Whether or not it’s that includes a small enterprise, organizing a seaside cleanup, exhibiting some native historical past or calling out native political injustices to viewers, Causes to Love Lengthy Seashore is cultivating neighborhood by way of their Instagram web page @reasonstolovelongbeach.
Initially the web page was began virtually a decade in the past by Wes Boyce as a platform to showcase the native nightlife scene, the web page promoted different occasions together with exhibits, bar specials, occasions – however that was put to a halt as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
A stay-at-home order was put in place and all nightlife occasions had been canceled whereas bar and venue places had been compelled to close down.
Though the account has advanced for the reason that final decade, the premise remains to be the identical.
“It’s selling the rad individuals and rad companies that we now have right here in our metropolis,” Nichole East stated, now one of many present most important content material curators for the RTLLB web page.
East who was had been producing native historical past segments referred to as “Let’s Be taught Some Sh*t” for the previous three years on the web page, introduced on her buddy and former coworker Surya Pinto, to help in curating new content material.
The 2 met whereas working collectively in Orange County and have become pals. Nevertheless, they each ended up leaving what grew to become a poisonous work surroundings for them.
With each having artwork and advertising and marketing backgrounds, East being skilled with occasion manufacturing and coming from the tattoo business and Pinto being educated in challenge administration and having a background in artwork, they determined to suggest advertising and marketing concepts to a number of Lengthy Seashore companies. They proposed concepts to over 150 companies, to no avail.
“It was arduous, we had been form of like, going by way of it,” Pinto stated.
Proper as they had been on the verge of lastly securing a advertising and marketing job with a hashish firm, the Black Lives Matter motion mobilized within the Metropolis of Lengthy Seashore.
The duo determined they wanted to drop the job and as an alternative give attention to the neighborhood.
“We’re right here for the trigger, we’re placing all the things into serving our neighborhood proper now,” East stated, recalling their mindset.
5 months later they proceed to place as a lot power into selling their neighborhood.
A typical day of operating the RTLLB web page will encompass planning, researching, producing content material and fascinating with viewers, generally as much as 16 hours a day, and with none pay.
Though they handle to push out day by day content material seamlessly, so much goes into the manufacturing of their storytelling.
“What am I curating? What are the scenes? What’s the B-roll? What’s the footage? What’s the story,” Pinto stated.
Except for that, additionally they have to judge the potential impression a narrative has on the neighborhood.
“How is it serving our neighborhood? What do we would like the takeaway to be,” Pinto continued.
The featured tales range, starting from Lengthy Seashore’s historical past to small enterprise options, native politics, the way to’s and extra.
Operating the web page with over 16,000 followers does take a psychological toll, however East and Pinto have been seamlessly tag-teaming for the final eight months of the pandemic.
“What retains us going is seeing the response and the engagement of the individuals which can be on our web page”, East stated. “Once we do these calls to motion, individuals present up.”
Examples embody the a number of native companies and GoFundMe’s they’ve shared and the seaside clean-ups and marketplaces they’ve organized that many supporters have attended.
Predominantly showcased on Instagram, the staff operating the RTLLB web page makes no revenue out of the web page. They’re merely pushed by the love for the neighborhood. Nevertheless, that very same love doesn’t pay the payments.
With the uncertainty of unemployment checks as they arrive to an finish in December, East and Surya started promoting merchandise final month. Featured merchandise embody attire corresponding to tanks, t-shirts, facemasks, and novelty gadgets corresponding to nug jars and stickers all that includes their traditional Causes to Love Lengthy Seashore brand.
“That’s the primary time that we’ve ever gotten any cash for something,” Pinto stated.
They’re additionally set to formally launch their web site, reasonstolovelongbeach.org , designed by Lengthy Seashore native David Calderon, the place they’ll have a map and a neighborhood calendar.
The Locals Only Map is supposed to encompass domestically owned companies in Lengthy Seashore, and the Community Calendar will likely be open to anybody submitting a neighborhood occasion corresponding to protests, clean-ups, outside markets and pop-up retailers.
After submitting occasions onto the web site, they will even be promoted on the RTLLB channel.
Basically the method will likely be a software, “Not solely to the neighborhood however to the hustlers and organizations and companies as a result of now your stuff will likely be promoted on a channel which is straight focused in the direction of Lengthy Seashore locals which can be driving for this metropolis,” Pinto added.
Their general targets with the web site are to not solely domesticate a way of neighborhood in Lengthy Seashore and make it accessible to as many individuals as they will however to develop into the go-to for all the things Lengthy Seashore associated.
“We genuinely with all of our being are like, ‘how can we assist? What can we do with our expertise? With our strategic mind-set, with the best way we are able to coordinate occasions, and the best way we are able to create basically strategic partnerships, what can we do with all of that that can nonetheless give again to our metropolis, as a result of we’ve been doing all of this with zero {dollars},” Pinto stated.
“We’re right here for no matter Lengthy Seashore wants,” ended East.
To assist Causes to Love Lengthy Seashore, go to their new web site reasonstolovelongbeach.org and comply with them on their official Instagram web page @reasonstolovelongbeach. You can even assist them by way of their Patreonand by shopping for their merchandise.
