There is nothing very complex about me. But I have achieved a lot in my short life and The Walking Critic is just an extension of those achievements. It is also a role that I take very seriously, as the power of the pen can both hurt and help a business that I review.
375,000 people have read my reviews on Trip Advisor alone. And this grows by 10,000 new viewers a month. If medals could be awarded, I suppose I’d have quite a few stripes by now, especially as I’m ranked as one of the top Trip Advisor reviewers in Western Australia. That being said, I enjoy posting more in-depth and personal reviews here. They tend to carry more weight.
I am also an Elite writer for Yelp (Elite ’17, Elite ’16 and Elite ’15), so there’s another badge of honour to my growing collection of metaphorical metal.
But there is a more humbling side to being a professional writer and that mantle comes with a huge amount of responsibility. I know what I write matters and I take it seriously. The Walking Critic is more than just a “voice”, it is a potent force. It has the power to benefit and harm a brand, especially in the hospitality and travel industries, where reviews can make or break a business.
Thankfully, I’m not a part-time, pop-up blogger. I’m an industry professional who can write. I am also an award-nominated businessman, a professional travel and food writer, an international marketing expert and a peer leader in the travel and hospitality industries.
I am the founder, creator and inspiration behind award-nominated BlueSun Travel, a brand that is beginning to rank as one of the top tourism names in the country.
WRITING
My experience, prior to The Walking Critic, spans over 30 years and three continents. In that time, I was the editor of two magazines, Country magazine in England and Campaign Magazine in the USA, as well as a freelance style writer for the Washington Times newspaper. I was also the co-author of 50 Maps of Washington, DC (Spade & Archer) and more recently, a contributor to the West Australian newspaper. My media experience does not end there either.
TELEVISION, POLITICS & CHARITY
I have worked with all three terrestrial TV networks in the United States of America (ABC, CBS and NBC), as well as being a consultant to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the National Newspaper Association and the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB). I have further been a consultant to political leaders from France, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, Japan Sweden and the United Kingdom.
In those roles, I also donated my time to non-profit groups, becoming a key-note speaker at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
In 1990, I was featured on the front cover of the Washington Business Journal for being a world leader in travel management. My clients even included the industry itself: IATA, the American Air Transport Association (AATA), the International Association of Air Traffic Controllers (IAATC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). My client list continued.
TRAVEL MANAGEMENT
I have handled travel arrangements for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC), the Saudi Royal Family, the British Embassy, the South African Embassy, and a host of diverse celebrities of which the Rolling Stones, Burning Spear, Huey Louis and the News, the Jacksons, Lucky Dube, Madonna, Phantom of the Opera, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Lisa Stansfield, were but a few notables among many.
THE LEADING MARINE TOURISM BRAND IN AUSTRALIA
In 2003, my personal life took me to Australia. A year later, I started a charter boat booking company in Perth called BlueSun2. My job was to market the Kimberley coast for one charter boat vessel.
Three years later, I was working with 35 charter boats. And here I am 12 years later owning one the most successful marine tourism “franchises” in the country:
BlueSun2 www.bluesun2.com.au
BlueSun Cruises www.bluesuncruises.com
BlueSun Travel www.bluesuntravel.com
Kimberley Boat Cruises www.kimberleyboatcruises.com.au
Galapagos Islands Boat Cruises www.galapagosboatcruises.com.au
Best Honeymoon Packages www.besthoneymoonpackages.com.au
In 2012, BlueSun was chosen as one of five finalists (out of 5,000 companies in the country) for the prestigious Telstra Business Awards.
BlueSun Travel had ATAS accreditation with the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (No. 12538), and is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
As I like to say, “If the future is going to be a sunny one, then it will be a Blue Sun.”
If you'd like to learn more About Me, feel free to email here any time. I will do my best reply promptly to any enquiry.
