Matador’s Twitter Ninja, Andy Hayes

Andy Hayes knows that building relationships isn’t just about numbers. It’s about starting and keeping up a conversation.

Name:

Andy Hayes

Role at Matador:

Twitter Ninja and Social Media Outreach. Behind the wheels at @MatadorNetwork

How You Found Matador:

When I started in travel writing in 2007, I asked around for what were the highest quality travel content sites on the web. Matador seemed to keep coming up regularly, and I liked what I saw. It’s been in my RSS reader ever since.

How You Got Brought on Board as a Team Member:

As I mentioned in my review of MatadorU, (we have a travel writing program, did you hear?) I was working on a piece with Julie Schwietert before the most recent re-structure of the team and blog structure. They didn’t want my article anymore. Instead of throwing a tantrum at all the time lost, I just sent a replying saying “sorry to hear it” type thing and that I’d be interested if anything else came up that might fit.

Because I wasn’t a jerk about it, Julie actually recommended me for the Twitter Ninja role. And nearly 9,000 followers later….

Where Do You Live:

Edinburgh, Scotland

Your Next Trip:

I wish I knew. I’ll definitely be spending some time in the US as I am attending South By South West, so hoping to check out New Orleans and visit a dear friend in Los Angeles. In between I hope to make a stop in Southeast Asia, but I’m still trying to find a good deal.

What You Do When You’re Not Working on Matador Stuff:

I can’t tell you how many people are worried that I never spend any time away from Twitter. (It is a dangerous problem, I do admit. )

But I have two key businesses that keep me very, very busy. Like, a little crazy-what-the-hell busy:

Travel Online Partners – a resource for small businesses in travel and tourism to get help with online technology. We help these small companies make BIG ideas happen. Isn’t that cool?

Sharing Travel Experiences – formerly my travel solo travel blog which has exploded into a whole multi-author website full of travel goodness, like our travel concierge. Way cool, but not quite as cool as Matador. But close.

A Favorite Travel Memory:

My favourite has to be New Zealand. Always. I spent nearly a month on the South Island and it was absolute bliss. I started with the Abel Tasman National Park coastal trail and spent days rarely seeing a human.

If you need some digital detox, that’s where you should head. But the quirky fun of Queenstown, the breathtaking scenery of Fjordland, the glaciers of Fox Village, and the glowing waters and stars at night in Lake Tekapo. I could go on all day….

Oh, wait – did I tell you about my not-so-secret love affair with Melbourne…?

Community Connection:

Have you met other members of the Matador tribe?

Meet a Matador Editor: Carlo Alcos
Meet a Matador Editor: Lola Akinmade
Meet a Matador Editor: Julie Schwietert Collazo

Managing Editor, Julie Schwietert Collazo in Tijuana, Mexico; Photos courtesy of Collazo Projects.

Managing Editor, prolific writer, published author, and new mother Julie does it all. She runs the bi-lingual blog, Collazo Projects which is dedicated to telling previously untold stories from Latin America. She recently contributed a chapter to the book, The Voluntary Traveler, and is currently working on a couple features for Fodor’s Puerto Rico, 6th Edition.

Name:

Julie Schwietert Collazo

Role at Matador:

Managing editor of the Matador Network; lead editor on Change and Pulse blogs.

How You Found Matador:

Through a posting on Craigslist in 2007.

How You Got Brought On Board as An Editor:

Julie in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Like Carlo, I was really engaged in the Matador Travel community, writing blogs, responding to others’ blogs, and becoming a destination expert on Havana.

I was also a regular contributor across the Network, so I suppose my passion for travel and my appreciation of Matador was evident.

What Projects Are You Working on For Matador Right Now?:

In addition to screening all incoming articles and directing them to appropriate section editors and writing articles for Change and Pulse, I’m writing a couple of continuing education courses for our travel writing school, Matador U.

I’m training three new interns.

I’m doing lots of behind-the-scenes work that keeps any organization moving forward. I’m dreaming of translating the U curriculum into Spanish.

That last one may take a while.

Where You Live:

I currently live in NYC and really miss Mexico City, where I lived until recently.

Your Next Trip:

I’m leaving for South Carolina later this week to spend Thanksgiving with my family. My husband and I will be traveling with our two month old daughter– it will be her first plane ride. Wish us (and the other passengers) luck.

What You Do When You’re Not Working on Matador Stuff:

Enjoying being a new mom! Finishing up two Fodor’s guidebook assignments. Working as an academic editor, researcher, and English/Spanish-Spanish/English translator. Building my own blog about the writing process. Finishing my applications for a PhD in Spanish.

