April 2, 2009

Well, once again we're playing the waiting game. On April 2nd at 6:00PM CDT, I'll find out if I'm one of Tourism Queensland's top 10 finalists. Those 10 (plus Clare, the wildcard vote winner) will fly to Australia in May to interview for the job - quite an experience in and of itself.

A big "thank you" to everyone who voted me into 14th place! What an honor. We'll find out soon if Tourism Queensland thinks it was good enough.

Yesterday the Dallas Morning News ran an article (here) in the sports section. It was a bit late for votes, but still good press for the islands and lots of fun in general. The photo at right was featured in the print edition. It was taken at the 2007 U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas, where Australian Greg Bennett won after an unbelievable performance. I finished far behind him, but it was still a great race.

Thanks again for the votes, kind words and support! I'm eagerly anticipating the results on Thursday, and I hope you are as well.

Steven

Video Response

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the great support! So far, 58 countries have visited the blog, and over 4,500 people (and counting) have voted for my video. Thanks so much!

Check out the response video below, and keep voting until March 24th. After you vote, go to YouTube (by clicking on the video below while it's playing) and upload your own short video response. I'd love to find out who you are, where you're from and anything interesting about you!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Steven



PS. The Tyler azaleas are in bloom! Aren't they beautiful?

Media Interviews (edit +2)

Hey guys,

Here's a list of my recent interviews. It's been fun to have some of the local media (finally) interested in covering the story. The Tyler paper still hasn't decided if it's "newsworthy" (ugh...), even though the Dallas Morning News did. I guess there are more exciting things happening in Tyler than I thought. :)

*NEW - Dallas Morning News article: CLICK HERE

*NEW - ESPN Outdoors article: CLICK HERE

ABC (KLTV) news piece: CLICK HERE...and article: HERE

NBC (KETK) interview: CLICK HERE

CBS Early Show (my video is featured): CLICK HERE

CBS (KYTX) news piece (article only): CLICK HERE

Thanks, everyone!

Steven

Thanks!

Hi friends,

Thanks so much for the great support! I appreciate each and every vote and kind word. Keep 'em coming until March 24th! (You can VOTE HERE.)

The next few weeks will undoubtedly be just as crazy as the last two (except there won't be an essay to write), and I'm hopeful to get some more media attention. This story from the CBS Early Show was fun, even though they just played a few clips from my video. If something else interesting happens, I'll be sure to let you know! Some of the other applicants have had WILD media coverage (perhaps people find the island story more intriguing in colder parts of the world, eh?). But it's all good. I'll take what I can get, and hopefully things pick up soon.

Also, soon I'll be posting a short "video response," so be on the lookout.

Until then, keep voting!

Steven

I'm in the top 50!

Hi everyone!

I'm thrilled to be a finalist for Australia's Best Job in the World! I greatly appreciate the kind words, support and votes. You can vote once every 24 hours, and please get others to do the same! Living in a small town, I might not have the most extensive media coverage or an entire nation behind me, but I'm grateful for the wonderful support I have received from around the world. Thanks; keep it up!

You can vote here - www.islandreefjob.com/Steven - and please send the link to your friends and family and post it on Facebook, MySpace, websites, blogs, etc. 

This has been such a fun process, and I'm honored to be considered with the other finalists. If I'm hired for the job, I will explore the Great Barrier Reef from top to bottom and find exciting ways to share my adventures with the world!

More updates to come. 

Thanks, xie xie, gracias, merci, grazie, multumesc, danke and cheers!

Steven

¡Y también, muchísimas gracias a todo el mundo por su apoyo! Es un privilegio representar a la comunidad  hispanohablante. 

Island Caretaker Video

For those who haven't seen it (or care to see it again), here is my 60-second video for Australia's "Best Job in the World." It made the top 50 out of 34,684 applications, but, alas, I was not selected.

THE VIDEO

I wrote, directed and edited the video by myself and finished it in about 3 days (then stressed about the best way to submit it for 2 weeks!). Thanks to Blake Stowe for the camera work.

The water in the lake that day was 8°C (47°F)! That part of the shoot was very cold but lots of fun.

Also, thanks to Australian artist Gabriella Cilmi for "letting me" shamelessly loop part of her single.

Best Job in the World

Welcome!

My name is Steven, and I've applied for the best job in the world – Island Caretaker on Australia's Great Barrier Reef!

This blog was set up to introduce you to the beautiful islands of Queensland, Australia, and show you why I am the perfect candidate to watch over, appreciate and promote them.

THE REEF

The Great Barrier Reef is home to an enormous and eclectic group of the world's most exotic plants and animals. It is comprised of over 2,900 individual reefs and inhabited by over 1,500 species of fish. As a swimmer, scuba diver and snorkeler, I can't wait to go exploring.

All my life I have enjoyed water sports – from kayaking to skiing, from rowing to surfing. And I'm always up for something new.

With over 600 islands in the Great Barrier Reef, I could explore a few each day during my employment and never see the same one twice!

Also, I've always wanted to travel the world by boat, and sailing around the islands of the Great Barrier Reef would be a wonderful way to start.

THE HOPEFUL APPLICANT

I graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Media Communication, and I have experience in marketing, public relations and video production.


As Communications Director for an international company, I currently write and edit newsletters, update websites, and shoot and edit photographs.

It would be an honor to use these abilities to communicate the beauty and excitement of Queensland to the watching world.

I love to travel, explore new places and meet interesting people. In addition to English, I speak and write in fluent Spanish and know greetings in eight other languages.

I've been on every continent in the world but Australia, and I can think of no better way to see it than this!


THE NEXT STEPS

For Desley Boyle, Anthony Hayes and those of you with Tourism Queensland, please, by all means contact me for more information. You're not going to find a more eager and qualified applicant.

For those of you just wondering what it's like to wake up every morning in paradise, maybe it's time to take the next step and go see for yourself.

Island Photos Courtesy of Tourism Queensland

For media inquiries, contact: americas.communications@tq.com.au