Tom Buchanan Email & Phone Number

Ludlow, Vermont

What can I say about a job description that includes sliding on snow? It rocks! Okemo strives to provide every guest with the experience of a lifetime, and features three base areas, half a million annual skier visits, and a snowsports school with a 300-400 person instructional staff. Okemo management recognized me as a “Peak Performer,” a top guest services honor awarded to just 2% of the 1,200 resort employees each year, and Vail Resorts has twice honored me with an “Epic Service Award.”… Show more What can I say about a job description that includes sliding on snow? It rocks! Okemo strives to provide every guest with the experience of a lifetime, and features three base areas, half a million annual skier visits, and a snowsports school with a 300-400 person instructional staff. Okemo management recognized me as a “Peak Performer,” a top guest services honor awarded to just 2% of the 1,200 resort employees each year, and Vail Resorts has twice honored me with an “Epic Service Award.” Plus, I have been named Jackson Gore Snowboard Instructor of the Year four times. I was appointed to the training staff in 2011, and in 2013 added certification as a ski instructor from the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). Show less

Manchester, Vermont

Orvis is recognized as a leader in the integrated marketing of fly fishing, wing shooting, and sporting traditions. Orvis fly fishing instructors offer basic and advanced training while shepherding clients through their first cast and then onto a lifetime of sport fishing enjoyment. Instructors are responsible for team teaching a comprehensive two-day course in traditional fly fishing, and for guiding clients on catch-and-release fishing excursions to local rivers and ponds. As an instructor I… Show more Orvis is recognized as a leader in the integrated marketing of fly fishing, wing shooting, and sporting traditions. Orvis fly fishing instructors offer basic and advanced training while shepherding clients through their first cast and then onto a lifetime of sport fishing enjoyment. Instructors are responsible for team teaching a comprehensive two-day course in traditional fly fishing, and for guiding clients on catch-and-release fishing excursions to local rivers and ponds. As an instructor I share the joy of standing in a pristine river and casting for trout, and I spread a love of environmental stewardship. It’s a fun job. Show less

Stratton, Vermont

This was my first job as a snowboard instructor, and a great introduction to snowsports education. Stratton was the original home of the world renowned snowboarding US Open, and was at the forefront of the Burton Learn to Ride program. It's an eastern region Alterra Mountain Company resort that draws heavily from the New York and Boston markets, and hosts more than 400,000 annual skier visits. While at Stratton I shared my love of the outdoors with guests from around the world, and consistently… Show more This was my first job as a snowboard instructor, and a great introduction to snowsports education. Stratton was the original home of the world renowned snowboarding US Open, and was at the forefront of the Burton Learn to Ride program. It's an eastern region Alterra Mountain Company resort that draws heavily from the New York and Boston markets, and hosts more than 400,000 annual skier visits. While at Stratton I shared my love of the outdoors with guests from around the world, and consistently placed at the top of all sales promotions. Show less

Gardiner, New York

The Blue Sky Ranch is among top rated and visited skydiving centers in the northeastern United States, with peak activity of more than 50,000 annual jumps. I spent more than 15 years at The Ranch as an independent contractor teaching multiple skydiving disciplines. I held certifications as an instructor in Accelerated Freefall (AFF), Static Line, and Instructor Assisted Deployment (IAD) programs, and was triple type rated as a Tandem Instructor. I served as an inaugural Course Director of the… Show more The Blue Sky Ranch is among top rated and visited skydiving centers in the northeastern United States, with peak activity of more than 50,000 annual jumps. I spent more than 15 years at The Ranch as an independent contractor teaching multiple skydiving disciplines. I held certifications as an instructor in Accelerated Freefall (AFF), Static Line, and Instructor Assisted Deployment (IAD) programs, and was triple type rated as a Tandem Instructor. I served as an inaugural Course Director of the United States Parachute Association (USPA) Basic Instructor Course, and held an appointment as a Coach Course Examiner. I was appointed as a Safety and Training Adviser representing the interests of USPA, and within that capacity developed an original training resource focused on bridge issues for student jumpers transitioning to unsupervised skydiving. I initiated a successful effort to include drop zones within government released electronic databases, and to present drop zones within flight planning software and in-flight navigation systems. I hold a FAA certificate as a Senior Parachute Rigger, and a FAA Commercial Pilot certificate in single and multi-engine airplanes. I am the author of “JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy” (McGraw-Hill - 2003, 228 pages with 86 illustrations). Show less

