When we brought The Coastal Buzz back to life earlier this year, we had a pretty simple idea.
We wanted to tell good local stories.
We wanted to introduce you to people you might not otherwise meet, businesses you might drive past without knowing their story, nonprofits doing important work, opportunities happening around us and the many things that make this part of Georgia a special place to call home.
But something else has been happening along the way.
The Coastal Buzz is finding its personality.
And over the next several weeks and months, you’re going to start seeing more of it.
More Than Stories on a Website
The stories we publish at TheCoastalBuzz.com will remain an important part of what we do.
We’re proud of the library we’re building one local story at a time.
But local media doesn’t have to exist only as articles, headlines and links.
Sometimes a story can happen in 60 seconds.
Sometimes it can happen when we walk through a door.
Sometimes it’s a question asked on a Savannah square.
Sometimes it’s discovering something we’ve driven past a hundred times.
Sometimes it’s meeting someone whose name you’ve never heard before.
And sometimes it may simply be our family experiencing the same community you do.
That’s the direction we’re beginning to explore.
Yes, You’re Going to Get to Know Us Too
The Coastal Buzz is a business, but there’s a family behind it.
We’re not interested in pretending otherwise.
Chris and Sandy have spent years creating media and interviewing people together. Their 14-year-old son, Christopher, is already stepping into his own role with Youth Buzz. And Katelynn, at 7, has absolutely no idea that she may occasionally become the most entertaining person associated with The Coastal Buzz.
Actually, the rest of us may need to be worried about that one.
We don’t want The Coastal Buzz to become a family vlog, and that’s not where we’re headed.
But we also don’t want to build a local media company that feels like a faceless logo.
We’re here.
We live here.
We’re raising our children here.
We eat at the restaurants, drive the roads, attend the events, watch our community change and discover places we’ve somehow never visited despite living here for years.
We have memories here.
Our children are making theirs here.
And every once in a while, we’re going to let you experience some of that with us.
People. Places. Possibilities.
Those three words have become much more than a tagline for us.
They’re helping shape where The Coastal Buzz goes next.
There are people throughout our area whose stories haven’t been told.
There are places many of us still haven’t discovered.
There are businesses looking for people.
There are organizations looking for help.
There are opportunities people simply don’t know about yet.
And there are thousands of ordinary moments that help explain why people love calling this place home.
We think local media can help make some of those connections.
Not every video needs to change the world.
Some might help somebody.
Some might teach you something.
Some might introduce you to someone.
Some might make you want to visit somewhere.
Some may make you remember something from years ago.
And some may just make you laugh.
We’re good with all of those.
We’re Going to Experiment
One thing we can promise: we’re going to try things.
Some ideas will work.
Some probably won’t.
Something we think will get 50,000 views may get 500.
Something we film almost on a whim may take off.
That’s part of building this.
We’re not interested in waiting until everything is perfect before we try it.
Over the coming months, you’ll begin seeing several new video ideas appear across The Coastal Buzz. Some will connect directly with businesses and organizations. Some will take us around Savannah and the surrounding communities. Some will introduce you to people. Some will simply be fun.
We’re intentionally not telling you everything yet.
We’d rather show you.
Still The Coastal Buzz
As we grow, the foundation isn’t changing.
We’re still focused on People. Places. Possibilities.
We’re still committed to Possibility Journalism.
We’re still interested in the stories that remind us there is far more happening around us than crime, politics, arguments and whatever everyone is angry about today.
We’re still going to notice people.
We’re still going to celebrate local businesses and organizations.
We’re still going to look for opportunities worth sharing.
We’re still going to tell stories we believe deserve to be told.
We’re just going to have a little more fun doing it.
Because The Coastal Buzz doesn’t need to become some stuffy media company to become a serious local media brand.
That’s not who we are.
We’re a family building something we believe in, in a place we care deeply about.
And increasingly, we’re going to invite you along for the ride.
The Coastal Buzz is growing.
And we’re just getting started.
The editorial team behind The Coastal Buzz, spotlighting the People, Places & Possibilities shaping Metro Savannah, the Coastal Empire & Lowcountry. Founded by Chris & Sandy Benton.