Podcasts

Kathy Casstevens is the Marketing Director at Starved Rock Lodge. She is also a photographer, tourism professional, and lover of nature. Kathy launched GnatTravel a year ago to promote travel in a different way. She is also the chair of the LaSalle County Tourism coalition. Destination on the Left is joined by Kathy Casstevens, the…

Rachel Laber Pulvino is a Rochester native who has the privilege of promoting her hometown on a daily basis as the Director of Market Communications and Public Relations for Visit Rochester. In this role, Rachel is regularly reaching out to regional, national, and international media to share Rochester’s story, and help media and visitors alike…

Curt Bedei is the Executive Director for the Ottawa Visitors Center in Ottawa, Illinois. He was hired in 2011 as a Graphics Design Manager to handle the botanical brand management. Since then, Curt has worked his way up, earning a certificate in not-for-profit management and stepping into his current role as Executive Director in 2015….

For Destination on the Left’s solocast episode, host Nicole Mahoney talks to you about virtual events. Our team has been working with several clients to assist them with virtual event planning, and so much valuable information has come out of our experiences. On our podcast, we talk about why you should consider virtual events, what…

JoAnna Haugen is a seasoned writer, speaker, and founder of Rooted, a solutions-storytelling platform. Her work has been published in more than 60 print and online publications, including Fast Company, Popular Science, Mongabay, BBC, and CNN. Her time as a returned Peace Corps volunteer, commercial travel writer, intrepid world traveler, international election observer, and American…

There’s a southern accent, where Courtney Kasper comes from. She is a Sweet Home Alabama native, Florida State and Syracuse University graduate, and a Poodle person. She is also the current Visitor Experience Manager at the Equal Rights Heritage Center located in Auburn, NY. Courtney is a former associate publisher of Today’s Central New York…

Adam Stoker has been in marketing since 2007. In 2012, he got his first experience working with tourism destinations, and from that point forward, he knew he had found his passion. Since then, Adam has worked with destinations across the country to improve their marketing, branding, and use of technology. Stoker is the President and…

Colleen Siuzdak is the Manager of VISIT Staten Island, a campaign run out of the Staten Island Borough President James Oddo’s Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. This office, created in June 2017, invites visitors to explore the borough’s many parks and cultural attractions, while encouraging residents to explore their own backyard – from the…

Robb Wells, President and CEO of the Greater Beaufort-Port Royal CVB, has been a Destination Marketing Professional for more than 15 years. His industry career began as Executive Director for Duplin County Tourism in North Carolina, before moving to become Sr. Director of Marketing at the Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation. He then became Vice…

Jillian Blackbeard’s passion lies in Africa Tourism and Conservation. She has been leading the industry for over 10 years in various marketing roles, first for a Southern African hotel and resort chain, followed by five years as director for marketing and product development at Botswana Tourism Organisation, and Director for Africa for The World Travel…