Naturalist, Expedition Guide, Filmmaker, Marketer
Hi there,
a German born who called Iceland home for quite some time, I am now hailing from the mountains of Transylvania. I am a Polar Expedition Guide, traveling to the coldest environments of our planet by profession. I am deeply passionate about our cryosphere and dedicated to the polar regions and their distinct eco-systems. I truly believe that only by a comprehensive understanding of the closely-knit interconnected environment we will be able to protect it, because we protect better what we know well.
For me, small expedition cruise ships are my home and the best way to explore the most remote destinations high up north and deep down south. I’ll educate my guests with lectures and talks on board but also straight in the field. I take you on zodiac cruises along the most spectacular glacier calving fronts or guide you during landings in the footsteps of Willem Barentsz, Benjamin Franklin, and Ernest Shackleton. We will explore history together on location, will discover mind-boggling wildlife and experience the unbelievable hospitality and culture of the people living in the most hostile environments for centuries.
But this has not always been the case. A few years ago, I ran my own small film production company, No Rational Product, and produced documentaries, commercials, and music videos. I headed the marketing department for Iceland’s largest tour operator, Arctic Adventures, and worked on optimising the conversion rate of the largest online marketplace for tourism in Iceland, Guide to Iceland. As account manager for the Munich-based advertising agency straight I was responsible for campaigns for companies such as Siemens, Kabel Deutschland and O2 German. A short trip to the music industry with Spoken View Records finally led me to film production, where I was responsible for live recordings of music festivals as well as complete DVD productions for ROAX Films.
At some point life took me to Iceland and the island became my home. I started working as a guide on mountains in the Icelandic highlands, led groups on Iceland’s glaciers and guided round-trips around the island. It is a particular pleasure for me to lead school groups through Iceland on geography field trips for Discover the World Education. From there it was a small step onto Ocean Diamond, my very first Expedition Cruise Ship. However, it did not let go of me, so today I am almost exclusively working on expedition cruise ships in the Arctic and Antarctic for Quark Expeditions. And in order to share my curiosity for everything polar, I also publish the free weekly podcast Curiously Polar together with my co-host and friend, Chris Marquardt.
My goal is to make you curious, to inspire you and to bring you closer to our fragile world. Because at the end of the day it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, right?
We protect better what we understand well.
