Columbia Coast films in area

When the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce agreed to invest $35,000 in Wahkiakum West's (WWest) television show "Columbia Coast" during its April 9 meeting, WWest CEO Ken Johnson promised to film at least one of the show's 13 episodes locally. With his crew being spotted in Skamokawa, Puget Island, Downtown Cathlamet, and the Elochoman Marina last week, Johnson lived up to his end of the bargain.

"Columbia Coast," which cast member Mark Justice describes as "very experiential and hands on," spotlights areas of Wahkiakum, Pacific and, on the Oregon side, Clatsop County by blending art, history, and culture with "culinary and outdoor stuff."

Complimenting the backdrop for the show's current filming, Director Jeremiah Rounds said, "It's been nice here because anywhere you point the camera, it looks good. There's stuff all around. I took the drone up yesterday at Vista Park and I was able to come up over an RV, go out over the river, follow it down the river, up a channel, over a bridge, and then it showed this nice picturesque area of Skamokawa, flew back around, went over the forest, hit the mounds, and headed back over the RV. That whole clip is usable. There's nothing ugly about it."

Cast member Robert Stuart, better known as "Chef Stu," currently resides in Las Vegas, Nev. where he puts his culinary skills to use on a daily basis. "Just the color green itself changes the vibration," said Stuart. "It just makes you feel way better honestly. There's really no good scenery in Las Vegas, unless you like casinos as opposed to mountains and the ocean and the fog. All those different things that just make you feel like you're in a magical place. It makes me feel like I'm in a movie sometimes."

Currently "wearing multiple hats" as a member of the crew, Ilwaco-raised resident Jake Thorsen admits he never could have imagined coming home from college and having the opportunity to work on a TV show. "Most people have to move out of town and move into the big city to do that type of stuff," said Thorsen. "I got lucky, and I'm extremely lucky to be here and get all these opportunities." Referring to the dynamic between him and fellow crew members like Emma Lester, Thorsen said, "Because we've worked so closely with each other over the course of six months now, we can look at each other and know, 'He wants to move here,' or 'She wants to move there.' Emma's really good because she stays out of our way." Concurring with Thorsen, Lester said, "I have to recognize when the cameras are not going to be able to get me in them."

Also a resident of Las Vegas, Justice, whose 13 years of acting experience include movie roles on the "Lifetime" network and as a cast member for the Excalibur Hotel's main attraction Tournament of Kings, described filming in the Wahkiakum area as "less touristy" and "a little more personal." Elaborating, Justice said, "You kind of feel a little more like you are away from the riff raff... and you get to be with Mother Nature."

Johnson's wife, Heather, representing the third member of the cast, found herself needing to cover some sturgeon fishing out of Astoria. Soon enough, Heather found herself kayaking and

digging for oysters in Pacific County. "Once you get something like that together, then other people see that and say, 'I want to be involved in that, too. There's some super cool stuff in my community that needs to be spotlighted,'" said Heather. "One thing led to another and then it snowballed and here we are. It is super duper fun. I get to hang out with my buddies for two, three days at a time and do all the fun stuff in the area. That's not a hard job."

Heather's "boss" Ken, who describes the work as a lot of fun, work, stress, and coordination said, "When you see the stories reflecting people like Kathleen or Steve or Chef Heather, it's amazing to be able to have this opportunity and then put the spotlight on them."

Much like Justice's adjective of "personal," Ken added "authentic" to the pile when describing Wahkiakum. "A big thing for us is just reflecting the authenticity of the region," said Ken. "We don't have to put on any airs. I'm a midwesterner. It's a whole different world. I think that when they see that - or even the east coasters or in the south in California - they really see that this is an escape; completely different...It's not overpopulated. It's just a great place to come and disappear. We're excited to show that. Every time we show or screen it, that's really what goes through my head. Just maintaining that authenticity." For more info on the show, visit columbiacoasttv.com.