Community Connection

Want to read more from Julie? Here are two of my favorites:

Sitting Beneath the Buddha with Barbara Bush

How to Bag Your 9 to 5 Job and Write / Travel Full Time

Matador Goods editor, Lola Akinmade; Photos courtesy of Lola Akinmade

After resigning from a cushy 10+ year job as a System Architect and 14+ years in the GIS industry Lola Akinmade takes a few minutes to tell us about herself.

Name:

Lola Akinmade

Side note: My full first name is 15 letters long.

Role at Matador:

Editor of Matador Goods

How You Found Matador:

Back in 2007, I was searching for online travel communities and resources to help me plan a round-the-world trip. Stumbled across Matador Travel through a Google search and was instantly hooked.

I’d begun planning a RTW trip that same year and the trip was to commence in 2009, but life had other, more important plans.

How You Got Brought on Board as an Editor:

After milling around the community for awhile including writing two articles for Matador Traverse, I was interested in writing an article for Matador Goods to review the Keen Womens Targhee II hiking boots which helped me through the Inca trail without a single blister.

I sent CEO and founder, Ross Borden an email. Ross’ response was, “Your timing is great, actually. Would you like to help me with the gear blog?”

And that was it.

Other Projects You’re Working On For Matador:

There are tons of exciting projects in the works, most notably our Travel Photography course which I’m working on with Matador contributing editor and photographer extraordinaire, Paul Sullivan.

Can’t divulge too much right now.

I’m also on the lookout for travels, authors, photographers, filmmakers, and all around cool people to feature on our popular, What’s In Your Backpack? series.

Where You Live:

Currently splitting time between Stockholm, Sweden and the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area.

Your Next Trip:

Shifting base again to Stockholm this December and maybe a trip to Morocco in January. Also traveling up to Northern Sweden not too far from the Arctic circle. Fun times.

What You Do When You’re Not Working on Matador Stuff:

I write for a variety of travel publications and try to do as much photojournalism work as I can. I recently launched three projects:

Lemurworks – which is my official company that provides GIS consulting and programming/development services.

Art By Lola – which features some of my oil paintings and past exhibitions. I took a hiatus in 2009 to focus on travel writing and photography, but will be back on the canvas in 2010.

Office Supplies, The Comic – my comic strip centered around office supplies and their take on life. This comic strip is certainly my baby and labor of love project.

I truly love photojournalism work with NGOs and will be looking for more assignments and opportunities to collect impressions and document field projects in 2010. (hint. hint.)

A Favorite Travel Memory:

Pushing a van stuck in mud deep within the remote jungles of Fiji. Those weeks I spent with my fellow volunteers on the island were surreal.

Community Connection:

Want to read more from Lola? Here are two of my favorites:

The Most Valuable Thing You Can Pack on the Journey

5 Essential Tips for the Budding Travel Photographer

As senior editor David Miller wrote yesterday in “Travel Writing as Punk Rock: 15 Vital Matador Narratives,” “Over the last three years, Matador contributors have continued to progress in their styles and abilities as travel writers outside of any pre-established ‘hierarchy’ or need for approval.”

We keep writing and living in a way that’s true to our experiences–not forcing our narratives into genre du jour– and though there’s not a “need for approval,” it sure is nice when our commitment to keeping it real is validated.

So we were stoked to learn yesterday that three Matador writers have been featured in the mainstream media over the past week.

First up: new contributor Benita Hussain, whose first article, “Discovering Kindness in Denmark’s ‘Cold Hawaii’,” was published on Matador Sports last week, was featured in an article in The Sunday Telegraph. The article explains how Benita left her unsatisfying career as a lawyer to travel the world and blog about it. What could be more Matadorian?

The second mention was of another Matador member following her heart wherever it leads her– Misty Tosh. Long time readers will be familiar with Misty, who has written for Matador about her first-hand experience renovating a vintage travel trailer and hauling it around Mexico, starting up an NGO in Indonesia, and rehabbing an old sailboat.

Misty was featured in this article by “frugal traveler” Matt Gross of The New York Times. Maybe Matt will tag along with Misty if she ever does another trek up the volcanic Mt. Rinjani.

Final kudos go to Matador Nights co-editor Tom Gates, who deserves more than a media nod for his ability to endure some of the world’s most repulsive foods. But until he receives a medal or some other accolade, we’ll celebrate his mention in this NY Times travel blog entry, which gives a lengthy treatment of Tom’s recent piece on The Five Worst Pizzas in the World.

Matador Trips co-editor, Carlo Alcos; Photos courtesy of Carlo Alcos

After recovering from two weekends spent re-flooring his campervan, Carlo Alcos takes a few minutes to tell us about himself.

Name:

Carlo Alcos

Role at Matador:

Co-editor of Matador Trips

Photo courtesy of Carlo Alcos

How You Found Matador:

I can’t recall exactly how I stumbled on Brave New Traveler, but that is the site that led me to Matador as the two had freshly merged. Specifically, it was Daniel Harbecke’s article Budget Travelers are Hippie Scum (try NOT to click on that link). It remains one of my all-time fave pieces on the network.

