I started What's Up Dunwoody in 2018 with no real plan. Just a microphone, a brother-in-law who knew how to podcast, and a belief that the people and stories in Dunwoody deserved a platform.
Eight-plus years later, it has become something I never expected. A podcast. A website. Two Facebook communities. A soccer team. A media brand. And honestly, a big part of who I am.
What's Up Dunwoody is a hyperlocal media brand covering life in Dunwoody, Georgia. Founded in 2018 by Matt Weber, it includes a podcast with over 260 episodes named Best Podcast in Atlanta by Best of ATL, the whatsupdunwoody.com website, and two Facebook communities — the Dunwoody Area Community Forum (16,000+ members) and Dunwoody Area Restaurant Reviews (13,500+ members) — spotlighting local businesses, events, and community news.
It Started with a Podcast
I was an early podcast fanatic, and had told my family that i wanted to start my own. My brother-in-law Justin Dike heard me and talked me into recording the first three episodes. We used cheap microphones, had a few beers, and decided what we recorded was terrible. So we recorded three more.
That was February 2018. When we were labeling first episode online, I made Justin change the episode number from “01” to “001.” I told him we were going to make more than a hundred. Pretty sure he didn't fully believe me.
The What's Up Dunwoody podcast is now over 330 episodes. We've sat down with every Dunwoody mayor going back to Ken Wright. State legislators. The DeKalb Sheriff. The GDOT Commissioner. Comedian Paul Ollinger. Chef Ford Fry. Mayor Denny Shortal praised us from the stage at the State of the City. Atlanta Magazine's Best of ATL named us the best podcast in Atlanta. None of that was part of the plan. It just happened because we showed up and kept going.
Justin stepped back in mid-2022 to focus on his company, PoolDues.com. He spent four years helping me build something I couldn't have built alone. I'll always be grateful. The podcast kept going, and I moved to a video format on Riverside.fm. The medium evolved. The mission didn't.
The Community Showed Up Online
The podcast was never the only piece. Around the birth of the podcast, two Facebook communities took on a life of their own as well.
The Dunwoody Area Community Forum has grown to over 16,000 members. Dunwoody Area Restaurant Reviews has nearly 13,500. That's close to probably 25,000 individuals plugged into Dunwoody, asking questions, sharing tips, and looking out for each other. I've spent eight years building and moderating those groups. When someone new to town asks where to take their kids for pizza and five neighbors jump in with answers, that's the whole point.
The website at whatsupdunwoody.com has grown into a real resource too. Restaurant guides. School information. Neighborhood stories. It's become the place people land when they want to know something about Dunwoody that Google can't give them.
Over the years I've also helped local businesses with their marketing, connected people who needed to find each other, and tried to be a voice that gives back to the community that's given me so much. The brand and the community are the same thing at this point.
Beyond the Mic: Soccer, Dunwoody Idol, and Real Life
What's Up Dunwoody is more than just a podcast at this point. It's become part media brand, part community hub, and part running joke with the people who have followed it for years.
WUD opened doors I never expected. I got to emcee Dunwoody Idol for years, introducing performers and hyping up the crowd in front of packed audiences. We even had a What's Up Dunwoody over-40 soccer team win eleven championships. I'm still not sure that has much to do with the brand, but I wanted a chance to mention our eleven championships.
The brand also pulled me deeper into the community itself. I'm on the board of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and co-chair the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade. Both came directly from the relationships and trust built through WUD.
At some point, What's Up Dunwoody stopped feeling like a side project and started feeling like part of the fabric of the community itself.
How WUD Helps Me as a REALTOR®
What's Up Dunwoody and real estate were always connected. The goal was never to build a giant sales funnel. It was to become genuinely plugged into the community and let the business grow naturally from there.
WUD has given me a level of local knowledge that's hard to fake. When buyers ask about neighborhoods, schools, parks, restaurants, or even specific streets, there's a good chance I've talked to someone from that area on the podcast or in the community groups.
Over the years, clients have found me through the podcast, the website, and the Facebook communities long before they were ever ready to buy or sell. The trust came first. Real estate followed.
What's Up Dunwoody has also given me a platform to help sellers market their homes differently. Instead of just putting a listing in the MLS and hoping for the best, I've been able to use the reach of WUD to get homes in front of thousands of local people who already care about Dunwoody. That attention has helped listings move faster and stand out in a crowded market.
Where is What's Up Dunwoody Headed
What's Up Dunwoody is still evolving.
What started as a podcast has grown into a website, community platform, social media brand, and a real source of local information for people trying to better understand Dunwoody. That growth also led to Top End ATL, which gave me a way to expand beyond Dunwoody and cover places like Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Peachtree Corners, Chamblee, Doraville, and the rest of the top end of Atlanta while keeping the same hyperlocal approach.
A big focus for me now is creating useful local content that people might never find otherwise. Small businesses. Neighborhood stories. Local events. The hidden stuff that bigger media outlets usually miss. I'm especially interested in where AI and AI search are headed, and how hyperlocal creators can surface information that's actually useful to real people.
The content continues to evolve alongside my own life too. Eight years ago, I focused more on elementary schools, parks, and younger-family content because that's what I was experiencing at the time. Now I have a son heading into Dunwoody High School, so high school sports, activities, and that stage of community life are becoming a bigger part of What's Up Dunwoody as well.
As the platform grows, you'll probably see more video content, more local storytelling, and more ways to connect people with the community around them.
If you're new to Dunwoody, welcome. If you've been here for years, you already know what this is about. Either way, I'm glad you're here.
What is What's Up Dunwoody?
What's Up Dunwoody is a hyperlocal media brand based in Dunwoody, Georgia, founded by Matt Weber in 2018. It includes a podcast with over 330 episodes, the whatsupdunwoody.com website, and two Facebook communities with nearly 30,000 combined members. It was named Best Podcast in Atlanta by Best of ATL.
How did What's Up Dunwoody get started?
Matt Weber and his brother-in-law Justin Dike recorded the first episodes in February 2018. What started as a casual community project grew into one of Atlanta's most recognized hyperlocal podcasts, featuring mayors, state legislators, local business owners, and hundreds of community members over more than 330 episodes.
Is What's Up Dunwoody connected to real estate in Dunwoody?
Yes. Matt Weber is a licensed REALTOR® with Real Broker, LLC, based in Dunwoody. His deep community knowledge through WUD has helped him serve buyers who want a local expert with real roots in the area. He uses the brand to showcase his seller's listings to thousands on social media. You can reach him at 404-502-8683.