New site launches to create a single source for all things Edmund Fitzgerald.
While working on his ownFitz-related project, writer John Gorelski was frustrated by what he experienced to be waning awareness of the Fitzgerald story outside of the Great Lakes region and the “classic rock” demographic. As a result, he developed www.edmundfitz50.com, which has nearly 100 videos of Fitz-related topics, all curated and placed in context, plus plenty of other content.
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People new to the Fitzgerald story or those looking for a deeper understanding of it now have a single source to get a complete picture of the event, from the traditional telling of the story to new insights into its controversies. The site also covers the impact of the Gordon Lightfoot song, the 1970s, and the Great Lakes region in which the Fitz and its crew lived and operated.
“The primary goal,” says John Gorelski, site producer, “is to keep the legend alive. My experience writing and talking about the Fitz for the past several years indicates to me that the legend is fading away. It's hard for those living in the Great Lakes region to understand this because of the amount of media coverage it receives in those markets. Outside the Great Lakes and certainly below a certain age group, it's a different story. Most people have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention the Edmund Fitzgerald, even if I connect it to the song. I want to change that.”
For the upcoming Labor Day weekend, the site will post a special section dedicated to videos about working on the lakes. The site also includes reviews and recommendations on books and documentaries about the Fitz and related topics. It also presents historical reporting and places to visit.
Online content about the Fitz is spread all over the internet or centralized in a few places where the user experience and the site design is not part of the journey. EdmundFitz50 fills that void, offering an engaging and immersive environment, with organized content, that will appeal to a more general population and younger audiences.
The site is deep. “If you are interested in the Fitzgerald story, I dare you to spend less than an hour on the site,” challenges Gorelski.
Gorelski is encouraging media outlets in the Great Lakes region and elsewhere to promote the site to their audiences. “After all, it's everyone's responsibility in the Great Lakes region to keep the legend alive,” he reminds us.
WHAT CAN THE AVERAGE PERSON DO TO KEEP THE LEGEND ALIVE?
— Talk about the Fitz.
— Post about the Fitz.
— Re-post about the Fitz (the site has plenty to re-post).
— Reach new audiences with the story, especially friends and family who live out of state and younger generations. Play the song. Send them to Edmundfitz50 to explore on their own.
Because of its immersive nature, the site is best viewed on a desktop browser, rather than on a mobile device.
John Gorelski is an ex-military news correspondent, award-winning creative director, and a writer. His upcoming first novel will initially be released as a podcast this fall. “Chasing the Fitz” is a thriller about Great Lakes shipping and corporate power, inspired by the events the night the Fitz went down. It's through this project that Gorelski realized there was no plan for a 50thAnniversary website for the Edmund Fitzgerald, so he created it.
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SOURCE EdmundFitz50
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