The first step

It was the height of the pandemic - the fall of 2020. Remember those days? Sure you do. We were all going nuts shut up in our homes. We were uncertain at best… afraid more than likely… and battling illness at worst. Businesses were struggling - small, local businesses most of all. That’s when my friend and client, Melissa Leavell had an idea. Mel is the director of advertising for Ingles Markets. At that point we had worked together for about 15 years. She has a heart as big as the great outdoors, a sparkling mind, and she heard all these stories coming out of the local communities. Stories of people yearning for connection… for somewhere to go… for a way to be a part of our society again. At the same time she heard the stories of business owners desperately in need of patrons. Sure, we had all learned some sort of pivot - but for many places they just needed people. And they were working their tails off to welcome them safely. Enter: The Ingles Open Road.

We were sitting in Bubba’s office at Bclip. Yep - my boss’s name is Bubba… and he’s brilliant (I can hear him saying, “I don’t know about that” - get over it… you are). It was Mel, Bubba, and me. Mel looked us square in the eyes and told us, “we have to do something.” Then she said, “you’re gonna think I’m crazy.” All of my best conversations with Mel start this way. She proceeded to describe this idea for a show. It was a show that would take people on a trip once a week to an off-the-beaten-path destination that they might never have heard of. The goal was to help our little corner of the world by inspiring people to get up and go… safely. We talked a lot about the parameters. These would be places that did not have a giant marketing budget… places that you might not otherwise know about… and places that were fun and family friendly. Ingles would front the bill - this would not be one of those “pay to play” schemes. We would not interview anyone - because not everywhere has folks who are comfortable on camera. And so, we would need a host. And then Mel looked at us and said, “and we’d like Chris to host it.”

At Bclip, we’re in the business of saying yes to our clients. Nevermind that I’m our VP of Production, Creative Director, lead script writer, and occasional cameraman and editor. If Mel asks, we say yes. And so through gritted teeth Bubba smiled and said, “sure, no problem.” After all, it was only going to last for 3 months and only air on the local Asheville ABC affiliate, WLOS. It wouldn’t take me out of the action for very long… or very far. Now, keep in mind - I’m not an actor (other than dazzling on stage in high school and college… a loooooong time ago). My career has been spent behind the camera. I got my BA in Communication Studies from Furman University and my MA in Documentary Filmmaking from The University of Nebraska. Neither of which qualify me to host a travel show. But I am enthusiastic. I’m a positive guy who likes to have fun and bring others along for the ride. And apparently when a global pandemic greatly limits your access to ACTUAL television hosts… I’ll do.

So, we climbed into my ‘66 Mustang and hit the road… the Ingles Open Road. My background as a writer seemed to work well for this particular type of storytelling. And my nerdlike passion for fun surprisingly didn’t send folks scrambling to change the channel or skip to the next funny cat video. And I was having a ball. We were able to uncover the hidden secrets of DuPont State Forest… share my FAVORITE apple cider donut locale… visit family farms for pumpkin patch shenanigans… and more. Then when the three months were up and Bubba thought he was ready to get his VP back behind the desk more frequently… we got the biggest surprise of all. The show was a hit. It was the most popular thing that Ingles Markets had ever produced. Mel’s crazy idea had touched people. It worked. And so in another meeting in Bubba’s office she informed us that they were going to expand the Ingles Open Road to all of their market areas: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee - running on 6 different stations every week and exposing our “teeny tiny TV show” to north of 1.25 million viewers. And they were going to extend the run of the show indefinitely.

Now, here we are. Four years and a half years later. Over 200 shows under our belt. And still loving every minute of it. We’ve gone from exploring Folly Beach on the coast of South Carolina to climbing through abandoned industrial furnaces in Birmingham… from marveling at the Natural Bridge in Virginia to floating through an underground lake in Tennessee. And with every step we’ve traveled it together - you and I. Thanks so much for coming along for the ride. At the very start of this adventure I wanted to come up with a sign-off that promised fun and expectation. And so, I’ll end this article with what I’ve said now at least 207 times: your weekend is waiting!