After a successful debut last year — culminating in a regional Emmy nomination — VISIT Milwaukee‘s TV show “Good Things Brewing” is back for a second season.
The show, which launched in 2023 in an effort to boost awareness and tourism traffic from surrounding states, airs Feb. 24 in 10 Midwestern markets, including five in Wisconsin, and on VISIT Milwaukee’s social media platforms, according to a news release Tuesday. The show is and produced and distributed by Milwaukee-based Plum Media.
“Good Things Brewing” is hosted by event planner David Caruso, who aims to show off Milwaukee from a local’s perspective. In each episode, he takes viewers on a journey through different parts of the city, highlighting various attractions and conducting interviews with business owners and other notable Milwaukeeans.
Season two will feature American Family Field, the Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin State Fair, Summerfest, F.E.A.R. Running, Interval Coffee and Honeybee Sage Wellness & Apothecary along with three breweries, five restaurants and “a few surprise locations,” according to the release.
In addition, viewers will meet Shari Black, executive director and CEO of Wisconsin State Fair Park; Pete Cooney, owner of Pete’s Pops; Shary Tran, global director of diversity and inclusion at Generac; Tenia Fisher, co-founder of F.E.A.R. Milwaukee; Damian Buchman, founder of the Ability Center and The Opportunity Center; and Cecelia Gore, executive director of Milwaukee Brewers Community Foundation.
Starting Feb. 24, new episodes will air weekly on network affiliates in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse and Wausau; Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa; Marquette, Michigan; and Minneapolis. Those 10 markets were chosen for their proximity to Milwaukee, allowing for “easy drive-in or fly-in access” as well as their “base level of awareness” of the community, said VISIT Milwaukee.
“Many of these markets are already strong for visitation to Milwaukee and became even more so after season 1 of ‘Good Things Brewing’ aired alongside Milwaukee’s multi-layered marketing approach,” the organization added.
Beyond its 2023 Emmy nomination in the Best Magazine Single Program or Series category, the first season of “Good Things Brewing” amassed 275,000 broadcast impressions in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Billboards of the first season ran in Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Green Bay, South Bend, the greater Milwaukee area and Minnesota, generating 8.4 million estimated impressions promoting the show. Earned media efforts generated an estimated 10 million impressions and social media generated 266,000 impressions.
“We hope that viewers get to see all the things Milwaukee has to offer in the second season of ‘Good Things Brewing,’” said Josh Albrecht, vice president of marketing and communications for VISIT Milwaukee. “From our diverse neighborhoods to our attractions like the Wisconsin State Fair and American Family Field, to our award-winning restaurants and accessible parks, anyone from anywhere in the world can come and experience something that will leave lasting memories of Milwaukee and our businesses.”
