Page 38 - On The Move - Volume 17, Issue 3

By J.W. Southwick
Director of Marketing
& Social Media
MAADA

n the age of social distancing, what do you do when you’re the organizer of the na-
Ition’s largest monthly car show, and gear heads are chomping at the bit to get back
on the show scene? That’s the question that Bruce Piefke, the organizer of Caffeine
& Octane, needed to answer, when the State of Georgia went into shutdown mode, With a production plan in place, all that was
needed was a location. Fortunately for Bruce and
following the outbreak of the Coronavirus. his team, they already had one. ‘Caffeine & Oc-
tane at the Garage’ is something that Piefke has

For years, Caffeine & Octane has been held the So, when the Coronavirus disrupted normalcy, had in the works for a while, now. It’s a café
first Sunday of each month, and for the past Bruce and his team came up with an idea. They style location that will allow enthusiasts to gath-
several years, Perimeter Mall’s parking lot has asked owners to send in walkaround videos of er, socialize, and enjoy food and drinks, all while
been the spot where thousands have flocked to their rides, which would be used in a virtual show admiring each other’s vehicles. Once a Firestone
show off their rides. Everything from antiques hosted on the Caffeine & Octane Facebook page. service facility, it ended up being the perfect spot
to muscle cars and exotics can be found at the But there were issues with that plan. “We dis- for C&O’s drive-thru show, which occurred on
show. But, just after C&O was able to present covered that the different technical capabilities May 16th.
the event in March, COVID-19 descended and of the owners, when it came to video and sound
threw a monkey wrench into everyone’s day-to- quality, created a product that was okay, but not So, how was this new format received? Very
day existence. really up to our standards,” Bruce explained. well, according to Mr. Piefke. “We got five times
“I spoke with the executive producer of our TV as many views as the video clips and an average
This wouldn’t be the first time Caffeine & Octane show, Ed Coughlin, and he helped me develop a viewing length that was ten times that of the
has faced challenges in bringing the show to its plan that included multiple camera feeds with im- virtual car show video. We’re still picking up a
fans. Since its humble beginnings at The Avenues proved video and sound.” couple thousand views each week.”
in Roswell, where a handful of enthusiasts gath-
ered to enjoy coffee and admire each other’s ma- C&O’s television show runs on the NBC Sports For now, Caffeine & Octane’s monthly show re-
chines, the show has often had to adapt due to Network, and having that level of production ex- mains in limbo, until the state decides when large
its rapid growth. Beginning in Roswell, C&O has perience was helpful in overcoming the challenges gatherings can resume. Once it returns, filming of
moved locations multiple times. It’s no easy feat that the drive-thru show presented. “This took a their television show will resume, with new epi-
to find the space to host thousands of vehicles, lot of skilled people to execute at a high level,” sodes tentatively scheduled to return in October.
with room for spectators to wander. said Bruce. “It required the same type of effort
as producing a live sporting event.”

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