Dear Reader,
Ed Pevos dresses up like Clark Kent/Superman for cosplay events. But his Kryptonite is rollercoasters.
Yet when your job for MLive is covering whatever fun looks like for Michiganders, well, you strap in and go for the ride anyway.
“It was most terrifying experience of my life,” Pevos said of his ride on Cedar Point’s Steel Vengeance when it debuted in 2018. “I don't really act – it's just me. I was terrified to get in that video.”
I spend a lot of time in this column talking about our news reporting, our sports coverage and other serious subjects. Today I want to shed some light on something else MLive brings you: How to have a great time. And Pevos is at the center of that beat.
Whether it's tubing down a sledding hill, dressing up to cover Comic Con or eating the latest creation at a fast food joint, Pevos is showing you what it's like on Facebook Live and in various stories he posts on our website.
“Ed is amazingly curious, and that is what makes him so good at his job,” said Tanda Gmiter, who oversees our Life & Culture coverage. “He's not only adept at showing us places around Michigan that we want to know more about, but he asks the questions – and gets the answers – that just might inspire our next trip.”
A lot of what makes an Ed story entertaining is … Ed. He’s passionate, a bit quirky and more often than not has the sincere enthusiasm of enjoying himself as much as you would, whether it’s riding a zipline or interviewing Garth Brooks.
And he’s a bit of a legend within MLive. He’s the only employee we’ve ever hired who asked to start a week before their official first day so they could cover a Comic Con (we agreed). And the rollercoaster ride he white-knuckled in 2018 was actually a “make good” after he lost his nerve in 2016 while lining up to ride the coaster Valrvn – with a videographer ready to record the ride.
Pevos got buckled into a chair and panicked. But the legendary part is that the chair wasn’t even on the ride – it was the one in line that people sit in to simulate buckling in.
“I chickened out on Valravn but I vowed not to do that again,” he said. And he was true to his word, although occasionally he needed a little assistance.
When getting ready to ride an inflatable tube down a 600-foot snow chute in January 2021, he was taking his time getting into the tube and working up his nerve. Our videographer handed the camera, then gave the tube a hearty shove.
“Nice knowin’ ya, Ed!” he cackled as the tube shoots down the hill.
“THIS IS NO JOKE! THIS IS SOME SPEED! I’M GOING BACKWARD!” Pevos shouts breathlessly in the video. At the bottom, he sheepishly says “I may have used a word I shouldn’t have” – and then gets back on the lift for another ride.
That kind of first-person, jump-right-in attitude are staples of Pevos’ Facebook Live broadcasts, and it’s what makes them so fun to watch.
“The way Ed connects with audience when he’s broadcasting live cannot be taught. It’s not in a J-school textbook, that’s for sure,” said Gillian Van Stratt, who oversees MLive’s social media and video offerings. “He gets audience and they get him. It’s an indescribable energy. The way he reacts to life is so incredibly genuine and infectious.”
Pevos’ comfort behind and in front of the camera comes in part from his previous work as a producer and reporter for a television news team. But it reflects his conviction that it’s his job to make stories as interesting as possible for readers and viewers.
“Sometimes things work, sometimes they don't, but I'm always willing to take a risk,” he said. “There's a lot of great content in the world and if you're not trying to stand out a little bit, then you're not doing it right.”
The most eclectic beat at MLive marches on for Pevos. His very next interview after I talked to him for this column was with celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. In a few weeks, he’ll cover tryouts for Detroit Lions cheerleaders.
And of course, he’ll be a fixture at the next Motor City Comic Con, May 13-15. If you’re looking for a good story, just find the Clark Kent wearing media credentials.
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🎧 On today's episode John Hiner and Eric Hultgren talk culture with Ed Pevos. We get into music, television, rollercoasters, and the cosmos in this all-encompassing fun episode.Listen here on Spotify.
John Hiner is the vice president of content for MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editor@mlive.com.
