B.C. radio host gets shout out on The Office star John Krasinski's good news series
Stephen Keppler ‘annointed’ himself as Krasinski’s co-host and did a 'frustratingly good job'
A B.C. radio personality may have just got his big break as self-appointed co-host on a good news show produced by John Krasinski, the star of the television series The Office.
Stephen Keppler, a host on EZ Rock Kelowna, tweeted the actor with his local rendition of Some Good News, which launched on March 29 to compile good news that's happening amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In Okanagan, Canada, @radiokeppler anointed himself as my SGN co-anchor without consulting a lawyer," Krasinski said in episode two of his series. "And he did a frustratingly good job."
"I was jumping for joy," Keppler told CBC's Josh Pagé. "[Krasinski] put on like 10 to 15 seconds of my segment where I'm just talking about the weather and other good news in the Okanagan and then he says that I was frustratingly good and I thought that was like the best compliment I think I'll ever receive in my life."
When Keppler saw the first episode of Some Good News, he was inspired to make a local version of the show. He compiled a list of stories and filmed a short broadcast of him in his home, sharing them with viewers.
When he put it on Twitter, he tagged Krasinski.
"I didn't hear anything from him for I guess like five days and lo and behold on Sunday I'm one of his lead stories."
Good News Okanagan! <br><br>Take some time and see what’s happening here. <br><br>(Totally inspired by <a href="https://twitter.com/somegoodnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@somegoodnews</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/johnkrasinski?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@johnkrasinski</a> ) <a href="https://t.co/fb04Ips3XO">pic.twitter.com/fb04Ips3XO</a>
—@RadioKepplerHe describes the experience as "surreal."
The video has been posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. On YouTube alone, the video has more than 3.5 million views.
"I thought by tagging [Krasinski] on Twitter that I'll get a retweet which would be awesome," Kepler said. "But this was a lot cooler, and actually, it's nice to get a little bit of validation."
Keppler, like many people working in media, has been doing his best to find positive, uplifting stories to share with listeners as COVID19 updates take over the broadcasts and social media feeds.
"I'm really trying to hammer out the positivity because with my personal brand I don't like to dwell on the negative," he said.
"We need a break, even if it's for one or two minutes."
With files from Josh Pagé