If you’ve always dreamed of making a living in the dual worlds of backpacking and content creation, now’s your shot!
Heliconia — the company behind the wildly popular BackpackingTV YouTube channel, among other things — is looking for a host to travel the world, make videos, and host the “Epic Trails” TV show. You may have seen episodes of the show’s seven seasons on OutsideTV, Bally Sports, PBS, and National Geographic.
“[It] is truly a passion project,” “Epic Trails” executive producer Brendan Mark explained in a press release. “The whole media project is driven by the desire to help get people outside hiking and backpacking. We couldn’t be more excited about officially launching the casting call for a new host!”
The gig is that most rare of outdoor industry unicorns — a full-time, year-round, salaried position. Whoever eventually lands it will travel worldwide to create eight TV episodes, content for Heliconia’s social media accounts, and videos for the BackpackingTV YouTube channel.
So, what does it take to be Heliconia’s freshest face? Peep this website to learn more, but it boils down to a mix of hard and soft skills. Heliconia’s looking for someone well-versed in content creation strategies and tactics. It wants charisma, comfort in front of the camera, rock-solid adventuring experience, and Leave No Trace chops.
You’ve got to be able to backpack at least 10 miles while carrying heavy camera equipment. If you’ve got experience running a popular social media account, all the better. Some skills as a writer wouldn’t hurt.
Finally, applicants should “share the belief that the outdoors is a space for everyone regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, ability, or size.”
As you might expect with this sort of thing, Heliconia wants to see how you vibe when the camera rolls. To that end, the application process involves creating and submitting a 3-minute video to Heliconia. Important note: the video must be posted on a publicly available social media channel like YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook. Be prepared to drop links to all your socials as well.
Interested? Pop over to Heliconia’s application form and get started!
