FOOD & BEVERAGE MAGAZINE — Most energy bars go from concept to shelf in a few months. ILA spent six years — and the founders will tell you that wasn't a delay. It was the whole point.

The Atlanta-based brand has launched its first two products, ILA Chocolate and ILA Peanut, plant-based energy bars built around whole-food ingredients and adaptogenic herbs. Both are available now, headquartered and distributed out of Atlanta. But in a snack aisle where "adaptogenic" has become a marketing reflex, the story worth watching here isn't the launch. It's who built it, and how long they were willing to wait to get it right.

ILA was founded by Amy Saleh and Eileen Brantley, practicing clinical herbalists with more than two decades of combined training and hands-on herbal practice. Saleh is a Certified Holistic Herbalist trained at the BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies and is currently a doctoral candidate in acupuncture and herbal medicine. Brantley holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine and is a Certified Nutrition Specialist, alongside an herbalism certification from the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine. [MORE]

ROLLING OUT — Joel Iverson, co-founder and CEO of Monday Night Brewing, built a craft beverage company from a group of friends homebrewing in a garage into a six-taproom operation across the Southeast. Stephanie Pardue founded the Gluten Free Atlanta Facebook group nearly two decades ago after going gluten free herself to manage a health condition, turning her own search for safe places to eat into a resource thousands of Atlantans now rely on. On Founders and Funders, the two talk about how one brewer’s quiet effort to make his celiac wife a good beer turned into Gluten Freedom Festival ATL, now heading into its second year at a bigger home, Monday Night Garage.

What first inspired Monday Night Brewing to make this personal for you and your team?

JOEL: It started years ago with a neighbor of mine who was gluten free. I had no idea what that meant until I saw her navigate it, long before most people knew about it. I also have a son who turned out to have a gluten intolerance, so it stayed on my radar at home and with friends. One of our creative brewers has a wife who is celiac, and most gluten free beer is not very good, so he took it on as a passion project to make her one that actually tasted good. [MORE]

ArtsATL — In 2011, British storyteller-turned-Atlanta-resident Paul Jenkins spotted untapped creative potential. Why, he wondered, wasn’t the local creative filmmaking ecosystem seizing the excellent opportunity right under its nose? That opportunity was intellectual property (IP) — locally conceived and crafted.

“I was on a panel at Georgia State University sitting in an auditorium with a lot of people that are relatively influential — three from Los Angeles and three from the Atlanta area,” Jenkins recalls.

The discussion topic: whether or not Georgia could become a place that generates IP and makes films actually conceived here.

From his early days creating and developing comics to his later work on mega-successful cross-media franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (a great example of transmedia spanning comic books, cartoon TV series, feature films and video games), Wolverine: Origins, Hellblazer, Spider-Man and six platinum-selling video games, Jenkins saw it crystal clear. [MORE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — Next month, Funwoody Restaurants will celebrate its five-year anniversary as a major community hub in Dunwoody, the hospitality group announced this week.

The concept began in 2019 in Dunwoody Village, where a drab courtyard sat unused thanks to longtime vacancies in the commercial development, according to a news release. David Abes, founder of DASH hospitality and Funwoody, saw its potential as a community gathering place.

The project began with a renovation of the development’s courtyard, adding outdoor seating, a huge outdoor video screen and a live performance stage. In 2021, the first Funwoody restaurant opened: Barn Booze N Bites, which served flatbreads, charcuterie, cocktails and more. Morty’s Meat & Supply came next, combining Southern barbecue and New York deli themes in one space. Message in a Bottle, an upscale seafood restaurant inspired by the famous beach destinations on Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A, expanded the group’s range, followed by the ice cream and soda shop Good Vibes.

Earlier this year, Funwoody took over the former Steak & Grace space to introduce Stable Comfort Food N Cocktails. Over the course of five years, these five restaurant concepts have transformed the once-sleepy Dunwoody Village. [MORE]

ROUGH DRAFT ATLANTA — Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ film festival, has announced the theme for its 2026 event as well as a few of the films that will be screening. 

The theme of the 39th annual festival is “The World We’re Making.” The festival will run from Sept. 24 – Oct. 4, according to a press release. 

