SARATOGA SPRINGS — When Kasandra Carda decided to buzz into Dunkin Donuts on South Broadway, on Tuesday, July 26, about 10 a.m. for some quick refreshment on her way to some real estate appointment, she had no idea that her life was about to change. “I went in that side entrance—the one only locals know about,” she said with a smile.
And there it was. The perfect, quintessential, only in Saratoga Springs photo op.
Mounted Officer John Sesselman, aboard the mighty police horse King Tut – ordering a coffee for himself and a single glazed munchkin for his steed. “It happened by accident, and I couldn’t resist. So I snapped the photo – with my cell phone – and impulsively threw it on Facebook. I knew my friends would like it,” Kasandra said.
That became quite an understatement. In short order, she was rapidly accumulating likes, loves, ha ha’s, comments, and shares. Nothing unusual – it’s a great pic. We printed it ourselves on page seven (Neighborhood Buzz – July 29) last week. But then something else happened. Somehow, one of the “shares” reached the attention of a Boston TV news reporter for WCVB, an ABC News affiliate. Kasandra Carda started getting inquiries from all over the nation.
All of a sudden, Kasandra started to worry. She was concerned that this sort of publicity might not be appreciated by her local police department. Here, she was just beginning to launch her own realty firm, Saratoga Spa Realty, LLC – a joint venture with Bella Home Builders and herself (visit SaratogaSpaRealty.com), and as anyone who has started a business knows – there’s already plenty to be concerned with, even with a well-established partner.
As it turned out, Kasandra had nothing to worry about. “I actually reached out to Officer Sesselman, and spoke to his wife, very nice,” she said. “She said everybody in the department loved it!”
This was confirmed by Mounted Officer Glenn Barrett, whom Cassandra ran into near the Saratoga Race Course. But, like I said, Kasandra never needed to worry.
For the reporter in Boston, the one who somehow got ‘shared’ Kasandra’s quintessential Saratoga photo, and put her on that viral road…
Is named…Jenny. Pombo. Sesselman. “She is Officer Sesselman’s sister-in-law,” Kasandra said, with a smile.
Like my hero Paul Harvey used to say: “Now you know…”
But wait – there’s still more to …the rest of the story.
Along the way, ABC Boston shared with other ABC affiliates, as networks are wont to do. Eyewitness News in Raleigh, NC broadcast the photo; Eyewitness News in New York City tweeted it on their page. And along the way, the Associated Press (AP) picked it up.
The AP, which is headquartered in New York City, operates in more than 280 locations worldwide. Their affiliates number in the thousands. AP’s 2015 annual report tells the tale:
“More than half the world’s population sees content from The Associated Press every day via 15,000 news outlets worldwide.” - Source: ap.org T
hat, my friends is the definition of viral. There is no way I know of to measure the amount of eyeballs that have seen, or will see, Kasandra’s picture. And it all started right here in Saratoga Springs – where she was born, raised, and lives with her husband and daughter.
And she’s a nice person to boot! So help her out - buy a house from her – two if you can afford it.
Lest she be tempted to switch to photojournalism or something…
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