A conversation with Beau Lyon doesn’t last too long without a laugh, or at least a smile, but he has taken his reputation for being funny to a new level through the success of his own Facebook production.
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It should come as a surprise to nobody that the father of two is hilarious in his series of Facebook posts, depicting him in a variety of amusing isolation situations.
“Initially it started when the very first (COVID-19) lockdown came about,” he said.
“The restrictions were similar to where we are at now - no office, no inspections and set yourself up to work from home.”
The Century 21 Rich River Real Estate agent hasn’t quite “gone viral”, but his Home Appreciation in Isolation series on Facebook has become a popular distraction for our locked down Campaspe population.
Mr Lyon said what started out as a bit of fun turned into a nine-part first season hitting the social media platform, and he had just posted the first two episodes of the second season
“There was a lot of panic in the initial stages of COVID-19,” he said.
“I had friends and family all down in the dumps.
“I wanted to do something to pick them up. My wife and I came up with this idea while we were just sitting at home.”
Wife Amy is behind the camera for the Facebook series, while three-year-old son Fox and daughter Gigi, who turns five at the end of this week, have made cameos in season one.
“I’ve always taken a bit of a different approach to my real estate career,” Mr Lyon said.
“I came up with this idea to try and put a humorous spin to life.”
The avid golfer and Essendon supporter’s episodes go for around 30 seconds and range from magazine organisation to painting skills and gardening.
“A lot of the real estate professionals say your content needs to be this and that,” Mr Lyon said.
“More focused on whatever gets you the maximum dollar
“But I am a bit of a larrikan. I know I can be professional and get the job done, while having a laugh,” he said.
Mr Lyon said his time in front of the camera did slow when business got back to somewhat normal a couple of months ago, but then it was lockdown again.
“It’s been more popular than I expected,” Mr Lyon said of his social media series.
“I’ve had people ringing me and sending me messages.
“I don’t push it out or anything. I’m pretty proud of what I can do via the socials.
Wife Amy, camera person and social media manager, has been the power behind the no-nonsense posts
“She always says ‘don’t waffle on too much’,” Mr Lyon said.
“And it's worked.
“I’ve seen it grow over time. We’ve put some thought and effort in what day we post, and at what time.”
The Facebook series has even gained the attention of Century 21’s corporate team, who have shared the video within their real estate network.
Some of Mr Lyon's best work has been unplanned and filmed in the moment.
“I could be sititng in the chair and an idea springs to mind,” he said.
“Amy grabs the phone and we start recording it.
“We generally get it in the first or second shot.”
For those of you who are fans of Home Appreciation in Isolation with Beau Lyon there are already two other episodes “in the can”, which will be posted in the next few days.
And as for his favorite episode?
“I like the ones that involve the kids,” Mr Lyon said.
“One where I fall off a ladder while cleaning the gutters and another when my little girl helped me clean the windows and I don’t realise the window is open when I put the hose on it.
“I’ve been shocked by the response.
“I don’t put any boosting on it (a term used where you can pay to have your post sent out to people).
“I’ve been able to build a bit of a following and haven’t had to go down that path.”
The first episode of the new season was a new record for Beau’s series, with 2700 views of the post.
“Some of the older ones had between 1500 and 2000 views, so we are trending up,” he said.
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