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Sonya Lowery is doing her best to prove you don't have to travel to exotic locations or famous destinations to get away.
Lowery, of Greenbelt, created WorldNextDoorTV.com, a Web site that features 3-minute shows of adventures such as flying airplanes, zip-lining through trees or getting a hair style from a Georgetown salon.
"I figured that if I want to do something, I want it to be something that's fun and I can bring people along for the ride," Lowery said. "So I thought, ‘Why not fulfill my bucket list?'" A bucket list is a list of things to do before dying, or "kicking the bucket."
For the last decade, Lowery has operated a graphic design business, Solaris — House of Fine Graphics, while staying home raising sons, Devin, 8, and Jordan, 13.
Lowery decided to pursue a lifelong dream of being on TV.
"I kept submitting stuff to all the reality shows and nothing ever happened, so I was like, ‘Why am I waiting for somebody else to fulfill my dream?'" said Lowery, 39.
She began by calling various business owners and explaining her idea for the show. Next she recruited her brother, David Sampy Jr., who is a cameraman, and her father, Dave Sampy Sr., an Emmy-award winning television news editor.
Together they have created several 3-minute episodes giving tips about how to have fun without relying on the traditional dinner and a movie.
"You can find out what's going on in your own backyard and have a little ‘stay-cation,' whether it's a boutique hotel or a really cool restaurant," Lowery said.
The show's Web site has been up since late August and has eight shows with features on attractions including Georgetown restaurant Mie N Yu; City Segway Tours in Washington; and outdoor adventure center Freeway Aviation in Bowie.
Wendy Pittman of Mitchellville said she likes the show's format.
"The web-isodes fit neatly into our chaotic, crazy lives and our budget because everything is local and in our backyards," Pittman said.
After watching the show, Pittman visited the H Street Country Club, which she has driven by nearly every day on her way to work in Washington.
"Now it's a place that my husband and I can meet up with our children to eat, have fun or help them do homework if there are any bad traffic backups," Pittman said.
Lowery's next episode was shot Oct. 25 at the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard in Dickerson.
For future installments, Lowery said she hopes to visit a trapeze school, indoor skydiving, indoor deep sea diving, race car driving and bull riding. Though every online episode features local entertainment, she aspires to turn the show into a national or international television program. Lowery said she hasn't had any bad experiences with any of the spots she's visited so far, and wants to keep to only "positive aspects." She would not disclose costs or revenues, noting only that "some sponsorship dollars" helped with building the Web site and renting equipment. She gets free admission to venues, she said.
Now that she is closer to obtaining her dream, she is busier than ever. She works full-time with her design business, spends all her extra time with WorldNextDoorTV.com and writing. She is the author of "The Secret Language of Business Cards. "
"You have a way of juggling," Lowery said. "Parenthood actually teaches you how to juggle."