The theme is meant to celebrate the world that LGBTQ+ filmmakers and audiences create through art, creativity, and shared experience, according to the release. With the theme, Out on Film aims to create a space where authentic LGBTQ+ stories can be seen, celebrated, and discovered.  [MORE]

90.1FM WABE (NPR) — “Closer Look with Rose Scott” — The Georgia Path2College 529 Plan’s “We Care, Child Care” sweepstakes is back in its 12th year and offering a $1,529 contribution to support your child’s future education fund. Bethany Whetzel, treasury program director at Georgia’s Office of the State Treasurer, shares how parents and grandparents can enter ahead of the July 31 deadline.

[LISTEN HERE]

SECRET ATLANTA — The Other Art Fair is making its Southeast debut in Atlanta, and it's a truly one-of-a-kind art fair experience!

Calling all art lovers in the ATL! ‘The Other Art Fair’ is coming to the southeast for the first time ever, and fittingly, it’s making its inaugural debut right here in Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood. Keep scrolling to learn more about the art fair experience, how you can go, and even how to get your art up on the gallery walls!

The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, is an internationally acclaimed art fair that puts indie artists at the forefront of their movement. Known for reimagining the traditional art fair experience, The Other Art Fair connects collectors, first-time buyers and art lovers alike with independent artists through a unique event featuring original artworks, installations, performances, live DJs, and interactive experiences.

Nicole Garton, Global Fair Director of The Other Art Fair, said in a statement,

Atlanta has long been one of the cities at the top of our expansion list because of its incredible creative energy, cultural diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit. We’re excited to introduce a new way of experiencing art to this city — one where artists are at the center and visitors can discover incredible work while meeting the people who created it.

[READ MORE]

WSB-TV (ABC) — Atlanta has a bold and creative way to welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup. It’s called the “Last Mile Plan,” a way to help visitors and residents navigate downtown.

New murals and signage have popped up all over Atlanta.

It’s part of an incredible collaboration between the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Metro Chamber of Atlanta/ [WATCH HERE]

ATLANTA MAGAZINE — With the FIFA World Cup expected to bring thousands of soccer fans to the city this summer, Monday Night Brewing co-founder and CEO Joel Iverson knew he had to do something interesting to make his brewery stand out. Last year, he went to a World Cup information session for small businesses hosted by the city, and the gist, he says, was, “If you’re not right near the stadium, you’ve got to come up with something really good to draw people [in].”

Knowing that there’s a large overlap between soccer and craft beer fans, Iverson and his team decided to wait and see which international teams would be playing in Atlanta, then try to collaborate with a brewery from one of those countries to create a unique, World Cup-themed brew. Iverson says the goal was to make Monday Night “a welcoming hub” for fans from other countries.

“There is a craft brewery in almost every country, and they share the same values of community we as a craft brewery do,” Iverson says.

Of the 10 countries coming to Atlanta for group stage matches, Iverson and his team picked two with strong beer cultures to try to collaborate with: Spain and Czechia. But with just a couple of months left before World Cup games began, the team had to quickly find international breweries who were willing to partner up. [MORE]

WXIA-11 ALIVE, “ATLANTA & CO.” — Ventriloquist Allison Wonders brings her comedy to the A&C studio! Catch her at the Fringe Festival through June 7.

ATLANTA NEWS FIRST — As Atlanta prepares to host matches during the FIFA World Cup, organizers are focused on more than just the action on the field.

FIFA officials on Thursday highlighted new accessibility initiatives and details about the carefully managed natural grass pitch that will be used during the tournament.

The event coincided with Global Accessibility Awareness Day and focused on sensory inclusion and fan experience improvements planned for World Cup venues across North America.

For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, every host stadium will feature dedicated sensory-inclusive spaces through a partnership between FIFA, Hisense and KultureCity. [WATCH HERE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — After years of attempts to get a measure off the ground, Georgia lawmakers have passed a bill establishing a statewide office to promote and support the music industry.

The Georgia Music Office and Music Ready Communities Act passed the Georgia General Assembly with bipartisan support on the final day of the legislative session and is now headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.

If signed into law, it will begin the process of establishing the office, which would help attract music-related investment and workforce development opportunities to the state, serve as a liaison between music companies and governmental agencies and promote significant developments in the industry, among other functions.

The office will also certify cities and counties seeking to promote music-related economic development in their areas as “Music Friendly Georgia Certified Communities.”

The passage is a step forward in formalizing Georgia’s approach to supporting its music industry, following the footsteps of other Southern states, such as Texas and Tennessee, that have music offices. That’s according to Mala Sharma, the president of music business advocacy organization Georgia Music Partners, a key lobbying group for the measure. She calls the Georgia Music Office the “front door for the music industry.” [MORE]