The best content is usually already sitting in the shop, on the job site, or inside somebody’s weird little ritual.

I’m Jess Riegel, a Northern California content creator and director—and the creator of Unlikely Gems, a local short-form series with 200+ episodes, 43K+ followers, and 60+ businesses featured.

I direct real people into memorable, repeatable content by spotting the natural humor, knowledge, or point of view that makes them worth watching—and building formats around it.

Spartan Home Pros

Turning an employee’s natural comic energy into a repeatable social format.

I identified an on-camera team member with real personality, developed concepts around his energy, and directed short-form content that combines bold humor, branded trucks, and a trustworthy home-services presence.

Role: Creative direction · Writing · On-camera direction · Filming · Editing
Format: Short-form video designed for Spartan Home Pros’ social channels
Status: Pending client publication

SPD Country Supermarket

Turning a deli sandwich into a shared local joke.

I noticed the detail that thousands of regular customers already know: an $8.49 deli sandwich comes with a free—but very tiny—bag of chips. I turned that familiar value-and-quirk combination into an entertaining short-form video that made regular SPD shoppers feel seen and gave the broader community a reason to join the joke.

Result: 73K+ views · 5K+ likes · 342 comments · 1.6K shares
Role: Story discovery · Concept · Host · Production · Editing
Format: Unlikely Gems business collaboration
Watch the original: [Instagram Reel]

Volz Automotive

Finding a story in the smallest detail.

I visited Volz Automotive, met the owner and team, and looked for the detail that could turn a mechanic-shop visit into something people would actually want to watch. The hook was a bag of red shop rags—a familiar but visually specific part of the work that became the centerpiece of the video.

I built the concept around that discovery, brought the team into the story, and turned an everyday shop detail into a playful, personality-led video.

Result: 45K+ views · 2.7K+ likes · 113 comments · 1K+ shares
Role: Story discovery · Creative direction · On-camera direction · Host · Production · Editing
Format: Unlikely Gems business collaboration
Watch the original: [Instagram Reel]

Pizza Norcia

Two pizzas. A bottle of wine. A reggae music video.

For Pizza Norcia, a restaurant near Placerville, I found the detail that felt more fun than a standard restaurant promotion: its “two pizzas and a bottle of wine” Tuesday special. Instead of simply listing the offer, I built an original reggae-inspired music video around it—turning a weekly deal into a memorable, shareable piece of entertainment.

The goal was to make the special feel like part of the restaurant’s personality: warm, playful, specific, and impossible to confuse with a generic food post.

Result: 40K+ views · 1.5K+ likes · 78 comments · 600 shares
Role: Creative concept · Song-writing · On-camera direction · Production · Editing
Format: Short-form branded music video
Watch the original: [Instagram Reel]

The Poop Sign

A local stop sign accidentally became Nevada City’s funniest landmark.

Someone had added “P” and “O” stickers to a Nevada City stop sign, transforming it into the “Poop Sign.” It was childish, simple, and instantly funny—the kind of tiny local detail that invites people to stop, laugh, and share it with someone else.

I built the episode around that discovery, using comedy and character performance to turn an altered street sign into a local shared moment rather than just a quick observation.

Result: 346K+ views · 20K+ likes · 365 comments · 21K+ shares
Role: Concept · Performance · Production · Editing
Format: Original short-form comedy via Unlikely Gems
Watch the original: [Instagram Reel]

These are a few selected examples from 200+ original short-form videos created through Unlikely Gems and direct client work.

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