What story has been your favorite to tell on Spirit of Nevada? Sam: Oh, I liked Rhyolite! I thought that was a lot of fun because we stopped at this little old restaurant in Beatty, with Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, and we’re sitting at the diner, I told (our videographer) David, “You know, I don’t really know what to expect when we get to Rhyolite, but it’d be cool to feature me thinking about where I’m going and then let’s reverse the video so it’s kind of like I’m waking up from a dream, where I’ve been in this ghost town, right?” So, it’s one of my favorites. Rick: And the viewership proves that. Rhyolite is the second most viewed episode, second only to the Route 91 piece. And the Rhyolite story symbolizes what has happened as this series has evolved. Where it began with, you know, a minute or two featuring an organization, to suddenly, we’re telling a story in a movie-like setting. Rhyolite is classic. Spirit of Nevada is going into its third year,thevideosaverageover25,000views a week. Did you expect this following? Sam: I don’t think either of us expected this. It was supposed to be a hobby, right? Rick: A local TV news channel might get 12,000 households watching the Sunday nightnews.Iwouldhavebeenhappywith that, but to have double that viewership for this weekly series is amazing. And engagement on social media is far better compared to TV, with the ability to like, comment and share on social media. Sam: And what I like about it is people can tag their friends, or post pictures of a featured location and share a favorite memory of theirs. So, that’s my favorite part of the show, the community comes together by sharing these locations and organizations and it just keeps growing and growing. What does Spirit of Nevada mean to you? Rick: Spirit of Nevada is like our State motto which is Battle Born. Nevadans are fiercely independent, resilient and we give new things a chance. After the mass shooting at the Route 91 concert, we’ve proven to the world Nevada has a heart. I think that’s very gratifying for Nevadans to show the outside world our heart, the community and the people that make up this great State of ours. Sam: Right. And a lot of what you just said, you know, when people come to Vegas, they think “Which hotel do you live in?” and it’s not just about the casinos and the gambling, but it’s about a community that lives outside of that. And that’s what I love most about Spirit of Nevada, we not only get to go to these great locations and share it with the rest of the community, but we also get to feature charities that may not get recognized enough. I remember we did the Batman episode where a guy, he’s just a trainer over at a gym, dresses up as Batman and visits kids at UMC Hospital. Spirit of Nevada means the people that go above and beyond and the cool places that make Nevada unique. What’s next for Spirit of Nevada? Rick: It’s been a wild ride these last two years. As we enter our third year of Spirit of Nevada, we hope you will join us and share with us the wonderful things in our State – the people, the places, the hidden treasures, the worthy causes that make the State of Nevada great. DISCOVER BOTH SIDES