As the newest member of the communications team I am about to embark on planning and participating in SeaWorld media tours. Every year, SeaWorld travels with some of our Animal ambassadors to the cities where many of our guests come from to do a “meet-and-greet” at local television stations.
I sat down with a fellow blogger and Assistant Curator here at our park, Paige Newman. We discussed the ins and outs of a media tour and what exciting times I have ahead of me; visiting news stations, hospitals, and probably the most fun of all, spending time with the animals. Paige then shared an experience she had when traveling with a few of her friends.
“I'd just been dropped off at the airport. If you were to see the amount of luggage I have with me, you'd think I was traveling with a family of six! I had luggage, a briefcase, backpack, golf bag, keyboard case, ice chest and a kennel. I cautiously proceed to the counter after schlepping all my stuff through the crowded breezeway. I was getting some funny looks from fellow travelers. I see a familiar face as I check-in. “What do you have today?” I smiled...
“After dropping off most of my things in the baggage area, I headed to the Security check point. At this time, more Transportation & Safety Administration (TSA) Officers started to head my way... Hmmm, I must look guilty, I thought. ... I got up to the metal detector and there was a swarm of officers waiting on the other side of the doorway... Now I was really starting to attract a lot of attention! I took off my shoes, picked up the kennel and placed it ever so gently on the ground. As I reached down to open the door, flashes of light start going off. For a brief moment, I felt like a celebrity... only to realize their not taking pictures of me, but of my buddies. As they waddled behind me through the metal detector, I thought to myself, maybe if I were wearing a tuxedo, I'd be in the pictures too. I led the way through the entry and exit and my co-workers, Pete & Penny, followed me through the hallway. And the familiar, “Is that what I think it is?”...”
Pete and Penny going through securityAfter hearing about Paige's adventure with our adorable penguins, Pete and Penny, I'm very excited to make their acquaintance.
My most rewarding experience so far was accompanying some members of our Animal Ambassador Team to a children's hospital here in San Antonio for a quick meet-and-greet. We had a selection of our feathery/scaly/and piney friends, but the best part was seeing the faces of the children light up as they were visited by very special guests. I think that is what I'll always remember when I look back at my first media tour experience; a young boy with a gleam in his eye as he pets an American Alligator.
