Founder of NC Rabbit Hole shares inspiration, insight on local current events
The Political Beat’s Joe Bruno sat down with the creator of the North Carolina Rabbit Hole, North Carolina’s most unique newsletter.
In his newsletter, Jeremy Markovich invites readers to get lost in the “strange minutiae” of North Carolina. His stories are always fun and different; their topics range from nuclear bombs to Shibumi Shades to panthers not being real.
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Markovich is a longtime journalist. He worked in television and also wrote for magazines like Charlotte Magazine and Our State.
As many know, North Carolina Rabbit Hole is its own type of journalism, but for its creator, the idea sparked out of one of the most simple things: curiosity.
Well, just kind of curiosity really,” Markovich told Bruno. “One of my favorite things I got to do as a full-time journalist was to just dive into stories that didn’t really have a bottom, so this [North Carolina Rabbit Hole] really grew out of that.”
Earlier in the year, Markovich wrote a unique obituary about Lieutenant Jack Revelle, who was involved in the bombs that were accidentally dropped over eastern North Carolina in 1961. For Markovich, the story and the people involved were too real not to share them.
“Years ago I talked to Jack and he told me his story,” Markovich said. “It was a great story, but he also suffered from disease caused by the nuclear bin he was in, so it’s just an incredible story, a real story with a real person behind it.”
Following Mecklenburg County Representative Tricia Cotham’s party switch a few months ago, Markovich reminded me that this isn’t the first time this has happened in North Carolina. Nearly six decades ago, the politician was a Democrat, Jesse Austin Junior. Although both politicians made a similar choice, the reaction from the public couldn’t be more different.
“There are parallels between the two, but because it wasn’t a politically charged time, now people are realizing Cotham’s vote will make a big difference,” Markovich said.
For anyone not from Charlotte, the Carolina Panthers play a growl anytime they get a first down. Markovich took this on and decided to figure out what a panther really sounds like.
“I went to the North Carolina Zoo, and they said your premise is flawed because there’s no such thing as a panther,” Markovich explained. “A panther is a term for a big cat, usually a cougar or a jaguar.”
Shibumi Shades, made by a North Carolina company, have taken beachgoers by storm, and Markovich has taken notice of the recent public obsession and credits online searches with the product’s spike in popularity.
“Based on Google searches, searches for these specific shades have gone up, but word of mouth is definitely spreading the obsession,” Markovich said.
Markovich’s article topics don’t stop at panthers, Shibumi Shades, and political parties; the journalist also took a dive into a topic close to many North Carolinians: Cook Out, where he was told true fans of the restaurant mix the famous milkshakes to create new flavors. A fan recently told Markovich how to make a banana bread-flavored shake.
Even President Joe Biden himself enjoys creating new flavors; the last time he was in the state, he made a black and white milkshake.
(WATCH BELOW: North Carolina medical marijuana bill likely dead for this year, House speaker says)
