My name is Grayson Martin and for the past year I have served as the media assistant for the town of Farragut. If you have attended any of the recent town-sponsored events, you have likely seen me, camera in hand, working to capture the story of what Farragut has to offer.
I have always enjoyed the art of storytelling, with photography and videography being my preferred methods. Since I moved from my home state of Alabama eight years ago, I have spent most of my time immersing myself in the north and south Knoxville communities, conducting freelance media projects for various organizations.
This is why taking this role with Farragut was so enticing — I got to familiarize myself with a new community and all it has to offer!
So far, I’ve been able to work with town administration, elected officials, local businessowners, Visit Farragut, Public Works Department, Engineering Department, Parks & Recreation and many of the citizens of the town, and I must say, I have enjoyed it all!
What I have come to find since working alongside all these groups is how much they care about the community.
Some examples of this include local businesses. I’ve had the honor of creating promotional materials and business spotlights to help our business owners recover from setbacks caused by the pandemic by increasing visibility of their services. Some of our businesses have been in Farragut for over 35 years. Working one-on-one with business owners has shown me how invested they are in this community. They are passionate about the services they provide and forming meaningful relationships with their customers. This genuine passion shines through the camera during my interviews with them.
Another side of the community I have the benefit of working for is Parks & Rec and all those who help keep our parks and town beautiful. The Parks Department adds so much value to the town by providing both individuals and families beneficial events and programs that build healthy lifestyles. What I love seeing at these community events are the regular participants who attend just about every function and use these activities to build strong bonds.
Farragut and its beautiful parks wouldn’t be so outstanding if not for the awesome men and women within Public Works. This group has been an absolute blast to work with! They are great at what they do and after recently featuring them for Public Works week, I have seen just how proud they are of the work they do. It brings me joy to see the positive feedback and recognition they get from the community on our social media accounts.
As I continue to work telling Farragut’s story and bringing attention to all it has to offer, I hope to see you all out and about. This town has leadership that cares, businesses invested in the community and services which provide excellent experiences to its citizens. If you happen to see me and my camera, come say hello!
Grayson Martin is subbing for Wendy Smith’s Farragut Insider this week.