Someone going to Upfront & Company in Marquette for dinner on a Tuesday night might be surprised by an unusual addition to their evening out--the live television show that is filming on the venue's stage. It's the Doug Garrison Show, featuring local talent and events each week. People from the audience are included in the taping too. But the best part is hearing about what's going on in the area from the guests that are featured.
"I enjoy the fact that we're working with a lot of different people and that we're giving them a chance to get their word out and show local people what they're accomplishing," says the show's host, Doug Garrison.
The show airs on Thursday and Friday each week on both Charter Channel 12 and Fox U.P., and the episodes can also be found on the show's
website. Garrison says since starting the show in October, he's had the opportunity to meet and showcase people in the community doing creative and unique things.
"Whether they're photographers or painters or musicians, we have a very creative population here and many of them are doing really neat things, Garrison says. But they're just doing them in their basement and nobody really knows about it."
Lindsay Hemmila, director of marketing and membership for Lake Superior Community Partnership, says Garrison's show is positive for the Marquette community because it promotes businesses and organizations.
"His use of a local venue and also creating an opportunity for the audience to be involved is unique for our area and a huge draw," Hemmila says.
Garrison says that his favorite guests so far have been Marquette mayor John Kivela and the city manager, from whom he learned things about the city that he didn't know.
Garrison, who owns a Marquette advertising company, came up with the idea for the show for another client's advertising budget.
"I couldn't sell the client on that idea, but after developing that and thinking about it and working on it, I thought to myself if I think it's such a good idea, why don't I try to do it myself? So that's what I'm doing," Garrison says.
Garrison says that so far the most difficult part about the show is finding advertising. He says that many people are cautious about advertising for a show that's so new, and advertisers aren't sure who's watching.
"A lot of people like to say, 'Let me wait and see what kind of audience you can develop,'" Garrison says. "So we started something new and that makes it a challenge. And with the economy, people really have to be wise with their dollars."
The community has been responding really well, Garrison says, especially because it's being filmed in a public place. Garrison says that he chose the Upfront on a whim; one day he was there for dinner, received a call from the producer about wanting to find a location, and suggested the restaurant.
"It's helped our visibility because everybody that comes in there now knows about it as opposed to tuning in in a studio. People have been very receptive," Garrison says. "I wasn't sure if people who were at Upfront, if they would like the fact that all of a sudden they come in for a quiet dinner, there's a TV show being produced. But they seem to enjoy it."
Garrison hopes he can continue the show as long as possible.
"I'd love to do it forever," Garrison says. "If we can find advertising to support it forever, I think it has no end."
Garrison's show is on Charter Channel 12 at 6:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on Thursdays and at 6:30 a.m. on Fridays. Fox U.P. airs the show at 10:30 p.m. on Fridays.
Lucy Hough is a student at Northern Michigan University, studying history and journalism. She is also Editor in Chief of the student newspaper, The North Wind.
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