John Harris, Spotlight Sponsors, and Jazz Vocalist Karla Harris (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 901)
What happens when business strategy meets artistic passion? In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes John Harris, founder of Spotlight Sponsors, and jazz vocalist Karla Harris. John shares how Spotlight Sponsors helps performing arts venues and community theaters create innovative sponsorship packages that connect local businesses with cultural events. Karla offers her perspective as a touring jazz artist and educator, describing how these partnerships open doors for audiences, venues, and musicians alike. Together, they highlight how creative thinking in sponsorship and performance can strengthen both community and culture.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- John Harris founded Spotlight Sponsors to help performing arts venues create sponsorship packages that provide tangible value to businesses.
- Micro-sponsorships allow community theaters and smaller venues to secure funding and strengthen engagement with local businesses.
- Karla Harris is a nationally touring jazz vocalist, recording artist, and vocal jazz educator at Kennesaw State University.
- Sponsorships become true partnerships when venues focus on client-perceived value rather than donations.
- Jazz continues to thrive with younger generations drawn to its spontaneity, collaboration, and inclusivity.
Topics Discussed in This Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
00:30 Meet John Harris and Karla Harris
01:52 Spotlight Sponsors: Building Sponsorship Packages
03:58 John’s Journey from Engineer to Sponsor Specialist
05:23 Karla’s Jazz Journey and Outreach
07:43 Challenges and Solutions in Small Venues
09:44 Expanding Beyond Initial Efforts
14:54 The Future of Jazz
16:55 Karla’s Work and Tours
17:05 Upcoming Events and Performances
17:56 New Album and Live Streaming
18:14 John’s Unique Approach to Sponsorship
19:28 Creative Sponsorship Ideas
22:55 Success Stories and Client Impact
28:09 Contact Information and Final Thoughts
29:25 Sponsor Highlight and Book Promotion
John Harris, Spotlight Sponsors
John Harris is the founder of Spotlight Sponsors, a company that helps performing arts venues and artists create innovative sponsorship packages that deliver real value to local businesses and communities. Spotlight Sponsors specializes in micro-sponsorships, enabling community theaters and small venues to thrive by connecting them with business partners eager to support the arts.
Before launching Spotlight Sponsors, John spent 35 years as an industrial engineer with UPS, leading large-scale projects in quality control, process optimization, and distribution strategy. After retiring, he consulted for companies including Primo Water Corporation, Trivnow LLC, and Percentsharp LLC. An engineer at heart and a problem-solver by training, he now applies that expertise to the performing arts, bridging business strategy with cultural enrichment so venues can secure funding and deliver memorable artistic experiences.
John holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and dual master’s degrees in Computer Resources and Information Management and in Management from Webster University.
Jazz Vocalist Karla Harris
Karla Harris is a jazz vocalist, recording artist, and educator whose career spans more than four decades. She has appeared at festivals and venues nationwide and abroad, including the Sarasota Jazz Festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series, and a TED Talk. Recently she has been recognized with a Jazz Road grant from South Arts, Atlanta Magazine’s Women Making a Mark award, and was named a Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association.
In addition to her performances and recordings, Karla serves as artist-in-residence with the Jazz Studies department at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches Applied Vocal Jazz. Her discography includes Karla Harris Sings the Dave and Iola Brubeck Songbook, Certain Elements, and Moon to Gold, a collaboration with the Joe Alterman Trio. Her music has been praised for its dynamic range, emotional depth, and ability to honor tradition while bringing a fresh voice to the American Songbook.
Originally from St. Louis and now based in Atlanta, Karla began performing while in college and went on to work with respected jazz artists across the country. She continues to balance a busy performance schedule with her teaching and community outreach, using her artistry to inspire audiences and mentor the next generation of jazz singers.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $17 billion in assets and more than 180 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from each banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way to better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio
If you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their market, community, and profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star rated book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
