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BUSINESS Retail • Projects • Profiles
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Smooth Like Butter
Brandon Butler talks Krystal collaboration, llluminarium & Waffle House
down on what works to better serve our
audience.
Q. How did the collaboration with
Krystal come about for the reimagining
of the West Midtown fast food joint?
A. At Butter, we believe Atlanta is the heart
of modern culture — where institution and
innovation meet. Krystal came to us to help
modernize its brand, and together we came
up with this culture-packed restaurant space
that serves as a connection point between
By Collin Kelley
B randon Butler is the executive
director of Butter.ATL, the
award-winning culture chan
nel that focuses on all things
iconic, ironic and irreverent
— along with a strong voice in activism —
happening in Atlanta. With more than
100,000 followers — including luminar
ies and commenters like Big Boi, Usher,
Chrissy Teigen, and Tim McGraw — but-
ter.atl is a daily stop for Instagrammers.
Butter, the in-house media company
of Old Fourth Ward-based ad agency
Dagger, is also collaborating with Krystal
to transform the West Midtown location
at 14th and Northside into the Krystal
x Butter experience featuring a hip-hop
makeover on the outside and music, art,
and history on the inside.
One of those increasingly rare
Atlanta natives, Butler is steeped in all
things ATL, including its music scene. Be
sure to check out his In the Mix playlist
on Intown’s Spotify channel, including the
new channel-inspired tune “Butter ATL” by
Ludacris.
Q. Butter is a mix of irreverent humor
and topical news. How did you decide
what the content mix would be and how
has it evolved as Butter’s audience has
grown?
Iff
A. Culture is Atlanta’s number one export,
and Butter drives the culture forward by
putting a spotlight on the cultural mecca
that Atlanta is — the mainstream, and the
nitty-gritty of it; sometimes funny, always
topical. Publishers and media companies
in the area have been telling stories about
Atlanta for a long time, but not in a voice
that’s authentic and reflective of its culture.
Butter speaks with the city’s voice to tell
the city’s stories, and people love that one-
to-one connection. People feel seen, heard,
and represented — and it really dials up
the hometown pride. As we grow, we’re
making sure we stay true to our city and its
culture. Everything gets pressure tested by
authenticity.
Q. How does your background in digital
media (including working with Cox and
WABE) inform the direction of Butter?
A. My background in tech/digital media is
one of our secret weapons at Butter. Having
a deep understanding of how content is
shared and consumed has empowered us
to optimize our digital approach. It’s also
helped me understand what analytics are
most important so that we can double
14 SEPTEMBER 2021 | na
Krystal and the Atlanta community. We
hope our followers will love Krystal x Butter
as a physical touchstone that is every bit the
love letter to Atlanta that our content is.
Q. Not to throw any shade, but what
cultural attraction in Atlanta is totally
overrated and why? On the flip side,
what’s a local attraction/space that
everyone is sleeping on.
A. Overrated: The streetcar. Why buy a
ticket to nowhere and back?
Underrated: llluminarium. I was blown
away when I had the chance to get the full
llluminarium experience. The safari is epic,
the nighttime bar is amazing, and I hear the
next experience drops you into outer space.
You usually only see this kind of tech in
Dubai and Vegas — but it’s right here in the
ATL.
Don’t sleep: Krystal x Butter opening
August 20!
Q. What’s your usual order at Waffle
House?
A. All-Star Special with scrambled eggs with
cheese and hash browns extra crispy, plus
a Texas bacon cheesesteak sandwich, and a
sweet tea (yes, that’s all for me). QH
See Underground’s transformation up close
Work has begun on the long-awaited transformation of
Underground Atlanta, and you can get an up close look at
the changes with a special series of guided tours.
The tours are being held the first Saturday of every
month giving attendees the opportunity to get a peek
behind and below the scenes for a taste of what was what’s
to come. Tickets and time slots are available at 10 and
11:30 a.m. All ticket sales will benefit Atlanta Mission,
a nonprofit dedicated to empowering those experiencing
homelessness in Atlanta.
Tourgoers will meet at the Peach Drop Tower at their
designated reservation time, then stroll under the viaducts
for a look at Humbug Square, the last remaining gas lamp
post, the old Dante’s Down the Hatch space, Kenny’s Alley
and more.
Underground will soon have a new food hall with a
mix of local and international flavors from 21 vendors,
new retailers, offices, homes and more. “The Art of Banksy:
Without Limits” opens Sept. 2 and thousands are expected
to see the exhibition this fall and winter.
Tickets are available at rebelity.com/EventDates/1107/
underground-tours 03
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