Stamford, Connecticut

Everybody knows World Wrestling Entertainment, and for 17 years I had an front row seat on the mayhem.I began shooting for WWF as a freelance photographer at the very first Wrestlemania in 1985, joined as a staff photographer in 1987, and finally left in 2001 as the Chief of Photography. What a crazy trip; hangin’ and bangin’ with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy 'Macho Man' Savage, Brett Hart, Diesel, The Rock, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and all the other top stars of the era. I rode… Show more Everybody knows World Wrestling Entertainment, and for 17 years I had an front row seat on the mayhem.I began shooting for WWF as a freelance photographer at the very first Wrestlemania in 1985, joined as a staff photographer in 1987, and finally left in 2001 as the Chief of Photography. What a crazy trip; hangin’ and bangin’ with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy 'Macho Man' Savage, Brett Hart, Diesel, The Rock, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and all the other top stars of the era. I rode along as the company grew from a domestic promoter of local wrestling events, to become a multinational powerhouse of vertical marketing, and a public company valued at more than a billion dollars. It was a killer lifestyle with 80 hour weeks and about 150,000 air miles a year. The growth meant there was never time to slow down, and responsibilities were heaved at me from all directions. Craziness prevailed as I moved from the corporate boardroom to ringside and back. I worked closely with executives, advertisers, creative artists and writers, talent development, wrestlers, and production crew. It’s hard to imagine a more diverse collection of people working together to advance an industry, but we reached for the moon, and it often felt like we landed on Mars. Show less

Utica, New York Area

I was one of five staff photographers at the Observer Dispatch and Daily Press, a struggling pair of Gannett papers that merged into a single all-day product during my tenure. Utica, a small city in upstate New York is in the northeastern rust belt, which gave me an opportunity to see an ailing economy up close. And I had a chance to experience the gut wrenching destruction of the Daily Press as Gannett folded two newspapers into one in support of the launch of USA Today. While employed by the… Show more I was one of five staff photographers at the Observer Dispatch and Daily Press, a struggling pair of Gannett papers that merged into a single all-day product during my tenure. Utica, a small city in upstate New York is in the northeastern rust belt, which gave me an opportunity to see an ailing economy up close. And I had a chance to experience the gut wrenching destruction of the Daily Press as Gannett folded two newspapers into one in support of the launch of USA Today. While employed by the Gannett Utica Newspapers as a full-time staff photographer I also worked extensively as a freelance photographer with World Wrestling Entertainment, a combination that presented an interesting mix of serious journalism and entertainment assignments. Show less

Rome, New York

The Daily Sentinel is an independent six-day family owned newspaper in Rome, New York. In the 1980's Rome, New York, was the home of Griffiss Air Force Base which dominated our coverage, and focused the Rome Sentinel on serving a transient population in a rural community. I was a general assignment photographer responsible for local pictures and in-house production work. I hired, trained, and coordinated a staff photographer, and managed contributions by staff writers. I also served a small… Show more The Daily Sentinel is an independent six-day family owned newspaper in Rome, New York. In the 1980's Rome, New York, was the home of Griffiss Air Force Base which dominated our coverage, and focused the Rome Sentinel on serving a transient population in a rural community. I was a general assignment photographer responsible for local pictures and in-house production work. I hired, trained, and coordinated a staff photographer, and managed contributions by staff writers. I also served a small group of freelance clients and provided assigned coverage of upstate New York for the Associated Press. Show less

Auburn, New York

The Auburn Citizen hired me straight out of college as a staff photographer. The Citizen was a small six-day newspaper owned by Howard Publications serving a rural area in Central New York. The largest employer in town was a maximum security prison, but the area was also heavily agricultural. While I was on staff we launched a monthly magazine called "Farm Forum" that helped me gain an understanding of agricultural policy. The Citizen was on the cutting edge of desktop publishing and required… Show more The Auburn Citizen hired me straight out of college as a staff photographer. The Citizen was a small six-day newspaper owned by Howard Publications serving a rural area in Central New York. The largest employer in town was a maximum security prison, but the area was also heavily agricultural. While I was on staff we launched a monthly magazine called "Farm Forum" that helped me gain an understanding of agricultural policy. The Citizen was on the cutting edge of desktop publishing and required photographers to write occasional stories, and to format captions using computers, which was a nearly unheard of advance in the early 1980's. Photographers handled all darkroom work using a direct screen process that required sizing pictures to column placement, which necessitated the development of design and layout skills. When I was hired the Citizen had two full-time staff photographers, but one position was soon downgraded to part-time and I became responsible for managing freelance and staff assignments, all company equipment and inventory, as well as recruiting, training, and supervising part time photo staff. Show less