23 – How far would you walk to vote? w/ Leyton Maluka and Jade Dwyer
Early voting is underway, and Dalton and Preston are joined this week by Leyton Maluka and Jade Dwyer, two of the student organizers behind the viral march to...
Episode 22 – Gwen Frisbie-Fulton: Taking Back Storytelling
The guys are hard at work in the final run-up to this year's election, so this week we're re-airing a classic episode with friend of the show, Gwen...
Episode 21 – The Mayor Who Still Cleans Bathrooms
It's a special episode all about Preston as Dalton turns the mic on his co-host ahead of election season. They play a short bio piece following Preston as he...