Young reporter interviewing businesses
Tristan Micks launched his own news channel during the pandemic
A Peterborough youngster is taking his YouTube page in a new direction as more small businesses reopen with the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.
Tristan Micks, who began broadcasting his 745 News online newscasts after the pandemic began, has recently added a new segment to his YouTube page that sees him going out to local businesses to see how they are doing during reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic rules have eased.
“I wanted to do something new instead of doing my ordinary newscast,” said Tristan. “I wanted it to tie into local businesses.”
Tristan said he thought about a new name for the segment that would accompany 745 News, the newscast he has been working on for several months.
The 10-year-old finally came up with the name Tristan on the Town to showcase the freedom that came with the easing of the lockdown and his enjoyment of being out and interacting with people.
Amy Micks, Tristan’s mother, said she could tell he wanted to change up what he was doing a bit.
“We were talking one night about local businesses and stuff because of COVID,” she said. “Tristan was like, we could interview them, the first one came to him about the Great Outdoors Landing marina.”
She said he wanted to do the ice cream taste test first at the marina on Garthorne Avenue in Bridgenorth.
“I think Tristan saw this as the way to show other people who might not know about these businesses because of them being smaller businesses,” she said.
Ryan Matthews, owner of Great Outdoors Landing marina, said he was pleasantly surprised by how professional and knowledgeable Tristan was when it came to the interviewing.
“It was actually excellent, the kid is knowledgeable,” he said. “He is definitely following his dream, we posted it on our social media and it just exploded, it went over very well.”
Matthews said he didn’t know what to expect when he agreed to the interview with Tristan.
“I kind of thought it was going to be a young child asking the crazy questions kids ask,” he said. “But he was quite knowledgeable, and it was almost like talking to a real adult that works in his field every day. He was very relaxed.”
Tristan’s videos are on both Facebook and YouTube and have garnered close to 2,000 views for the Great Outdoors Landing and Jessie’s Tap and Grill videos.