How You Got Brought on Board as an Editor:

I’d contributed a few articles across the network and was very active in the Community. I interacted with Matador members, read their blogs, commented on them, posted forum topics, and also read and commented on articles across the Matador network.

You’d have to ask the senior eds to verify this, but I think my involvement with Matador and the fact that the articles I submitted didn’t need much revising were key reasons why I was approached to join the team.

Where You Live:

Melbourne, Australia…for now.

Your Next Trip:

A 5-6 week cycling trip in Cuba — the inspiration started with this interview…Freewheeling: Lynette Chiang’s Two Wheel Journey from Cubicles to Cuba.

What You Do When You’re Not Working on Matador Stuff:

Besides holding down a 9-5 (I’m trying to quit…honest), I am currently in deep preparations and plans for leaving Melbourne in January 2010. My wife and I have about half a year planned; after that, it will be played by ear.

We’re working on a campervan conversion to tour Australia down the road: I Am S.A.M. the Van. I’ve just started my personal blog at carlo-alcos.com and I’m also working on a new website, which will hopefully be launched before the new year!

A Favorite Travel Memory:

Here are two: skinny dipping in Lake Baikal in October and getting beaten with a besom in a Russian banya in Petrozavodsk.

Community Connection:

Want to read more from Carlo? Here are two of my favorites:

Hostel on Wheels: The Coolest Campers Around

A Budget Traveler’s Guide to Wedding Planning: 9 Useful Tips

Anna Brones (l) and Emily Nuchols (r); Photo courtesy of Anna Brones

As senior editor at WEND Magazine, Anna forged a special relationship between WEND and Matador, recognizing that the core audiences of both publications were people who were living adventures by passionately pursuing their dreams.

Now, Anna’s jumped the WEND ship to set out on her own adventure: launching Under Solen, a social media start-up company, with her business partner, Emily Nuchols. Emily, by the way, is also a Matador member.

Over e-mail, the three of us talked about Under Solen, travel, Scandinavia, and whether they’re crazy to start a business in this economy:

What was the impetus for you and Emily to start Under Solen Media?

Emily and I have both been working in the outdoor industry for the past few years, she in the non-profit world and I in publishing. Because social media had been a large part of both of our jobs, we saw that there was definitely a niche in the outdoor industry that wasn’t being filled. The Internet and new media have changed the way companies, organizations and individuals brand themselves, and so much of marketing is about connecting with a message or a cause.

We want to provide the tools to bring these people together to push these messages out in the most interactive, dynamic way possible. In a day and age where a brand can offer a technical, do-it-all waterproof jacket, which company are you going to buy from: the one that listens to you as a consumer, supports worthy causes, and is committed to a certain set of ideals, or the one that simply markets their latest sales offers?

What does the name mean?

Under Solen means “under the sun” in Swedish. Emily and I first bonded over our Scandinavian heritage, so we figured it was only appropriate to choose something that related to that. And since we’re working with folks who love the outdoors…

Will this job allow you to be location independent?

Definitely! We believe in doing business a bit different than usual and that means traveling, exploring, and getting out the message of our clients on the ground. Plus, when you’re constantly working with a bunch of crazy cool adventurers and causes, how can you not be inspired to get out and explore? That being said, Portland is an excellent place to be based, both for the brands that are headquartered here, the general ethos and the number of amazing people.

Who are your ideal clients?

We started this business because we want to work with people who are driven to make positive change in this world and really get their message out. Since Anna and I are steeped in the outdoor industry, we haven’t had to look far. We are stoked to be connecting with people who are passionate about their causes — be they businesses, advocates, or adventurers.

What do you expect a typical work day to look like?

Every day begins with coffee. Swedes LOVE their coffee But seriously, we spend the majority of our time connecting with people — online, on social networks, on the phone, or in our own backyard. We obviously spend a lot of time in front of our MacBooks writing blog posts, streaming content from our clients through social media channels, and promoting our clients.

But Anna and I do things differently and that means a lot of travel and adventure — that could mean jetting off to Brazil to meet up with one of our expedition teams or hitting the trail for a run to mull over a new project.

Your future office?; Photo: mike baird

No one starts a business in a recession. Are you nuts?

Honestly, we didn’t think twice about taking the leap. Some people say that the people we work with are nuts — paddling first-descents on the most remote and dangerous rivers of the world, traveling for months in search of the perfect photo, or going head-to-head with the U.S. government to remove dams…. Well, we’re just proud to call these folks our partners.

We have an amazing group of folks who encouraged us from the very beginning. And we have the connections, energy and passion to succeed and we think that is exactly what is needed to jumpstart a flagging economy. How could we not dive in?

