by Tim Froberg
Mike Cannon never dreamed he would be an internet sensation when he accepted a part-time maintenance job for Future Neenah in 2019.
He had retired and was just looking for something to fill his time.
And then something unexpected happened: He became a bit of a social media star.
Cannon has gained notoriety around the Fox Cities, particularly in the Neenah-Menasha area, for his popular “Mondays with Mike” weekly videos. The two-to-three-minute feel-good videos highlight various Neenah businesses and events and are narrated and hosted by Cannon, who is employed by the organization as a maintenance worker.
Future Neenah employee Michelle Dunning shoots and edits the videos on her smartphone and posts them on Future Neenah’s Facebook page. They have been a surprising success, garnering an estimated average of 8,000 to 10,000 views per video and as many as 30,000 views.
Cannon, a gregarious individual with a terrific sense of humor, has lived in the Neenah area since 2001, when he and his wife, Kim, a Plexus employee, moved to the Fox Cities. A Gary, Ind., native, Cannon worked in sales and finance in the automobile business for several years before managing a couple of Get It Now stores in Neenah and Fond du Lac after relocating to Neenah.
Mike and Kim have four grown children: Alec, 29; Mark, 26; Elise, 23; and Olivia, 21; along with grandchildren Arthur, 3; Aria, 2; and Naomi, 7 months. When he’s not talking to business owners or handling other details of his job, Cannon enjoys cooking and tending to his nonprofit organization, Kindred Crew, which supports and helps strengthen families.
How did Mondays with Mike get started?
“I was walking down the street one day doing my job and saw a family where all four of them were wearing the same sweater. I’m kind of silly sometimes, so I told myself that I had to take a picture with those people. I showed some of my co-workers the picture and they were like, ‘We’ve got to post this on our social media page.’ People loved it, so we started posting photos our first year. It evolved into videos.”
Do you have any training or experience in broadcasting or social media work?
“I don’t. I worked in sales and finance for 27 years in Indiana before moving here. But I have Michelle. She’s what I call my production team. She’s my editor, my producer, my director. She does it all. Really, it’s just her cellphone with a couple of little click-on mics. It’s just real people doing real stuff. We really don’t prep for these videos. And if I mess up a word or something, we just keep on rolling. It makes it more fun.”
What do you try to bring to your videos?
“If you’ve ever watched Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri — that’s kind of what we’re going for. We tell people about a business and interact with the owners and workers. It’s a behind-the-scenes look and I try and use humor and be myself. The goal is to make the community more aware of this small business, so they might come in.”
What’s this experience been like?
“It’s been a blast. I love it. I’m a people person who likes to be out there talking to people in the community. This gives me a platform to love on a community that has loved on me. I’m really surprised that so many people have watched. I’m surprised that people want to see this mug on a video.”
This article was originally published in the July 2026 issue of Appleton Monthly Magazine.
