FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — A Fond du Lac native wants to make her community Fondy Famous!
Kelly Northlee, host and founder of the "Fondy Famous" podcast, said her goal is to create a movement highlighting everything her hometown has to offer—things and people that may otherwise be overlooked.
"There's a lot of amazing entities who are doing positive things, but I just hadn't seen anyone doing, like, a lot of social media-focused things for Fond du Lac," said Northlee.
Every other week, Northlee talks with someone in the business or nonprofit sector about their work.
“I wanted to use social media to spread that ‘Fond du Lac is a great place,’” Northlee said.
She said she wants to dispel any negative perceptions about her city.
Watch: Do you want to be 'Fondy Famous'?
“What I would perceive, and what a lot of other people and businesses would perceive, is that people would say something along the lines of, ‘Oh, I don't like Fond du Lac. I hate it here, like I've lived here my whole life, and it's not great, whatever,’” Northlee said. "They kind of talk down on Fond du Lac, right? But that's not how it is."
During the past year and a half, she’s been trying to showcase the positive side of Fondy.
“We've done things like raising thousands of dollars for nonprofits," Northlee said. "We've helped businesses bring in more traction.”
Her video podcast now has a social media following in the thousands.
"Social media is just a, wouldn't say, an easy way, but a quicker way to reach a broader audience," Northlee said.
There’s no cost to be featured as a guest, but guests are required to share the post on social media and donate a gift card for a giveaway. Northlee also offers sponsorships that keep her podcast business afloat.
Local business owner Steve Wirtz has been both a guest and sponsor of the show.
"It's an opportunity for the smaller guys to say, 'Hey, we can at least get our face out there and what we're doing out there, and it's not going to break our bank,'" Wirtz said.
Wirtz said Northlee's mission has been a huge asset to the city.
"What she's trying to do is say, 'Hey, you know what? We can be the strongest dang community in the world if we all just come together,'" Wirtz said.
Northlee said she hopes to expand the movement in the future to showcase even more of the community.
You can find "Fondy Famous" on Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, Tiktok and LinkedIn.
People interested in appearing on the show can reach Northlee at kelly.northlee@gmail.com.
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