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DeckTales Podcast
Ep15: Brad Stinson - Former Ship Purser and Receptionist Turned Podcast Host
Season 1, Ep. 15
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Brad got in touch with me a few weeks back, as he and his co-hosts have a very similar podcast to DeckTales called 'My Ship Story'.
He suggested we do a crossover episode, and of course I loved the idea, so here it is!
Brad usually leads the hosting responsibilities over on 'My Ship Story', and it was him that initially reached out, so I figured he was the best person to have on DeckTales.
In his past life Brad worked as a purser and receptionist during a 10 year career at sea.
He told me all about his roles and duties, the disasters experienced on an old ship called the Topaz, the debauched behaviour of his podcasting co-hosts, deaths on board and loads more.
The only difference between our shows is that they've been doing it longer, and that there's three of them and only one of me.
If you care to listen to me getting grilled for stories, then you can listen to it over on podbean.
My Ship Story | myshipstorypodcast (podbean.com)
Enjoy and enjoy!!
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DeckTales Mission Statement
12:26|This is not a typical episode of DeckTales with a guest sharing their stories, as I thought I would take the time to let you know a bit about myself, where I essentially got the inspiration for the show, what makes it different from other ship related podcasts, and what I hope to achieve moving forwards with it.If you have enjoyed the show so far then please do drop up a 5 star rating on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.This really helps boost visibility on the different platforms, and makes it easier to reach new listeners.Fancy checking out my first book?Its available as a paperback and audiobook on AmazonSeems Like Smooth Sailing: Amazon.co.uk: Catling, Sam: 9781912964246: BooksThanks for all the support so far xoSamhttps://eddy.headliner.app/api/v1/transcript/eddy/project/cm83byeat00r501nyimvnjj0s/format/vtt
29. Ep29: Fergus Ford - Videographer and Photographer
01:13:35||Season 2, Ep. 29Fergus and I worked together well over a decade ago for a brief period of time. He came aboard a ship I was working on as a videographer, and we became fast friends as Fergus is definitely good people.Instantly likeable, effortlessly cool, in many ways he reminds me of myself which is probably why we got on so well. Fergus reminded me of the time we and a few others formed a virile boyband, told me how he met the woman who brought him into the world whilst on an excursion, and revealed some of the questionable practices he was taught when disposing of certain photo lab chemicals.Enjoy!
28. Ep28: Daniel Falconer - Ship Entertainer, DJ and Magician
01:23:56||Season 2, Ep. 28I connected with Daniel over social media, and we chatted about his journey working on ships over the past 17 years. He's held quite a few various positions within the entertainment department, some of which he enjoyed more than others. There's been quite a lot of adventures during his time at sea, and it was interesting to hear how he's had to deal with a plethora of medical injuries, upstart fly-on divas, ridiculous guests and much more.Daniel was good to give me an insight into how ships are starting to get better internet onboard, and our chat took place just after he'd finished working for one cruise line, and was in the process of applying for the next.Enjoy!
27. Ep27: Tommy Gielingh - Musician, Guitarist and Now Philanthropist
01:19:49||Season 2, Ep. 27I worked with Tommy on my first ever cruise ship contract back in 2006, and I never told him this, but back then I used to think he was the coolest guy on board.He had those husky Brian Adams type vocals that melted knee caps everywhere he went, and to be fair to him he's still got it this day, as at one point during our recording he treated me to a little performance of a song he 'wrote' a long time ago.In this episode you can expect to hear the pair of us reminiscing about the good old days, how Tommy's own chaotic life eventually got him onboard ships, what events at sea triggered his philanthropic pursuits, how he inadvertently ripped off someone of notoriety's work, and much more.Enjoy!
26. Ep26: Mark Hawkins - Comedian, Cruise Director, Fleet Supervisor
01:22:27||Season 2, Ep. 26Mark is one of those people I met back in the day only a couple of times, but I found him buried among my Facebook friends with mutual acquaintances throughout the cruise ship industry, and it was only after a short amount of time speaking with him, that all the memories I had of his comedy came flooding back to me.Mark is one of the most pleasant, affable, well mannered people I've had the pleasure of speaking to on DeckTales, and his act isn't much of an act, because he is like genuinely like that in real life. I got to hear all about how he started his journey as a comic, when he made the transition to cruise director, and how they basically made him Carnival's first ever fleet supervisor. He's been with the company over a lengthy period of time, so he's seen them go through a lot of changes over the years, and it was a lot of fun finding out all about it.Enjoy!
25. Ep25: Steff Mercedes - Commis II/Junior Chef
01:01:29||Season 2, Ep. 25I connected with Steff through social media, whilst she was stranded ashore in her home country of the Dominican Republic, sandwiched between her first ever and second cruise ship contracts.She is the first person from the galley I've had the pleasure of speaking to on DeckTales, and she filled me in on all things such as how she managed to get herself onboard, how her first experience went, what she made of ship dating life, how she coped with a wardrobe malfunction mid service and much more. Enjoy!
24. Ep24: Mark Tiffin - Cargo and Cruise Ship Navigation Officer
01:24:28||Season 2, Ep. 24Mark and I connected over social media, and after a bit of back and forth he agreed to be a guest on the show. As he was the first person I've interviewed from the bridge, it was great to get an insight into what life as an officer is all about, and we discussed many things from his early days at Warsash Maritime academy, his long stint working on cargo ships, and how he eventually transitioned into cruises.It was an informative and fun chat with Mark, and I'm happy that he's now working for a cruises line that he's more than satisfied with...as he told me his previous employer was not exactly treating him fairly. Enjoy!
23. Ep23: Shane Jacobik - Former Show Team Dancer and Performer
01:03:02||Season 2, Ep. 23Ep23: Shane Jacobik Shane used to work for Carnival primarily as a dancer in the show team, and we were colleagues for a spell around 15 years ago, on a ship known as the Paradise. It was great to hear about his experiences from within the show team, as he went from ship to ship and witnessed various changes throughout his department over the years. Shane shared a couple of salacious stories with me, but was senisble enough not to overshare at the risk of damaging my sensitive little ears. (They are actually really small)He helped me dispell an urban myth, showed me what an Axolotl is, and told me all about what he’s up to these days over in Vegas. Enjoy! #behindthescenes #podcastclipsviral #decktales #BelowDeck #showteam #singer #legends #dancer #performer #newseason #lasvegas
22. Ep22: Ben Clift- Former Ship Entertainment Program Director
01:03:20||Season 2, Ep. 22Ben has had an interesting mix of work when it comes to careers at sea, and at one point he was working behind the scenes back on land, producing some of the gameshows and quizzes I would later deliver onboard.I once met Ben many moons ago, when I came to re-audition for the company I started my ship journey with, so I reached out to him over Facebook to get him on the show. It was in many ways a very informative chat, as Ben is the first person I've had on DeckTales who has also worked on river cruises. He told me many things about that industry I never knew before, and being someone who used to research quizzes for a living, I assume most of what he told me was well researched.I'll let you be the judge.Enjoy!