TALKING HEADS. Since early April, Eau Media host Cate Lucas has interviewed more than a dozen community members via Facebook Live, including Camp Manitou Director Brian Moore.

It all started at a dinner table: three roommates brainstorming with their friends about how to connect the community of Eau Claire in unique ways. After some back and forth and a table drumroll, Eau Media was born, and it is gaining a lot of traction since launching earlier this year.

“We are young hooligans that love Eau Claire,” the group says. “We want to invest our time in fun projects that build up our community.”

Cate Lucas is the main force behind Eau Media. She says while recording podcasts and coming up with event ideas for Eau Media to host, the coronavirus hit. Just as the idea had come to fruition quickly, Eau Media had to rapidly shift gears and connect the Eau Claire community in a different way. When the group (which includes Lucas’ roommate, Kelsey Nocek) got a phone call with an idea to tell a story through Facebook Live, the group jumped at the chance. EC Pieces was going to be their way to connect Eau Claire while also living up to the image they want Eau Media to represent.

“We are all part of this community. Let’s celebrate that. Let’s share what is stirring up inside of us. Let’s really listen to each other. Maybe we’ll discover something new. We listen. We share. We engage.” –Cate Lucas, Eau Media host

“It happened quite fast,” Lucas says. “We are still learning and growing and trying to do things slow and well.”

And they certainly have grown fast. Since the first “EC Pieces” was launched on April 1, Lucas has interviewed 19 community members in 17 interviews, and more are lined up for the future. The interviews are focused on COVID-19, and Lucas has talked to a number of people, including the head of the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic, the owner of the downtown restaurant Thai Orchid, and a local teacher. “EC Pieces” encourages guests to share both the challenging aspects and joyous ordinary occurrences of living through a global pandemic. Lucas hopes that people tune in to the segment and feel less alone despite social distancing. She says people have been enjoying the segments and are excited about Eau Media’s content.

“It has been fun to hear people show support and encouragement to the guests of ‘EC Pieces,’ ” Lucas says. “Those have been my most treasured responses.”

Lucas is optimistic about Eau Media’s future. A lot of evolving ideas and projects are in the works, but don’t expect things to drop right away. Lucas says they don’t want to feel pressured to get content or projects out quickly: They want to do them slowly, and they want to do them well. “EC Pieces” is open to anyone who feels a part of the Chippewa Valley.

“I have noticed a pattern in many people we talk to downplaying their own stories and their own voices,” Lucas says. “We are all part of this community. Let’s celebrate that. Let’s share what is stirring up inside of us. Let’s really listen to each other. Maybe we’ll discover something new. We listen. We share. We engage.”

You can stay up to date with Eau Media at eaumedia.com. You can also check out “EC Pieces” segments on Eau Media’s Facebook and Instagram pages.