Does anyone out there know who Paul Poteet is? I mean, sure, he is a weatherman telling us all whether we should expect rain showers tomorrow or a snowstorm, but does anyone out there truly know who Paul Poteet is? I grew up listening to Paul, as a matter of fact, and have been listening to his forecasts for as long as I can remember. But Paul has moved on to bigger and better things by landing a gig here in Indianapolis doing the same thing he was doing back in Terre Haute.
I recently got the chance to interview Paul on the social networking site Twitter. It is a new concept that I have started where, rather than interviewing someone in person, or via email, I do it in 140 character status updates on Twitter. During our conversation I got to know a little bit more about what makes Paul tick.
Paul has been making a name for himself not only on Twitter but on Facebook as well. But that is not what got me excited about Paul. Being as I am also starting to dabble in restaurant reviews, it got me excited when I heard he was also working with local restaurants. His new side project is called Paul Poteet’s Gotta Eat and eat is what he does.
The concept behind this is similar to the restaurant reviews that I am doing. Paul will go into a restaurant, meet the chefs, see how the food is made, and then the best part of it all is taste the dishes that were prepared. He then, on the website that matches this concept, will post a video compilation of the evening. And his most recent tasting happened downtown at the Skyline Club. I was in attendance and wanted to simply discuss not only how well these things are run but the behind-the-scenes networking that goes on during these events.
Based on what I know about Paul, he just simply seems to be interested in producing and packaging video content that is entertaining and useful. Paul has worked a long and hard career to be able to get to the point where he can pretty much do what he wants to do. He is quickly replacing the title of weatherman with something more along the lines of entertainer. His personality, as well, matches his decision to move to more video based production. As I once said to Paul, it is nice to put a face to a voice!
The show itself has only been around for a few months. They actually just began discussing this concept at the end of October. But since the inception of Paul Poteet’s Gotta Eat, the crew has visited New York Little Italy Pizza, Urban Element, and the Skyline Club. Having been present at the Skyline Club taping I can tell you he already has an eye for what it takes to make these events go off without a hitch. At the Skyline Club, for example, not only was there an open bar (funded by Paul from what I could tell) but there was a service staff that was at our every wish. The camera crew was not in the way and proceeded to take their pictures in silence, and the conversation was unbeatable as I met numerous others associated both with PPGE and social media in general.
The taping will not stop come the first of the year. Paul already has some restaurants in store for the start of 2010. The first week of January, actually, Paul and the crew will be visiting Fireside Brewhouse on the south side of Indianapolis. Then they plan to hit The Pub downtown and are even in talks with Dye Grill on the east side of town. They are truly hitting all four corners of the city and seem to be hitting totally different demographics. The food is always changing, the atmosphere always has something new to offer, and when it is all said and done Paul gets to eat!
You heard me mention the camera crew a little bit ago but I wanted to introduce you to these extremely talented individuals. The people taking these timeless images of this delicious food that Paul (and the others) get to enjoy are John and Victoria Karamanski. They are a husband and wife production team and they actually do more than take pictures. With each food item they “stage” the food to best fit the environment. They put great care in the lighting and the angles in which the food is photographed. Their work in of itself is an art. Not to mention the chefs in the kitchen preparing these delicious dishes.
The concept that Paul has brought to the Indianapolis culinary scene is not only a new vision but also one that restaurants are eating up, no pun intended. These restaurants get the chance to host an evening with Paul and his guests, they get to put their best food forward by making the most delicious items on their menu, they get top notch photography and video work shot in and around their establishment, and they build relationships with not only Paul but all of the people who are reading this blog and watching these videos. The coolest part of it all is that Paul truly is just having a blast being able to expand his experiences in broadcast. This is a new medium for him, for all of us actually, and I cannot wait to attend the next Paul Poteet’s Gotta Eat event. If nothing else I get to hang out with Paul, and we all know that is a treat in itself?
Love following Paul! What a talent
Great post on Paul and his many talents. PPGE is a great idea and vision for sure. Other than yourself and Paul there is another person in town rolling out something similar to Indy first, then throughout the country. Check out The Hungry Brick at http://www.hungrybrick.com David Mark is the CFO (Chief Food Officer) and a friend of mine. I also believe David has been in contact with Paul on some PPGE stuff. In any event if you enjoy what Ricky or Paul is doing The Hungry Brick will be right up your alley.
This is the most interesting new wave in cyber space. We all have to eat, way to go Paul.