‘Fearless’ Travel Show Host Finds Adventure In His Own Backyard Of Fredericton
FREDERICTON – Mike Corey’s career as a travel vlogger under the brand, Fearless & Far, has taken him around the world for some wild adventures. But this summer, he’s teamed up with Fredericton Tourism to make videos showcasing his favourite parts of his hometown.
Corey, who’s also the North American host on BBC’s, The Travel Show, will produce a five-part video series on what to see, do and eat in Fredericton this summer.
“I haven’t spent too much time here in the past five, six years. But I grew up here, and it’s my old stomping ground…I’ve seen it grow over the years so I think I have a pretty good perspective on it,” said Corey in an interview this week.
Corey started traveling the world shortly after graduating from UNB as a biology major. He had traveled as a research assistant for some time, but the travel bug caught him and he decided he wanted to make movies. So when he returned, he worked at his family business, Corey Nutrition, during the day, and made videos at night.
“My very first client was Fredericton. They were the first people who hired me to produce videos,” he said. That included videos promoting the FROSTival and the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, among others.
In the years since Corey has built a massive following. He now has more 111,000 followers on Instagram and 330,000 subscribers on Youtube. One of his most popular videos have been viewed 6.5 million times.
Fredericton Tourism is hoping that kind of social media following could boost engagement and showcase the city to a wide audience. The municipal department said it has seen a steady increase in engagement across its social media channels over the last few months.
“This is a great opportunity to not only reach New Brunswickers, but future travelers from across the world,” says Fredericton Tourism’s consumer and leisure coordinator Holly Kirkpatrick.
“With Mike’s extensive social network, being able to showcase some of the things he loves about his hometown will open up Fredericton as travel destination to those who may not have considered it before.”
The video series is part of Fredericton Tourism’s overall summer marketing campaign, with the tagline “It’s Time to Explore Again.” The videos will be released throughout the summer, alongside blog posts written by Corey. They’ll focus on the city’s strengths, like the trail system, the brewery scene and the river.
One of Corey’s favourite things to do in the city is strolling on the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge towards the Picaroons Roundhouse.
“It’s such a great spot to go out and see people you know and grab a drink, and do a loop of the bridges. I think it’s such a walking-friendly city and nothing’s too far,” he said. “I’ve seen some of the most magnificent cities in the world, but this one, I think, has just enough of exactly everything it needs to be a really friendly and open and just comfortable place to spend time in.”
In the beginning, staying in one spot for some time, with all the Covid-19 health rules restricting activities he usually loves about Fredericton, was tough for Corey, who usually spends 11 months out of the year traveling. But as restrictions were eased, he says there are many adventures offered in the city.
“One thing that I’ve always done is going to what’s now called Second Nature [Outdoors], and get kayaks there, and we’ve taken them out to Hartt Island before…and gone through the streams that feeds to the river, under the bridge,” he said. “I think it’s a beautiful view of the city and it’s a lot of fun to take friends out there…It’s a beautiful little adventure that you can have.”
Check out the first video: