VISIT Milwaukee on Tuesday announced more details about its forthcoming TV show, “Good Things Brewing,” set to debut in February.
The show will be broadcast on network affiliates in 12 Midwest markets: Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau; Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota; Chicago and Rockford, Illinois.; South Bend, Indiana; and Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities, Iowa. Air dates for the show’s pilot season are Feb. 18, Feb. 25, March 4 and March 11. See a full list of stations and markets below.
Hosted by local event planner David Caruso and produced in partnership with Milwaukee-based Plum Media, “Good Things Brewing” aims to increase awareness of and draw visitors to Milwaukee by showing viewers a local’s perspective of Brew City. The show is expected to reach an estimated 9.2 million potential television viewers, and even more through digital channels, VISIT Milwaukee said in a news release. The convention and visitors bureau unveiled its plans for the show in June during its annual meeting.
“VISIT Milwaukee has long understood that video content holds the brightest future in destination marketing,” said Josh Albrecht, vice president of marketing and communications for VISIT Milwaukee. “And while we’ve seen success with short-form video content before, especially in our Bobby Portis and Powered by the People campaigns, we are thrilled to roll out long-form storytelling that gets at the heart of Milwaukee’s richly diverse story. We strongly believe this kind of content will be incredibly compelling for visitors and future residents alike.”
As host, Caruso will appear in each episode, conducting “experiential” interviews at local attractions, restaurants, bars and hotels with Milwaukee’s “most interesting people.”
He and the Plum film crew will explore three food halls and a food truck park, three art galleries, two coffee shops, a wine store, an Italian bakery, a Mexican grocery store, America’s Black Holocaust Museum, a neighborhood barbershop, six restaurants, three county parks, the city’s only state park, the Deer District and Henry Maier Festival Park.
With the airing of “Good Things Brewing,” VISIT will debut a new 30-second commercial aimed at further showcasing the city not only as a tourism destination, but also as an attractive place to live and work. That’s thanks to $75,000 in matching grant funding from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to create and distribute the commercial. It will air within each television broadcast of “Good Things Brewing” and across social media platforms through a dedicated campaign on YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Through his Milwaukee-based company Dynamic Events, Caruso has designed and produced events in Wisconsin, Chicago, Miami, San Antonio, Seattle, Scottsdale, San Diego, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and the West Indies. VISIT was drawn to Caruso’s “extensive on-camera experience” and “standout interviewing abilities” in its decision to make him host. The production partnership with Plum Media follows the success of the John McGivern’s Main Streets program, which Plum began producing for distribution in 2021.
“Working with Plum Media and David Caruso has been incredible so far and we feel confident audiences will see that synergy in the show,” said Albrecht. “From the talented Milwaukeeans who act as tour guides of their favorite places for David to the Plum filming and editing crew, we’re tremendously grateful for all of the hard work and effort that has gone into showcasing Milwaukee in such an impactful format.”
