Jamie Neilson

My guest today worked for Club Med from July 1993 to 2001 as Mini Club, Chief of Mini Club and Circus. His first season was in Club Med Ixtapa in 1993 as a Mini Club G.O. From Ontario, Canada, please help me welcome, Jamie Neilson!! Before Club Med, Jamie visited Club Med five times starting in 1986. He actually told his guidance counselor in high school that he wanted to be a G.O.! As a G.M., he went to Bermuda, Paradise Island, and St. Lucia. Jamie worked in villages such as Eleuthera, Roi Soleil in Saint Moritz, Guadeloupe, Huatulco, Arziv, and Punta Cana. Jamie took the train to Montreal for his interview in March of 1993 and not many prospective G.O.s can hand a reference letter from Ryan Leach and give it to the person interviewing him, in this case, Kevin Batt! Jamie met Ryan as a G.M. in St. Lucia, but I’ll let him tell that story. Jamie worked for Chief of Villages such as Toutoune, Teach, Hammer, and Alain Pistolesi, to name but a few. Jamie learned a lot from the late, great Darwin Hamilton and he remembers him fondly here. Jamie also reveals which CDV taught him everything he knows about leadership, management, and being a G.O. and who he considers to be a big brother. Jamie shares a pretty funny story from Eleuthera involving Darwin, Fergy, and a golf cart that you absolutely have to hear! When he was in Arziv in 1998, he created the Spice Girls' “Who Do You Think You Are” Crazy Sign and was pleasantly surprised to see that his Crazy Sign was being performed in Punta Cana in 2001! Jamie was also one of the first Field Recruiters hired by Club Med in 2000 and he talks about that as well. Please enjoy this episode with Jamie! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.