Since it first appeared a year ago, “American RVer” has become a familiar name on the lips of RVers and industry professionals. A video podcast that represents the RV lifestyle with a comfortable RV-friendly feeling, “American RVer” was built on the expert production skills of the show’s producers, storywriters, cameramen, co-anchors and part-time RVers, Jim and Peggy Grich.
For anyone who might be blinking with puzzlement at the use of the word “podcast,” the video podcast or “webisode” as it’s also called, is most similar to short home videos posted on the Internet and available for viewing on the web or downloading. The podcast is a relatively new technology that is reaching higher levels of popularity. But “American RVer” is a novelty in a novel media.
“No one was or is doing a video podcast like ‘American RVer,’” Jim Grich said. “Our podcast is basically like a TV show. [It’s] a more structured format [than most video podcasts].” The Griches wanted to use this new media to put the RV lifestyle they enjoy more in the public eye and they had just the right set of skills and experiences to bring it to life.
Jim got his start in media production almost 30 years ago while serving as president of the radio club at his community college. Surprised to find that the radio club didn’t have access to a radio
station, Jim got the club some time on a local station. Later hired by that very station, he discovered a deeper interest in television broadcasting and jumped at the chance when a friend offered him the opportunity to set up a television broadcasting studio.
Meanwhile Peggy, after graduating from college, left Northern Minnesota to take her first job in New Jersey as a home economist for a company based in Jim’s hometown. One day, she went into a local hardware store to pick up some paint. The guy at the paint counter was an up and coming TV producer who happened to be working at the hardware store between production jobs. He was young, funny, charming and his name was Jim Grich. “It was a whirlwind courtship,” Peggy said. “We were married in six months and we’ve been married 23 years this year. Say what you always say about that, Jim.”
“I must have mixed up a pretty good batch of paint,” he quipped.
Jim’s facility with electronics and technology along with Peg’s outgoing personality proved to be a winning combination professionally as well as personally. “We’ve owned three stations from cable to an over the air station,” Jim said. When they first started, Jim ran the engineering, lighting and production while Peg put her love of people to work in the limelight. “I’m a good editor and comfortable on both ends of the camera,” Jim said. “But Peggy was so comfortable with people, talking and interacting with them, it was just a natural fit [to put her in front of the camera].”
Since her first appearance, Peggy has worked on hundreds of shows aside from “American RVer.” She also works at a community college as a media relations specialist.
The couple’s first TV station was on the air for seven years and employed a total of 36 people. “It was the largest LP (low power) TV station in the country,” Jim said. As a result, the station was featured in stories produced by other members of the news media like The New York Times.
After leaving their third production studio, the couple made their home in North Carolina. Not content to let the dust float down, let alone settle, the couple began developing “American RVer.”
The couple got involved in RVing years ago. They loved camping and worked their way up from a pup tent to their 40-foot luxury RV. “We really like our coach,” Jim said. “The floorplan is spacious and we feel it is well made. We looked at several brands of coaches and felt that Monaco Coach Corporation built a superior coach.”
“I think to be an RVer you have to be a little bit adventurous, and I think we fit that bill,” Jim said. “I’ve been self-employed for over 25 years. Peg and I tend to work pretty well together. That’s necessary when you’re in an RV full-time,” he laughed.
For Peggy, RVing holds that timeless draw that has lured so many to hit the road. “[It’s a] much simpler lifestyle.” In fact, once the couple sells their home they plan to hit the road full-time. “[When we start full-timing] we’ll have a home but not the same responsibilities,” she said. “We’ll have freedom without the packing and unpacking.”
Producing the show offers the couple the opportunity to combine what they love and have an income while doing it. "We're still working and not retired," Peggy explained. "But it helps that producing "American RVer" is oftentimes more fun than work. "Producing the show is a lot of fun," Peggy said. "It's like we're work campers.
"Filming the show has given us a lot of access and opportunities for experiences that we might not have had otherwise. For example, interviewing the Oakridge Boys was an opportunity that opened up for us as a result of the show.
"There is nothing else like it, RVing from the RVer's perspective," Jim said. "We received 12,000 hits on the website a month or so ago. We've gotten comments about how much people love the show." In fact, the Griches have found they have to make sure "American RVer" fans get the newest show as quickly as possible. "If I'm not careful about getting the latest show online, I get all kinds of grief from email," Jim said with a chuckle. "People are downloading it from all over the world - China, Asia, Africa, Australia."
The latest installment of the show is posted each month and one key to "American RVer's" popularity Jim feels is the mobility and accessibility of the podcast. "RVers can stop for the night and download the show anytime. They don't have to remember, 'At 8:00 pm, I want to watch the show,'" Jim said. "They can watch it anytime. It's offered on their schedule."
What the Griches most want viewers to get out of the show is simple enough: "Entertainment first and foremost," Jim said.
"We wanted veteran RVers to watch the show and come away feeling like they had reconnected and we wanted newbies to watch it and feel the sense of instant family and constant adventure," Jim said. "So we try to throw in something different each show, like tech tips or healthy living segments," Jim said. "We want to make it down to earth, upbeat and fun.
"Monaco Coach Corporation is the first major sponsor we've had for the show," Jim said.
"We're producing not only video series, but written RV publications too," Peggy said. "A friend of mine and I wrote a book for the RV population called Running Into Temptation." The book is the first of a romance mystery trilogy. And like many a writer worth her salt, Peggy and her friend Jacqueline Degroot have parlayed real experience into fiction since the setting
for this tale is an RV. You can find more information about the romance series at Amazon.com or at www.jacquelinedegroot.com.
The Griches are always looking for ideas for future shows and new places to venture as RVers. “I enjoy the whole journey, finding the little interesting things,” Jim said. “I look at blogs, newsletters to see where people are going, what interests people, and I think to myself, ‘This would make a good show.’
“We love the RV lifestyle, the people that we meet in campgrounds, it’s like one big family. Most people are pretty open even when you stick a camera in their faces,” Jim said. “You wouldn’t think that somebody off the street would allow a stranger to stick a camera in their face and ask questions and they would still feel comfortable [responding to that stranger and] talking about their lifestyle.”
And the Griches are interested in talking to any traveler with restless feet or wheels as the case may be. “We’re not just concerned with Class As. ” Jim said. “We’re open to talking to anyone.”
When it comes down to it, that’s at the heart of why they enjoy doing what they do: “The people. That’s the best part,” Peggy said. “That’s why we do ‘American RVer.’”
Guests can download and view each “American RVer” episode using a Mac or PC, with or without an iPod® or other portable media device with video capability. Utilizing iTunes® (free download) will make downloading and viewing easier. There is also an audio-only version available. In any case, a high-speed Internet connection is essential for timely downloading and quality viewing. For complete download and viewing instructions, or for more information about “American RVer,” check out www.americanrver.com.
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