ESCANABA — My name is Scott Lawrence and I am a digital media specialist at Visit Escanaba. I grew up in Commerce, Mich., which is a small town in the Lower Peninsula. Most of my time growing up was spent outside exploring new trails, playing sports like disc golf, and hanging out with friends and family. I moved to the Upper Peninsula in 2009 to go to Northern Michigan University for my digital cinema degree and have wanted to remain in the area ever since graduating.

When I was a kid, camping “up north” meant driving about three hours outside of Detroit which seemed like an amazing wildness adventure to me at the time. Then when it was time to go to college, I visited the U.P. for the first time. This was the true “up north” that was beyond my childhood dreams. Fresh air, fresh water, and a relaxing lifestyle. The community was warm and welcoming, and the area had so much to offer year-round.

Downstate, the most active I was in winter included snowboarding and ice fishing from time to time. After moving to the U.P. my winter activity list has more than tripled. That list now also includes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, snow biking, ice races, snow tubing, ice climbing, sled dog races, and the ski jumps. Most of these new activities weren’t possible downstate because the weather didn’t support them.

The U.P. is truly a year-round experience. I graduated from NMU with a digital cinema degree and held many video-related jobs since graduation. When looking for my dream job all I knew was that I wanted to remain in the place I now call home, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Seven years later I found my dream job at Visit Escanaba. I call it my dream job because I get to be active outside meeting new people while filming and photographing. One of my favorite parts of working here is meeting all the new people. Most of the folks I have had the privilege of working with have been kind, open, and inspiring. The combination of an excellent community, lower stress lifestyle, and awesome outdoor activities makes me feel like the luckiest man alive.

Being able to live and work in a place I love while doing the activities I love and picking up new things along the way has been an amazing experience. I have found my dream job after searching for seven years and I look forward to growing here with this community. Thank you for being so welcoming and supportive of me personally and of our organization, Visit Escanaba. I look forward to continuing to work on exciting new projects that will help our community grow attracting new visitors, businesses, and residents to this area.

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Scott Lawrence is a digital media specialist with Visit Escanaba/