Community Connection:

Planning a trip to the Caribbean? Anna is also Matador’s Guadeloupe expert, and she’d be happy to answer your pre-trip questions.

Picture yourself here. Photo: nattu

Last month, when we announced the creation of the Matador Flickr pool (which, by the way, now has more than 80 members and more than 700 incredible photos!), we alluded to some big plans we’d soon be unveiling for photographers.

[Insert virtual drumroll here.]

Matador U, Matador’s travel writing school, will be expanding its course offerings in the first quarter of 2010 with the launch of a travel photography course.

Working in collaboration with some of the world’s best known travel photographers, the course has been developed by our in-house editors and professional travel photographers Lola Akinmade and Paul Sullivan. Between them, Lola and Paul have had their photography featured in Vogue, CITY Magazine, and Time Out and Hedonist’s guide book series, among others.

More details about the course will be announced here as the launch date nears. In the meantime, we invite you to download our FREE report, 15 Publications That Pay for Travel Photography to get you excited about the program.

Community Connection:

We’re always interested in featuring Matador members’ exceptional photos in our photo essays. If you’d like to see your photos published on Matador Trips, please contact Trips’ editors, Hal Amen and Carlo Alcos: hal@matadornetwork.com and carlo@matadornetwork.com.

Intern-turned-editor, Michelle Schusterman.

If we’re looking for talent and skill, we’re likely to find it right under our noses.

Almost all of the Matador editors were brought on board after their Matador Travel blogs were noticed by Matador staff. Whenever possible, we scout talent from within our own community, filling open positions with people who are already channeling the Matador vibe.

This week, we’re pleased to announce that Michelle Schusterman has been promoted to associate editor after serving as intern with Matador Goods since May.

Michelle is a musician, long-term traveler, and freelance writer who has been focusing on writing gear and tech reviews for Matador Goods.

In her new position, she will continue working closely with Goods editor Lola Akinmade to research and write gear-related articles that are relevant to travelers.

Have a tip for Michelle or a special request about a product you’d like to see reviewed on Goods? You can reach her via e-mail: michelle@matadornetwork.com.

Matador member Grady, a documentary filmmaker

Since its founding in 2006, Matador has always been dedicated to publishing the best travel writing online. As our community of travelers has grown, though, we’ve realized that not every story is told with words. Matador is also home to thousands of talented photographers and filmmakers.

Which is why we’re launching MatadorTV.

While there’s tons of incredible travel video on the Web that makes us want to get offline and go exploring, there hasn’t been a single place where all of this material has come together to be showcased. That’s what we’re building with MatadorTV.

MatadorTV will be headed up by editor Joshua Johnson, who will scour the Internet for the best travel video online. In addition to curating existing work, he’ll be working with freelance video producers and filmmakers to create original content.

Sound interesting to you? If you’re stoked about doing a film project at home or on the road, we want to hear from you. Read our contributor guidelines here, then hit us up with your best travel video.

And if you’re not handy with the camera, pop on over to MatadorTV to enjoy the collection of videos we’ve already put together for you.

Community Connection:

Want to perfect your filmmaking skills? Check out our archive of travel video tips here.

Photo: dbdrobot

Little did Ross Borden and Ben Polansky know when they launched Matador in October 2006 that they’d have a staff of more than 30 employees and interns just three years later.

Every day, Matador staff fire up our computers in New York, San Francisco, Mammoth Lakes, Vancouver, Oaxaca, Melbourne, Berlin, Buenos Aires, and points in between to bring you sweet, relevant writing about travel and life on our network of 10 blogs. Working across almost every time zone, we exchange as many as 100 emails a day (102 today at my last count), read a dozen or more submissions each day, moderate comments, plan contests, search through the community for new talent, and respond to readers’ and travelers’ questions.

It’s a big job, one that’s got to be shared among a few dozen brains, hearts, and hands.

We’re stoked to announce that two new folks have joined the Matador team. Candice Walsh and JoAnna Haugen, both students in Matador’s travel writing school, Matador U, have come on board as associate editors. They’ll be working with the team to identify timely story ideas and to continue our tradition of producing the best travel writing online.

Candice and JoAnna each bring a unique voice and set of experiences to the team. Candice will put good time experts Kate Sedgwick and Tom Gates, editors of Matador Nights, to the test. She’s already written a couple articles across the Network, sharing a voice that’s authentic, believable, and always funny.

JoAnna, who’s currently on a press trip in Honduras, is a former Peace Corps member who recently took the plunge into full-time freelance writing. She also embodies the Matador vibe– if you haven’t already read about the fund she set up for Peruvian porters who lead treks to Machu Picchu, you should definitely check that out here.

We welcome both to the team!

Community Connection:

Are you interested in working for Matador? Keep your eyes on our job listings.