Jon Epsteyn is the 27-year-old host of Keepin’ it Reno, an extreme sports/adventure show that airs Monday through Sunday, twice a day, on cable channel 13. The show focuses on local sports, events and people that make the surrounding environs such an exciting place to live. It’s pretty obvious that Epsteyn enjoys his job. He’s also looking for sponsors, so drop him an e-mail at <script type=”text/javascript” language=”javascript”>
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Tell me a little about yourself.
I’m an outdoors enthusiast who grew up in Reno. The whole show idea came to me in ‘04 when I traveled to Thailand. I thought it would be an awesome idea to start an adventure show because no one was doing it. I know a lot of pro athletes, just from riding with them and being friends with them. I thought I’d just start off that way, interviewing all my friends who do these extreme sports for a living.
Did you have any experience working with a camera?
I did, actually. I’ve always been into filming short, like extreme, movies and stuff and editing and doing all that myself. I actually took a lot of acting classes. I moved to L.A., did the whole thing, didn’t like it, got into downhill mountain biking, came back to Reno, raced for four years, got up to semi-pro in downhill mountain biking, and basically, I always wanted to do the whole acting thing, and I didn’t want to leave Reno. Being on camera and TV, that’s kind of my natural personality.
How did you pitch the idea to the city of Reno?
I had a friend working at SNCAT. He helped me, on our own time, start filming Keepin’ it Reno. We started going out interviewing people. And then, I approached the city, probably about this time last year. They loved it. I showed them what I had already done, and basically from there, they were just like, “This is exactly what we want. We’ll give you everything you need—except money.” I was like, “All right.”
Where do you want to take it from here? You’ve done hiking up Mt. Rose, you did the Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go …
Lots of stuff. The next show will have table tennis—the championships came to Reno—and search and rescue with the Washoe County Search and Rescue, and Monster Jam.
Monster Jam? The big trucks, right?
Yeah, yeah. It was amazing, man. I interviewed Grave Digger, the big celebrity drivers and everything, and it was great.
Cool.
Basically from there, I’m planning on filming the Cinco De Mayo Marathon; the Big Blue Adventure Series Race that’s coming to Reno; the Donner Triathlon; the Pyramid Triathlon, all the mountain bike events, like the Reno Wheelmen up Geiger Grade, how they do that every Thursday. There’s fishing; there’s so many events coming. I’ll be covering the Wakeboard Tour that comes to Sparks Marina. The idea of the show is, everything I cover, I’ll be participating in it.
You really are getting the best of all worlds.
Life’s short, and I think it’s just a good way to let everyone know what’s available.