If you spend any time driving, you probably know the name “Lamar.” You’ve no doubt seen it on a billboard. But Lamar is not a product – it’s the name of the company that owns the billboard. In fact Lamar owns more interstate billboards and outdoor advertising than just about anybody in America. And they’re based in Baton Rouge.

The CEO of Lamar Advertising, Sean Reilly, is Peter’s guest on Out to Lunch. 

So is Susan Taylor. Susan has some outdoor artworks too. They’re in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

Susan is the Director of the New Orleans Museum of Art. The New Orleans Museum of Art is a public gallery supported by public and private donors, and billboards are privately owned works of art in public spaces. This is a unique conversation about the intersection – if you’ll pardon the pun – of highbrow art and highway art.

In the You Heard It Here First segment of the show Peter talks to the Muhammad Yunus of New Orleans, Haley Burns, founder of Fund 17. Haley pitches Peter and his guests on her local micro-funding startup. It’s a 3rd world inspired idea based on Haley’s startling statistic that around 15% of New Orleanians don’t have a bank account (the national avreage is 8%) and 40% of New Orleans households are either unbanked or underbanked. You can hear a more in-depth conversation about Fund 17 with Haley Burns, Peter, Susan, and Sean, here.

The photos on this page were taken at Commander’s Palace by Chet Overall.