@natbco
Instagram · Vlog
@natbco Today on the @washingtonpost: Lock in for a tale of friendship on the high seas. Comment with a newspaper emoji 🗞️ and I’ll send you my full article on captain Brian Rapp and Jerry the gull.
@natbco
Instagram · Vlog
@natbco Today on the @washingtonpost: Lock in for a tale of friendship on the high seas. Comment with a newspaper emoji 🗞️ and I’ll send you my full article on captain Brian Rapp and Jerry the gull.
Performance
Video #37031 · Vlog
[01]
The creator, a travel reporter, narrates the story of Brian, a Maine lobsterman, and his seven-year friendship with a seagull named Jerry. She recounts first meeting them on a tour, then revisits to explore the origin of their bond, explaining how Brian started feeding Jerry as a juvenile, trained him, and even inspired a children's book, culminating in a demonstration of their unique trust with a food trick.
[02]
[03]
[04]
[05]
What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds
Title hook · 55%
'This is Jerry': How a Maine lobsterman befriended a seagull
Verbal hook · 25%
Jerry's the only one that's gets fed.
Visual hook · 20%
A man with a distinctive long white beard is inside a boat cabin, gesturing towards a seagull perched just outside the open window, establishing an unusually close and familiar interaction between a person and a wild animal.
[07]
The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back
Hook
An in-the-moment scene that presents an extraordinary relationship, immediately followed by a text overlay that explicitly states the story's premise and poses an implicit question (How?).
Payoff
A final, surprising, and intimate demonstration of the relationship's unique nature, serving as a visual and emotional climax that proves the thesis stated in the hook.
[08]
The structural pattern this video runs on
Framework
The Legendary Bond
To document an unusual and heartwarming long-term relationship, building credibility and emotional investment through third-party validation and historical context before revealing a surprising demonstration of the unique bond.
The Journalist's Frame
An objective third-party narrator establishes the context and lends credibility to the story, framing it as a discovery.
The Protagonist's Testimony
The main human subject confirms the relationship and provides the initial timeline, establishing the core facts directly from the source.
The Legend Escalation
The narrator provides evidence that elevates the relationship from a simple anecdote to a documented phenomenon, citing its longevity and cultural impact (e.g., a book).
The Skeptic's Inquiry
The narrator voices a key question the audience is likely thinking, directly addressing potential disbelief and creating a narrative need for an explanation.
The Authority Build
Establish the protagonist's deep expertise and experience in their environment to underscore how truly unique and unprecedented this specific relationship is.
The Origin Story
Provide the backstory of how the relationship began, often starting from a vulnerable or nascent stage, to answer the 'how' and build an emotional foundation.
The Development Arc
Detail the progression of the relationship, including key milestones like naming or specific training, which adds depth and personality to the bond.
Today on the @washingtonpost: Lock in for a tale of friendship on the high seas. Comment with a newspaper emoji 🗞️ and I’ll send you my full article on captain Brian Rapp and Jerry the gull.
title · beginning
'This is Jerry': How a Maine lobsterman befriended a seagull
contextual · beginning
This is Jerry.
contextual · beginning
Natalie Compton TRAVEL REPORTER
contextual · beginning
PORTLAND, MAINE - 2024
contextual · beginning
Brian Rapp CAPTAIN, LUCKY CATCH CRUISES
contextual · middle
Jerry SEAGULL
informational · middle
and their friendship is now more than seven years running.
contextual · middle
July 13, 2026 Portland, Maine
informational · middle
Brian's stepmom even wrote a children's book about their bond.
contextual · middle
How do you even know it's the same bird?
informational · middle
Brian first started feeding the bird in 2018
contextual · end
Seinfeld (NBC)
Jerry's the only one that's good to go. Nobody else gets to go. This is Jerry. I was on a lobster tour in Portland, Maine a couple years ago when our captain, Brian Rank, announced we had a special guest on board. So, guys, I tell them this is Jerry. Jerry's my rank doll. He's been seeing me for five years. Fast forward a few summers, and their friendship is now more than seven years running. Brian's stepmom even wrote a children's book about their bond. I recently hopped back on a Lucky Catch cruise to find out how do you even know it's the same bad. Brian is a Maine native and a a captain for Lucky Catch Cruises. He does lobster excursions, does actual lobster fishing, operates a local ferry. And in his decades on the water, he's never had a gull encounter like this before. Brian first started feeding the bird in 2018 when it was just a little juvenile. The bird started coming back and the routine continued. He named the bird Jerry after the Seinfeld chicken, and over tier, he trained it to take food gently, and now they can do this. The mouth chick. Are you act are you holding it or are you actually I don't do my lips. My lips.