Spotlight Sojourns can help you with that.

Spotlight Sojourns is founded by the Hidden Gemologists, Marilee and Paul Kostadimas: Travel bloggers and creators (she's the writer, he's the photographer), destination influencers, and professional storytellers.

Archaeologists by education and training. Strategic consultants by trade. And travel partners in life, through life, for life.

Shining the spotlight on history, arts, culture, and local community (oh yes, and coffee!),

Our specialty is your hidden gems.

Here's WHY.

At the pinnacle of corporate success, we suddenly and unexpectedly left everything behind to care for our last parent 3,000 miles away.

During Mamma's two-year final journey, we learned the profound power of personal storytelling.

Because Mamma’s daily stories of her epic life and travels in Africa, Asia, and Europe became part of her legacy.

Then a transformational moment in Lisbon, Portugal, subsequently led to Spotlight Sojourns’ mission to:

• Inspire and connect eager travelers with travel, tourism, and hospitality brands through storytelling.
  ~ and ~
• Inspire and motivate others to tell their own stories.

Because meaningful travel is part of a meaningful life.

And stories enrich the meaning.

"If you are looking for storytellers to draw visitors to your destination, look no further than Marilee and Paul.” (Kathryn Cotter, Director of Marketing, Discover Albany)

We create the "wow" that you forward.

Here's how we do it.

Through original professional photography, videos, drone footage, and writing, we create the "wow" that you forward.

But the “wow" is more than a pretty shot.

Instead, it's a cohesive end-to-end story. A verbal and visual narrative, inspiring and connecting the audience with your location.

It’s the kind of creative storytelling that stirs emotion…

Motivates action…

And helps keep your reservation agents overall busy with advance bookings.

"They are helping us build a new audience and spark interest in our part of NYS. I highly recommend working with Spotlight Sojourns!" (Sarah Calero, President, Oneida County Tourism)

Here's what we do.

We create Showcases, our signature digital storytelling series.

Showcases feature:

• Eye-popping, jaw-dropping visual content.
• Expert, engaging narrative context.
• Resonant, relevant subtext.

Showcases focus on:

• Authentic experiences.
• Genuine connections.
• Candid recommendations.

We craft Showcases through our proprietary frameworks. These frameworks not only derive from decades of strategic consulting, corporate storytelling, and digital media marketing. But also draw on years of expertise as travel content creators and a lifetime of global travel.

We publish Showcases via newsletter, social, and In the Spotlight blog.

You, of course, can arrange to receive the digital assets for your own portfolio.

Here's what that looks like.

Maybe you watched a video, read a blog or an email, seen a social post about a place, a hotel, a museum.

And then you said, “Wow, I have to go there.”

Maybe you forwarded that video, blog, newsletter, or social post to someone else.

Once they saw it, now they have to go there, too.

The results augment your marketing plan...

Amplify your word-of-mouth...

And correspondingly increase your relevance.

Here’s what makes Spotlight Sojourns different.

Spotlight Sojourns stands apart from travel influencers, travel content creators, lifestyle and other types of content creators. Spotlight Sojourns also differs from UGC platforms; and marketing, advertising, or PR agencies.

In short, we’re uniquely and specifically qualified to help make your location a must-visit destination,

Due to our many years of strategic consulting and successful outcomes for the world's biggest companies; as well as industry involvement and leadership, global standards, and global perspective.

We've worked with everyone from the biggest global brands and blue-chip firms to emerging entrepreneurs and small businesses,

As well as tourism marketing and destination marketing organizations (such as a tourism bureau, DMO, CVB, TPA, Chamber of Commerce, etc.). Plus hotels, venues, and brands of all kinds.

So we believe, above all, collaborative partnerships and trusted relationships are the most important key to success.

Our clients know, without doubt, we deliver on time and in budget. They know we’ve got their backs –– strategically, creatively, aesthetically, and expertly.

In the same way, we'll deliver for you on time and in budget. Likewise, we've got your back – strategically, creatively, aesthetically, and expertly.

It's all about meaningful travel.

Spotlight Sojourns' professional storytelling with personal perspective builds on the foundation of meaningful travel experiences.

Meaningful travel is the:

• Purpose to broaden horizons, create connections, and deepen understanding (our love language is experiences).
• Passion to collect moments that echo in memory (moments > things).
• Path to seek beauty and find joy, wherever you are (even from an armchair).
• Perspective that WHY you go matters more than WHERE you go (must-visit list > checklist).

Meaningful travel is indeed part of our own story from the very beginning.

Want that "wow" for yourself?

Because now is the time to get your location on eager travelers' must-visit list.

So we at Spotlight Sojourns stand ready to shine the spotlight together with your travel, tourism, and hospitality brand.

Let's tell your story in a new way. Let's show your destination in a new light. Let's create that "wow."

Ready? Let's go!