You need a Tour Director.
I suggest me.
Jay Wilson
I’d like to work as a Tour Director for your company.
A recent graduate of IATDG’s TourPrep program and new to tour directing, I bring transferable skills from a diverse working history. My social work, teaching, and event planning experience have sharpened my problem solving, conflict resolution, and public speaking skills. Years of experience in hospitality and journalism have honed my ability to prioritize, multitask, and work on-deadline.
As a kid in Cub Scouts, I learned how to start a fire, and as an adult working in a group home facility, I learned how to put one out. I’m ready for anything!
Key Skills
PLANNING & LOGISTICS: With experience organizing beer festivals (3,300+ attendees/75 vendors), multi-day tech conferences, 250-mile backpacking trips, restaurants, newrooms, and residential treatment/crisis intervention facilities, my planning and logistics experience is extensive and varied.
PUBLIC SPEAKING: Whether teaching, emceeing, waiting tables, talking to the press, moderating panel discussions, hosting podcasts, delivering brewery tours, or offering ringside commentary at a professional wrestling show, I am an experienced public speaker ready for action.
PROBLEM SOLVING: Restaurants, breweries, newsrooms, group homes, and backpacking trips all present their own unique sets of challenges. Over the years, I’ve successfully navigated equipment failures, unhappy people, and more. If you have a problem, I can figure out a solution.
Destination Knowledge
THE MIGHTY FIVE: Do you need a tour director for Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, or Zion National Parks? I’ve spent a lot of time exploring these highlights of Utah (and beyond!), so I might be just the tour director you’re looking for!
WYOMING: I’m not only familiar with Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks, but I also possess a strong depth of knowledge in the nearby Wind River Range, where I’ve backpacked hundreds of miles. Want a tour led by someone who really loves the mountains of Wyoming? Pick me!
CANYONS & CACTI: With family in Tucson and having lived in Northern Arizona (on the Navajo Nation), I have extensive experience among the cacti at Saguaro National Park as well as deep inside Grand Canyon National Park (and many places in between).
JOSHUA TREE: Whether you’re interested in hiking among Joshua trees, visiting locations related to Gram Parsons’ demise, or learning that U2’s album cover was actually shot in Death Valley, I might be the right person to show you around Joshua Tree National Park.
JOHN MUIR TRAIL: Passing through Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks, as well as the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses in the Sierra Nevada of California, my 2019 John Muir Trail thru-hike left me uniquely qualified to lead trips in this beautiful neck of woods.
WASHINGTON, DC: While I have knowledge of DC’s museums and monuments from work and recreational trips, my Iowa Brewers Guild (2014-20) work involved lobbying/interfacing with members of Congress, which prepared me for presenting Capitol-related commentary from a unique, firsthand perspective.
Specialized Knowledge
FOOD: With many years of experience both front of house and back of house in restaurants—and diverse culinary interests—I can point you to quality hot chicken in Nashville, biscuits & gravy in Portland, and birria tacos in Tucson. And more.
BACKPACKING: Applying TD skills to a personal backpacking trip, in 2019, I thru-hiked the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada of California. The 17-day, 250-mile journey required two pre-shipped resupplies, one flight, one train, two shuttles, dozens of ibuprofens, and a positive attitude.
BEER INDUSTRY: A BJCP-certified beer judge, I’ve been a brewer for three decades and have worked and written about beer and brewing for many years. Could I add to a tour with beer, wine, whiskey, or tequila enthusiasts on it? Yes.
CYCLING: More a “completer” than “competer,” I have raced bikes at the age of 15 and 51. A fan of pro racing and amateur riding, when people ask what I’m training for, I say, “durability and grandchildren.” If you need a TD for a cycling tour, I definitely have the watts to make it to the end.
NAVAJO NATION: I taught high school English on the Navajo Reservation for two years, and possess a unique insight into this high desert location and its resilient, kind, and beautiful people. And I’m willing to share my frybread recipe!
PHOTOGRAPHY: Though I’ve taken photos for both work and pleasure and love getting a good shot, I’d never consider myself a professional photographer. I can, however, dole out pretty good advice to help guests on tour take home well-lit and well-composed photos to share with friends and family.
Career Snapshot
SOCIAL WORK: Working in residential treatment in positions ranging from Teaching Parent to Program Director to Second Baseman at Haven House Services (Raleigh, NC; 1998-2006), a clear head under pressure was mandatory for success. I diffused conflict, taught social skills, and, on one occasion, fixed a ruptured fuel line with a roll of duct tape.
WRITER/JOURNALIST: On and off for nearly 30 years, I’ve written books, numerous national magazine articles, and spent a 6-year stretch as a small, weekly newspaper editor. I’ve written columns, sports, and features. I’ve written menus, beer descriptions, and radio commercials. I recently launched Tail End, a custom pet obituary service.
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: For the better part of two decades, I’ve worked in and around the craft beer and restaurant industry. I’ve brewed and sold beer, cooked and served food, and planned and executed events both large and small. I’ve trained staff, lobbied Congress, and understand the importance of customer service.
Other interesting things I’ve done in my unusual life
MOVIE EXTRA: While my work as an extra in the 2010 film The Crazies is invisible to the untrained eye, the restaurant I owned at the time (Electric Burrito) received screen time as a part of a destroyed small town main street district.
SENATE TESTIMONY: In 2015, I testified before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Anti-Trust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights (Re: AB InBev/SABMiller merger).
WRESTLING MANAGER: Not only have I managed a wrestler, I’ve served as a ringside announcer and cut a few promos. Fascinating fact: breakaway bottles are made out of sugar and don’t hurt at all!
