By Abigail Roberts
A new independent media group is bringing old stories to life and new stories to your screens.
Brandon Edwards, founder and producer of Frazzell Studio TV, said he wanted to create a new way to cover the stories that are missed by other media.
Edwards said while Kentucky has many TV media groups covering state news, the important, local stories are often forgotten.
To tell those stories, Edwards created Frazzell Studio TV, a Danville-based media company that covers a variety of local interests from paranormal activity, historical stories, businesses, sports and more.
“When these people are dead and gone, who is going to tell their story?” Edwards said. “There’s a lot of people who I call ‘quiet giants’ that have done a lot of things and no one ever knew it. Those people never wanted recognition, they didn’t do it for fame.”
The community wouldn’t be what it is without those quiet giants, Edwards said.
“They’ve all done extraordinary things in the community,” he said. “Getting on camera and hearing their stories, and telling history with it, but we don’t want to be boring. We want it to be interesting.”
Since its creation, Frazzell Studio TV has become home to several different shows including “Shadows of Kentucky,” “What’s Happening Kentucky,” “Hollow & The “Hill” and “Bluegrass Bites.”
“Shadows of Kentucky” explores the state’s most haunting mysteries, unsolved stories and paranormal legends.
A tragic, unsolved Lincoln County case was highlighted in one of the episodes “What Really Happened? The Jeffrey McQueen Case.”
The episode revisits what is one of several of Lincoln County’s unsolved cases. Jeffrey McQueen was walking home from a football game in Nov. of 1985 when he was struck and killed by a truck. The driver did not stop and despite decades of investigation, no arrests have ever been made.
“Shadows of Kentucky” also explored paranormal activity in Perryville in an episode titled “Who’s in the Window?” The episode explores inside the historic Bottoms House Bed & Breakfast in Perryville, Kentucky. The show highlights Civil War history and decades of reported paranormal activity.
Edwards said the media group is volunteer-based.
“Everybody donates their talents, their time and their abilities to make these productions come to life because they want to give back to the community,” he said.
“Hollow & The Hill” was the series that started it all. The series travels across Kentucky to share inspiring stories and local history.
“It’s been really positive. We’ve had a lot of people come together to make it happen,” he said.
Edwards said the stories have brought people together and have attracted people to the area, giving Central Kentucky free, positive publicity.
A new show added to the list is “Bluegrass Bites” which will travel across Kentucky to visit hometown restaurants, local gems and food trucks and provide food reviews.
“Our goal is to bring a whole list of programming that is all Kentucky 100 percent, that’s not boring and showcases the area,” Edwards said.
The show “What’s Happening Kentucky” is a fresh, fun look at local news across Central Kentucky. The show aims to bring a new energy to local events, hot topics, small businesses and community stories.
Edwards said he has enjoyed meeting a variety of people in the community and sharing their stories.
“People can read stuff online but we’re showing people why this community is so great,” he said. “I think we have the best area in Kentucky right here.”
Central Kentucky is unique, he said, but it always comes together to take care of each other in times of need.
“In the last 25 to 30 years we’ve gotten away from real interaction, we’ve been on our cell phones and on our computers and our goal is to go out and meet these people and tell people to get out,” he said. “It’s just an awesome opportunity to get to use your talents and abilities to give back and showcase people and bring people together.”
Edwards said his favorite story he has told so far has been the episode of “Hollow & The Hill” that profiles Zach Cooley and the family story of the Danville Bowlarama.
“Zack is one of those guys, he’s third-generation owner, just what he’s done for that bowling alley, not only to preserve the 1960’s look but also to modernize and keep bowling alive,” Edwards said. “This guy does it all, he coaches for the high school team and he helps out with all of the other teams.”
Edwards said he wants to remind people who Kentuckians really are, and share the best parts of Central Kentucky.
“It’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about the people you meet, the stories you hear.”
You can learn more and view all of the programming here: https://www.youtube.com/@FrazzellstudioTV
