Sooo, Tourism Australia is running another round of their famous ‘Best Job in the World’ competition… The previous competition was held in 2009, with the winning applicant assigned to a post on Hamilton Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, charged with blogging and posting about his experiences and adventures while living on the Great Barrier Reef for a year. Rough gig, right…? SIGN. ME. UP.

I was living in Sydney at the time, and made a hap-hazard video of me running around the city, doing various ‘Aussie’ things in a Speedo. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly what the selection committee was looking for, and I was not chosen for the job. Alas, that allowed me to continue my trip through Australia, travel to Africa, and pursue the development of BackpackU. Which brings us to 2013…

This time around, there are 6 different positions involved in the competition, each with unique responsibilities and requirements. The positions are:

1) Wildlife Caretaker- South Australia (Wake up the kangaroos, swim with the sea lions, etc.)

2) Taste Master- Western Australia (Eat you way around WA, find the best local produce, explore the best bars and restaurants)

3) Chief Funster- Sydney, Australia (Be a Sydney VIP, attend festivals and events, tweet, post, and # everything)

4) Park Ranger- Queensland, Australia (Patrol the beaches, check the water temps, etc.)

5) Outback Adventurer- Northern Territories (Seek out adventure in the Outback, hang out with the locals, etc.)

6) Lifestyle Photographer- Melbourne, Australia (Interact with local artists, design city and country photo shoots, etc.)

Again- SIGN. ME. UP. NOW!!! If you know me at all, you’ll have already realized that I would be a PERFECT fit for ANY of these positions. It’s a shame they went and split it up into 6- I would do it ALL!

The application for the competition required those interested to create a video, 30 seconds or less, detailing why they were the best fit for the job. That’s it. That’s all I had to go on.

After hours of brainstorming, scripting, poring through THOUSANDS of photos, shooting, re-shooting, re-shooting AGAIN, editing, and producing- all with a half-marathon thrown right in the middle of everything- this is what I came up with… Enjoy!

Here’s my application for the ‘Wildlife Caretaker’ position:

Yoda. He’s so full of wisdom…

Here’s my video for the Taste Master position:

That smoothie could’ve used a LOT more Australia…

Here’s the application for the Chief Funster gig:

I think my  mom missed her calling when it comes to acting… She is BRILLIANT.

Here’s the video for the Park Ranger position:

I miss patrolling the beaches… They’re few and FAR between here in the Midwest…

And finally, here’s my application for the Outback Adventurer spot:

Gotta LOVE the ‘locals’… HA!

Anyway, that’s what we ended up with. We had a lot of fun making the videos, regardless of what happens with the competition. I’m working on putting together a blooper reel- my Dad said I should’ve just sent THAT in as my application. It is HILARIOUS. Coming soon…