Enrique Meza, No Network
“Fresno is what you make of it.”
Meet Enrique Meza. Enrique founded local video blog, No Network. No Network consists of several shows hosted by Fresnans.
Enrique was raised in Orange Cove, a small town in Fresno County and commuted frequently to Reedley for school. Enrique obtained a degree in computer science at San Diego State, and later moved to Reedley in search of a job. He moved to San Francisco, because he was unable to find and lived there for over three years. He has since moved to Fresno.
Enrique made the surprising move from San Francisco to Fresno because he wanted to buy a house. “I wanted the all-American dream,” Enrique says, “and after you live in San Francisco and San Diego for a few years, you still want that big city feeling.” Compared to small towns Reedley and Orange Cove, he feels that Fresno is more convenient.
Enrique founded No Network living in Fresno. He says that he came up with the idea of No Network several years before his move to Fresno when he listened to the podcast of Leo Laporte on Twit. “I thought, ‘Hey, let’s do something similar to that, but with video,” Enrique says. He has finally had the chance to make his long-term idea into a reality, because of the significant decrease in the cost of technology and video equipment.
CHALLENGES AND REWARDS OF MAINTAINING A BLOG
Enrique faced many challenges when he started his blog in February. Enrique says he wanted to make the site look professional and polished, and this cost him a lot of time and money. A bigger issue was trying to figure out the content of the blog. At first the focus of the blog was very broad and general. He wanted people around the world to relate to the content of the shows. Enrique later shifted this broad focus to something more Fresno-related. “People like the Fresno-centric theme,” Enrique says. “It’s refreshing to people and the hosts on the site are genuine and relatable.” Enrique says he has learned to be more flexible with the direction of his site.
Enrique occasionally has trouble juggling the responsibilities of a blog with his work and family. During the day, Enrique works as a photographer for CoStar, a real estate listing and resource Web site. In the afternoon, he spends time on his blog and with his family. ”There are a lot of 2 a.m. nights,” Enrique says.
Enrique says maintaining a blog, however, has its own rewards. No Network has doubled its viewership every month. “You get recognition,” Enrique says, “and that leads to other jobs. It not only helps me, but the hosts, too.”
PLANS FOR NO NETWORK
Enrique plans to continue to cater to the the Fresno area by producing more locally-themed shows. He also plans on having “mini” seasons for each show that return every year or miniseries of different shows. “I want to flip the traditional network on its head,” Enrique says.
Enrique is also thinking of starting a contest later this year. The contest will allow anyone to submit a video of an idea for a show. People can then vote for their favorite video. The winner will then have their show featured on No Network. Enrique has not figured out the complete details of the contest, but I’m looking forward to checking back for more details!
ADVICE FOR BLOGGERS
Enrique says that the most important thing for a blogger is to interact with current and potential followers through social networking Web sites. Instead of only posting to promote a new post, Enrique advises to build relationships with people. He frequently has conversations with people on Twitter unrelated to No Network. “Building a relationship is more important than building your brand,” Enrique says. This is a great thing to do when you don’t have enough time to post a blog entry every day.
OPINIONS ON FRESNO
“Fresno is what you make of it,” Enrique says. “You can enjoy everything about it or be pessimistic. It’s up to you.” Enrique says that if you get out there and mingle with other residents, you will realize that there is plenty to do in Fresno. “If you stay at home and complain there’s nothing to do,” Enrique says, “then you’re going to perceive it that way.”
Enrique says there are several things to do in Fresno, but it takes a lot of searching. Twitter and Facebook, however, have made it easier to find out about events. Enrique advises following accounts such as Mike Oz of the Fresno Beehive and Creative Fresno on Twitter. Mike Oz, he says, is good at spreading the word about what’s happening in Fresno.
Enrique says that there isn’t anything detrimental about Fresno. The biggest downside of Fresno, to him, is that it’s too spread out. This has prevented people from wanting to go to different areas, such as downtown Fresno. “Fresno pulled away so far,” Enrique says, “and they let downtown to rot.” He says that the downtown areas of San Francisco, Pismo and Clovis are very vibrant and still growing, unlike downtown Fresno. He says efforts to revitalize downtown might make people realize there are plenty of things to do in the area.
Have a lovely day in Fresno!
Veronica Stumpf
