Secret Journeys are experiences produced using the highest journalistic and storytelling standards. Journeys are curated to provide privileged access to exceptional places and people in and near Paris. Our collection of experiences can be viewed at www.secretjourneys.travel

Ville d'Avray, where I live and work, is a town of 11,800 people located between Paris and Versailles. It is a place of beauty and a source of inspiration: surrounded by forests and parks and incorporating two large ponds named after the painter Camille Corot, it was here that French author and musician Boris Vian (I’m a big fan) was born. Puting my skills and experience at the service of my town and its citizens fills my days with pride and purpose.

During my time at The New York Times, I was fortunate to take part in one of the most creative transitions of the media landscape in decades, witnessing first-hand the dramatic shift of readers from print to digital. I was able to hone my skills in content syndication and actively take part in the development of a magazine licensing business for a news organization I have admired since my childhood. In 2002 I was hired to handle Europe Middle East and Africa; in my last role I was responsible… Show more During my time at The New York Times, I was fortunate to take part in one of the most creative transitions of the media landscape in decades, witnessing first-hand the dramatic shift of readers from print to digital. I was able to hone my skills in content syndication and actively take part in the development of a magazine licensing business for a news organization I have admired since my childhood. In 2002 I was hired to handle Europe Middle East and Africa; in my last role I was responsible for global syndication, working with talented teams in every region of the world. Among the flagship products I have developed are foreign licenses for the NYT International Weekly Section, “T” Magazine, and the NYT annual year-ahead magazine “Turning Points.” The global financial crises in 2008 coupled with readers shifting from print to digital (a “double whammy”), forced us to reinvent the traditional syndication model of the 20th century by emphasizing brand power, monetization models and digital platforms. Below is a link to an article published by INMA (International News Media Association) based on a presentation I gave at its Brazil event in October 2012. Show less

My experience with Lonely Planet enabled me to gain deep knowledge and understanding of the power of a brand. Can you imagine a job where all clients and co-workers wear broad smiles and start the conversation by telling you about their most recent holidays? I have never smiled as much in my career while learning so much about the importance of editorial content strategies by creating and syndicating Lonely Planet material to digital clients such as Expedia and other online travel channels.

I love Photography; I had sharpened my skills in advertising sales at Dow Jones. So why not combine the two and launch a photography magazine and website? I pitched the concept with published issues to several custom publishing companies, and Textuel hired me to work on the magazine’s editorial and business concept. My marketing director role gave me tremendous insight into the custom publishing industry and connected me with Lonely Planet, a brand I had admired so much since my backpack biking… Show more I love Photography; I had sharpened my skills in advertising sales at Dow Jones. So why not combine the two and launch a photography magazine and website? I pitched the concept with published issues to several custom publishing companies, and Textuel hired me to work on the magazine’s editorial and business concept. My marketing director role gave me tremendous insight into the custom publishing industry and connected me with Lonely Planet, a brand I had admired so much since my backpack biking trip to Ireland in the 1980s. Show less

The highlight of my years with Dow Jones was two-fold: 1) Working on country advertising sections in Latin America (You mean I get paid to travel and speak Spanish?) and developing the Wall Street Journal Americas branded section; 2) Introducing to marketers and advertisers the first multi-platform advertising sales opportunity in the world, including web, print and TV: WSJ.com, WSJ Europe, Asian WSJ, WSJ Domestic, EBN (pan European TV channel) and ABN (pan Asian TV channel). Anyone remember… Show more The highlight of my years with Dow Jones was two-fold: 1) Working on country advertising sections in Latin America (You mean I get paid to travel and speak Spanish?) and developing the Wall Street Journal Americas branded section; 2) Introducing to marketers and advertisers the first multi-platform advertising sales opportunity in the world, including web, print and TV: WSJ.com, WSJ Europe, Asian WSJ, WSJ Domestic, EBN (pan European TV channel) and ABN (pan Asian TV channel). Anyone remember these two TV channels? They eventually merged with CNBC. Show less