
Tom Wilmer
Host of Journeys of DiscoveryTom Wilmer is a correspondent for the KCBX program and podcast Issues & Ideas and host of the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer
Journeys of Discovery can be found on Issues & Ideas, the NPRONE mobile app, iTunes, Stitcher.com, player.fm (UK) a selected "Best Travel Roundup Podcast," and more than 20 other podcast channels around the world.
Wilmer's shows cover an array of subjects including agriculture, culture, arts, science, history, wine & spirits, and cuisine.
In addition to winning the 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015 & 2013 Lowell Thomas Award (society of American Travel Writers—“Best Radio Travel Show,” Wilmer is the recipient of more than a dozen prestigious industry awards for radio, print and video, including the prestigious Tourism Australia/QANTAS "Henry Lawson Travel Writing Award" for the best North American feature about Australia as a travel destination, and more than 10 awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of California.
- Culture Editor 360 Magazine (Los Angeles) 2016-presen
- Travel Editor Civilian Magazine (NYC) July 2019-present
- On-air contributor at NPR Affiliate KCBX serving California’s Central Coast September 1989-present
- NPR.ORG Digital Media Podcast Host produced by NPR affiliate KCBX January 2012-present
Wilmer has produced on-air travel shows for KCBX since 1989, and served as digital-media travel host for KRML in Carmel, California from January 2013 through December 2015.
Wilmer was Travel Editor for Central Coast Magazine in California from its inception through 2008, and Travel Editor at Las Vegas Magazine (1998-2003). He has also been a frequent contributor to numerous upscale lifestyle magazines including Tahoe Quarterly, and Arizona Foothills, 805 Living, The Tasting Panel, and former Home Section columnist for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Locally he has produced features for New Times, San Luis Obispo Tribune and other regional publications.
Author of three books: Romancing the Coast; California Coast Getaways; and The Wine Seeker’s Guide to Livermore Valley. Wilmer has also produced numerous lifestyle magazine features and more than 1,500 newspaper travel feature stories. His Knight Ridder Syndicate travel features have appeared in more than 40 North American newspapers, including the Toronto Star.
On-location radio shows have ranged from the Arctic to African safaris, in the wheelhouse of the Rainbow Warrior II, flying in WWII bombers, navigating a micro light above Victoria Falls, sailing around Grenada, hiking through the wilds of Malaysian jungles and exploring remote atolls and isles throughout the South Pacific. His feature, recorded live at Harland & Wolfe Shipyards in Belfast Northern Ireland, celebrating the centenary of the launch of the Titanic was the recipient of a Best Travel award from Outdoor Writers Association of California.
Recent video/audio Awards:
- First Place Award San Luis Obispo International Film Festival: From Morros to Marshes 2017
- First Place Award Bay Area Travel Writers for Best Short Video: Pinnacles National Park 2015.
- Wilmer and his video partner, Simo Nylander produced a video for National Park Service Alcatraz Cruises, Winner of 2016 Outdoor Writers Association: California Best Video 2016
- In-depth video/audio series for the Morro Bay National Marine Estuary: 2015 "Best Outdoor Video" Award from Outdoor Writers Association of California, along with "Best Short Video" award for Morro Bay Estuary Water Quality feature
- Amgen California bike race commercial Outdoor Writers Association of California 2016
- First Place "Best Outdoor Radio Feature" Outdoor Writers Association of California: Saving Cecil's recorded live on location in Botswana 2017
- Second Place "Best Outdoor Radio Series" Outdoor Writers Association of California: Audubon Rowe Sandhill Cranes, First Federally Funded Wild Mustang Refuge, Heartland Shooting Range Grand Island, Nebraska 2017
Professional Membership:
National Press Club, Washington D.C. (www.press.org)
San Francisco Bay Area Travel Writers--board of directors & membership chair (www.batw.org)
Links:
NPR.ORG Digital Media Podcast Directory page:
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/487364788/journeys-of-discovery-with-tom-wilmer
KCBX Program Page: http://kcbx.org/programs/journeys-discovery-tom-wilmer
360 Magazine (LA) Culture Editor: https://the360mag.com/tag/tom-wilmer-360-magazine-culture-editor/
Civilian Magazine (NYC) Travel Editor: https://civilianmag.com/
Website: thomaswilmer.com
Twitter: @TomCWilmer
Instagram: @thomas.wilmer
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/radiotravel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomascwilmer/
You can reach Tom at thomascwilmer@gmail.com.
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Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Sean Weir, Cal Poly grad and author of the book, The Mad Crush, detailing his time as a cellar rat at the historic San Luis Obispo County based Sausalito Canyon winery.
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Berkeley, California based author Yang Huang shares tales of growing up in China, post cultural revolution. And how, on the heels of the Tiananmen Square protests, she was empowered to write in hopes of propelling a more tolerant and hopeful world through her stories.
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Join Phillip & LaNell McMahon at their alpaca ranch as they share their passion for raising and breeding the exotic animal that kids and adults alike adore
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A best-of-the-best Journeys podcast—recorded live in Memphis with Faith Morris at the poignant National Civil Rights Museum
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Join Jennifer Eckermann, Director of Tourism and Marketing for the City of Brenham, Texas at the Camptown Cemetery and the legacy of the Camptown Freedom Colony formed on the heels of the Civil War.
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Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Brenham, Texas at the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory for a visit with Joe Robertson, Director of Advertising and Marketing about the company’s century long odyssey as a legendary Texas ice cream company
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A visit with Jim and Kim Keeter, owners of the legendary Independence, Texas based, Antique Rose Emporium followed by a conversation with former owner, Mike Shoup who birthed the business back in 1984.
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Correspondent Tom Wilmer explores cool destinations in Washington County, Texas—we’ll discover a trendsetting winery, Chapelton Vineyards in Washington, the Pioneer Smokehouse and Mercantile in Brenham; Neon Moon Coffee Roasters in Burton; and a visit with Alejandra Ray, the owner and chef at the historic Bevers Kitchen in Chappel Hill.
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The tale of how Artist, Suzy Hankins and her husband Keith radically transformed their lives by deciding to become innkeepers of historic properties in Brenham, Texas.
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Brent Phillips, shares the story of creating Milk & Honey Ranch in Burton, Texas, an organic farm that’s a popular getaway for couples and families.