To stay connected amid the physical distance we’re all supposed to be keeping, Lompoc residents Jeremy and Michelle Ball started a morning show to celebrate the city they live in and its residents.
“We just thought it was too easy for people collectively to go to a dark place full of fear and panic, but with a little bit of balance—while trying to embrace the reality—we’re trying to celebrate the human spirit that exists in this little town of Lompoc,” Jeremy said.
The Balls livestream their roughly 30-minute morning show every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:30 a.m. on their Good Morning Lompoc Facebook page. Episodes are later uploaded to YouTube as well. They record the show with professional sound and video equipment in a 77-square-foot shed in their backyard that they lined with acoustic foam.
During these segments, Jeremy and Michelle discuss some new COVID-19 updates, but they mostly try to offer viewers a positive escape from the often bleak news. The shows include cooking segments, where Michelle demonstrates and explains a new recipe; interviews with local leaders and business owners; residents showcasing their talents; and some viewer-submitted material.
The Balls weren’t expecting to reach much of an audience when they released their first episode on March 23. Michelle said they assumed their friends and family would be the only ones to watch it. But as of April 3, the episode has more than 2,000 views on Facebook.
“The first day we got so many direct messages from people saying, ‘Thank you for making me feel better,’” Michelle said. “People started reaching out wanting to send content.”
Another video they posted titled “Our Love Letter to Lompoc”—which includes roughly two minutes of footage of nearby flower fields, the coastline, rocket launches, and people walking around downtown Lompoc—has more than 11,000 views.
“[That video] was like a sense of pride for so many people,” Jeremy said.
When not quarantined at home from a pandemic, Michelle and Jeremy run their own business called Bottle Branding through which they create content—including photography, graphic design, and video production—for businesses in the wine industry. Because of this, they already had the skill sets and equipment to start a morning show, although, Michelle said, it’s different being on the opposite side of the camera.
“We help other people with their content creation, but we’ve never been the ones who are the brand and message,” Michelle said. “This has been really fun for us because we don’t have a boss.”
Jeremy said he hopes to continue growing the show and would like to bring in local politicians, including possibly U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), while balancing the dissemination of important information with fun material that’ll make people smile and laugh. He said he’s hoping people in other communities can use this show as a template for a way to stay connected while we’re all physically distant.
Michelle said that the show is their way of trying to help at a time when it’s easy to feel helpless.
“I think we’re just trying to help our own mental health by staying positive rather than think about what’s going on, and trying to find a way to connect people in Lompoc,” Michelle said.
Highlights
• The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is looking for volunteers who can speak both Spanish and English to answer phone calls from residents who need help accessing food during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re interested in volunteering, call (805) 967-5741, Ext. 209, or email lchilders@foodbanksbc.org.
• Willow Family Restaurants is offering to-go meals for Easter that can feed between six and eight people and cost $99. For every meal purchased, one will be donated to a family with members who are out of work because of COVID-19. Meals can be picked up at Willow Nipomo, Willow Pismo, and Port House in Morro Bay.
Staff Writer Zac Ezzone wrote this week’s Spotlight. Send tips to spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 9-16, 2020.
