KARE 11 Profiles Josh Liljenquist’s Community Work

KARE 11 Sunrise transcript

Transcript note: This transcript has been lightly edited for readability by removing non-substantive verbal fillers and adding punctuation. The meaning and sequence of the original broadcast have not been intentionally changed. Bracketed passages remain unresolved and must be checked against the audio before publication.

Editorial fact-check note: Josh confirms the contribution was $500. Captain Adam Graves says “about 600 coats” on air. The transcript preserves that spoken estimate exactly; surrounding editorial copy should attribute the estimate to Graves rather than state the purchasing ratio as independently verified.

00:00 — A viral video from downtown St. Paul

ALICIA LEWIS, KARE 11: A man from Chaska has absolutely exploded on social media, going viral for all of the right reasons with videos like this one.

JOSH LILJENQUIST [IN VIDEO CLIP]: I'll do 40 hot dogs.

JOSH LILJENQUIST / FOOD VENDOR [SPEAKERS NEED FINAL DIARIZATION]: Can you do that? You have that many? Are you serious? I'm going to hand them out to the homeless. How many hot dogs do you usually sell per day?

FOOD VENDOR: It varies. On a good day, I can do like 25 hot dogs.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: So this order right here is pretty much going to make you have a good day, I guess.

ALICIA LEWIS: This video, made by Josh Liljenquist, was taken in downtown St. Paul and has more than 58 million views and counting. It's just one of about 350 similar videos Josh has made right here in Minnesota, with the singular goal of changing as many lives as possible.

00:41 — Operation Warm at Richfield STEM Elementary School

ALICIA LEWIS: [Opening sentence outside the school is unclear in the supplied machine transcript.] Outside Richfield STEM Elementary School on a cold winter day, you will find Minneapolis Fire Captain Adam Graves doing what he can to keep kids warm. The need is huge.

CAPTAIN ADAM GRAVES: I would say 75% of kids within public school systems need some sort of assistance for coats.

ALICIA LEWIS: Captain Graves runs the nonprofit Operation Warm in the Twin Cities.

CAPTAIN ADAM GRAVES: It's kind of in our DNA a little bit as firefighters. We love to help.

ALICIA LEWIS: And today, the organization is getting a little boost — [quantity/wording unclear] — from one local man on a mission to make a difference.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: What are you doing, man?

CAPTAIN ADAM GRAVES: We're giving away some coats to a local school today for some kids that are in need.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: I can help you out, man. How long have you been giving out coats for?

CAPTAIN ADAM GRAVES: We've been doing this for 10 years.

01:21 — Reinvesting social-media revenue into community help

ALICIA LEWIS: Showing up to help people is what Josh Liljenquist does — [the transition around “twice a day, seven days a week” requires audio review] — and he does it with a camera rolling.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: That's how I learned social media and internet money, I guess, and how much of a difference you can actually make. I'm doing it personally because I love giving back to the community. If you can figure out a way where you take that money that you make and then just put it back into the community, the possibilities are endless.

ALICIA LEWIS: As the saying goes, a good deed never goes unnoticed. And in Josh's case, his good deeds have been noticed by a lot of people.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: It's just all about consistency and doing it for the right reasons.

ALICIA LEWIS: Gaining him more than 5 million followers in just a year.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: There's a lot of caring people out there, and a lot of people don't like to do field work and actually go out and do the stuff that I do. But people do like to help.

02:07 — Food, basic necessities, and Take Off Media

ALICIA LEWIS: His videos range from him buying food for people experiencing homelessness—

JOSH LILJENQUIST [IN VIDEO CLIP]: One hundred subs for homeless people.

BUSINESS EMPLOYEE [IN VIDEO CLIP]: We'll take care of it.

ALICIA LEWIS: —to providing someone with basic necessities.

JOSH LILJENQUIST [IN VIDEO CLIP]: Here, I got you this too.

RECIPIENT [IN VIDEO CLIP]: It's a sleeping bag.

ALICIA LEWIS: Josh has given away about $100,000 to Minnesotans in need since he started. [The sentence introducing how he earns money is unclear in the supplied machine transcript.] Josh makes a living through Take Off Media, a marketing agency he co-founded.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: Say I make $300 for a video. I go and spend $300 on food and give it away. I give it all back.

ALICIA LEWIS: Josh says his videos get a lot of love online. [One phrase is unclear.] He's able to highlight a local small business or nonprofit, like today, where he's able to shine a light on Operation Warm. And he's known to leave a little surprise for those who are also doing good deeds.

03:00 — A contribution supporting hundreds of winter coats

JOSH LILJENQUIST: Can I make a contribution?

CAPTAIN ADAM GRAVES: You're welcome to. I won't say no. Any help we can get is always a good thing.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: All right, man. I appreciate it. How much can $500 get for coats?

CAPTAIN ADAM GRAVES: You know, that gives us about 600 coats.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: Can I give you a hug? That's awesome. Thank you.

CAPTAIN ADAM GRAVES: I appreciate it. You don't know what this means.

JOSH LILJENQUIST: Thank you. Of course, man.

03:21 — KARE 11 studio discussion

ALICIA LEWIS: I cried with Captain Graves, too. Captain Graves says he's never gotten a donation that large on the spot like that. And if you're wondering how he can get 600 coats for $500, he partners with a coat company that gives him huge discounts, especially when it comes to kids and Operation Warm.

KARE 11 CO-ANCHOR [NAME NEEDS VERIFICATION]: And if you're curious about Josh, he genuinely is just a nice guy with a huge heart, and he wants to give back. He just wants to get out there and help.

ALICIA LEWIS: Yeah, so beautiful, especially with the toxicity of social media nowadays. Everybody's doing everything for clout and doing everything for views. He's doing it just because he wants to make his community better.

KARE 11 CO-ANCHOR [NAME NEEDS VERIFICATION]: Yeah, because he already has a full-time job with his marketing company, and this is just on the side. So good.