Zeke and I have been running into each other at various events for a few years. If I remember correctly, Yehuda Remer (RSWC #012) introduced us at SHOT Show. Zeke is a great guy, very personable and funny. Matt Mallory and I have done some live shows with Zeke, including on at SHOT Shot 2025. He’s been talking to me about doing a show in Memphis and we were able to pull it off after the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta this year.
We started across the street from Graceland, where Elvis Presley lived. He warned me to watch out for high-speed chases, as they have the best drop guns in Memphis!
Zeke has made a great career for himself in several fields. He started in medical sales, pharmaceutical sales, and medical supply sales just to have a solid income. The hours were never-ending, and he was on call all the time, so it was time to move on.
At one point, he got some help from an entrepreneurial friend and learned about marketing. This was his new passion, which he’s been able to use throughout his career and in many fields. They opened a car dealership in Clarksville, TN, and he decided to get his carry permit. Once he was into firearms, he turned it full on.
During drives to work, he would call and talk with his friend Marty “Lefthand” Holder, and they would talk about guns and call it Talking Lead. It hit them that they should start a podcast. His entrepreneur friend owned a radio station, and he asked if they could use the studio to record their podcast. For a while, both Zeke and Vanessa Mandrel had a radio show called Projectile Disfunction. Within four episodes of Talking Lead, they learned there were other great firearm content creators who lived within 30 minutes. Folks like Hickok45, .22 Plinkster, and TNOutdoors9. James Yeager wasn’t too far away either. Their episode with Hickok got them into 117 countries. In six months, they were one of the largest gun podcasts in the world.
At one point, Zeke started doing marketing for a gunsmithing school that shall not be named. He took that company and grew it by over 340% in four years. One day, he opened a message on LinkedIn, and there was a message from a casting agency. They wanted him to audition to be a judge for gunsmithing on the show Master of Arms on Discovery Channel. According to him, the way to win an audition is not to care. Once they found out that he had other media and podcasting skills, they wanted him to host the show. Ashley Hlebinsky (RSWC #130) was also on that show. Unfortunately, the show only lasted one season.
After the TV season of life, he took a hiatus from firearms and got into marketing in the motorcycle world. Yes, one day a week, he had to ride his bike for work! After a while of motorcycle marketing, he reached out to Modern Gun School, MGS. Part of the offer was to do what he did for the other company, but this time he wanted to be a part owner. One of the first things they did was rebrand to MGS Trade School so that it was much more acceptable.
If that wasn’t enough, Zeke took that marketing skill and got into golf while his son was taking lessons. He started Dilligolf. It’s short for “Do I look like I golf.” He’s been growing that YouTube channel, too.
It was such a fun show to record and to hang out with Zeke. We do take a call from Yehuda Remer, The Pew Pew Jew. He’s got so many stories and tells them well. You’ll really get to know him and see what a great guy he is.
Oh yeah… we do see a high-speed chase and pick up a drop gun. As he says, “We’ve got the best drop guns in Memphis.”
Favorite quotes:
- “Whenever I get into anything, I dive in, absolute head first.”
- “Talking Lead was started in a Mexican radio station in Nashville.”
- “What just happened? We might have something on our hands.”
- “Dude, we didn’t know you did all this. Why don’t you audition for the host of this show?”
- “I’ll form an LLC and write off all my golf expenses. And I did.”
About Riding Shotgun With Charlie
Riding Shotgun With Charlie isn’t about firearms. It is about having an intimate conversation with 2 people talking. You’re the fly on the rearview mirror. Many of the passengers are involved in the firearm community.
This is a more intimate conversation than a phone, radio, or Skype interview. You get to see the passengers. And you’ll see where the road and the conversation take you!
