The first-ever VIDEO PODCAST from Broadcast Media: The Inside Track in Series 3 and it's personal.
Ben sits down with his old school friend Tom from Adaptable International (www.tomsoutherton.com/home & https://www.instagram.com/awerealmstudio/) for an hour-long conversation about what really happened during six weeks in Fukuoka, Japan. This isn't the polished conference recap—this is two friends reflecting on building businesses, navigating setbacks, and why authentic human relationships matter more than ever in the AI age.
🎯 WHAT THEY COVER:
The Extended Trip
- Ben arrived to recover from a bike injury and work on AI products—ended up staying 6 weeks
- The conference fortnight: Co-Live Fukuoka (digital nomads) + Ramen Tech (tech trade show)
- Engineer Cafe presentation: AI scheduling for broadcasters that sparked 90 minutes of questions
- Why Tom convinced Ben to extend his stay and dive into the startup scene
The Conference Circuit
- Ramen Tech booth: Demonstrating AI voice bots in Hindi, Chinese, Italian, Spanish live
- The custom ramen bowl generator—AI-powered email marketing with personality
- Pitch competition: 5-minute pitch on AI services (made it through!)
- Meeting digital nomads, remote workers, and potential collaborators
- Queue forming as people tested multilingual voice AI—"faces lighting up with wow factor"
Awe Realm Studios Development
- Tom's ambitious project: Renovating a building on Noko Island in Fukuoka Bay
- The physical vs digital challenge: DIY renovation while building online presence
- Ben's consulting deep dives: 8 deliverables covering strategy, workflow, priorities
- The "single point of failure" realization—identifying the bottleneck
- Separating spring launch (day events) from residential programs (following year)
- Finding 20 hours/week through AI automations in media workflows
The Real Lessons
- Every meaningful opportunity came from human connection—not pitch decks
- The lunch in Fukuoka turning into partnerships
- Meeting competitors at barbecues leading to collaboration
- Why slowing down to focus beats rushing around sightseeing
- Tom: "Watching you just take action and get things done was refreshing"
- Ben: "Broadcast media isn't dead—it's adapting, and I'm adapting with it"
The Tools & Tech
- AI voice bots handling 100+ languages with natural conversation
- Vibe coding: Ben doing development he's "never been able to do before"
- N8N workflows, custom image generation, email automation
- Media production tools for content creators and remote workers
- The palette of AI tools for studio operations
Q4 Plans
- Ben: Back in UK, new client consultancy work, London networking, speaking engagements
- Tom: Spring opening for Awe Realm, regular gigs & recording projects, finding collaborators
- Both: Building on connections made during the conference fortnight
💡 THE CENTRAL THEME:This episode is the counterbalance to Episode 24's deep dive into Japanese AI innovation. That episode showed what AI can do for broadcasting. This episode shows what AI can't do—and why human presence, authenticity, and showing up matters more than any algorithm.
Tom's invitation to come stay, work together, and figure things out? That's what actually moved both businesses forward. Not the tech. The relationship.
🎬 BONUS CONTENT:
- Real workshop methodology behind the 8 deliverables
- How to prioritize when overwhelmed with opportunity
- The "Western + Japanese accommodation" remote worker strategy
- Instant wins: photography, video, marketing expertise through networking
- Why free trade show booths are worth doing
Previous Episodes:
- Episode 22: Fukuoka startup scene
- Episode 23: Japan's tech legacy
- Episode 24: NHK's AI breakthrough
More: ancast.co.uk
#Entrepreneurship #Japan #AIVoiceBots #StudioDevelopment #RemoteWork #DigitalNomads #BusinessStrategy #Fukuoka #AIConsulting #MediaProduction #Collaboration #Videopodcast #RealTalk #HumanConnection
