The search for treasure is a fascination as old as mankind itself, and beginning next year television viewers will have an opportunity to travel around the world and discover the treasures created by master artisans in a ground breaking new series, Destination Craft with Jim West.
The show captures the attention of the demographic that AC Nielsen calls “the most valuable generation in the history of marketing” and sponsors will hit their target audience and reach the most affluent demographic treasure today: the female boomer. Destination Craft with Jim West is also an opportunity to capitalize on the latest crafting phenomenon estimated at $30 billion strong.
Please read through our Series Overview Guidebook which will answer most of your questions about the show, information about each episode, and tell you more about our award winning talented cast and crew who created the series.
Also on this website you will find three completed episodes of the show so you can see for yourself how original and groundbreaking it really is. Destination Craft with Jim West is revolutionizing the way craft television shows have been presented and the female boomer in particular is the target demographic who will find this program the most appealing.
This is your opportunity to offer a show that is arguably the freshest, most exciting television series to be presented to the travel and craft viewing audience!
815.878.3600
Jim@NamasteGroup.com
Jim West
Creator / Host, Executive ProducerKnown around the world as an energetic and enthusiastic visionary and travel entrepreneur, Jim West has the knowledge and experience to deliver beyond the expectations of the people who work with him. As a world traveler and cruise expert, Jim worked onboard cruise ships as a professional cruise director for over ten years and has over 1563 cruises logged in his nautical diary. He has explored all seven continents, traveled throughout 116 countries around the world, is the author of four travel books, and was featured as the cruise expert on the Travel Channel’s “Cruise Ships FAQ.”
Following his cruise expedition in Antarctica with Sir Edmund Hillary, Jim wrote his first book, “The Essential Little Cruise Book,” containing over 750 practical cruising tips. Hillary provided a quote for the cover of the book commenting, “A very practical book with sound information for everyone, from people planning their first cruise adventure to hardened travel agents.”
In 1995 Jim was the first person to create an opportunity for crafters to travel on a variety of different cruises & tours with like minded people. He is the publisher of the longest running online craft magazine, Craftposium, is also a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul, and was the host of the weekly radio show Travel News & Views in the Chicago area.
Jim was the founder and managing director of the first International Quilt Festival of Ireland, and in 2017 is planning the first International Batik Show in Bali.
As an actor for ten years, prior to becoming a travel expert, Jim guest starred in many television shows and national commercials in the 1980’s.
Jim West has been involved in the travel and craft industries for nearly 30 years and brings an enthusiastic passion to Destination Craft with Jim West.
TUSCANY
We travel to Tuscany and Milan in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Italian people where we feature workshops in Italian frescos, Florentine paper marbling, leather journaling, and a pasta cooking lesson.
We visit the studio of master artisans who create amazing mosaic art, and talk to a master embroidery artist who has worked with the most iconic names in fashion. We travel inside the factory of Aurifil Threads and feature a never before seen look at how this popular thread is made. We even have some fun crafting the perfect gelato.
The theme for this episode is crafts and the family or “la famiglia.”
BALI
We travel to Bali in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Balinese people through woodcarving, batiking, painting, weaving and cooking.
We journey inside Monkey Forest where we see crafters working on decorative cement sculptures, visit the Elephant Safari Park where the elephants are painting T-shirts, film a segment in a rice field and talk about how rice farmers do crafts while they are waiting for their rice crop to grow, and we feature extraordinary footage of markets, palaces and the Balinese way of life, right down to the Bali smiles.
The theme of this episode is crafting with spirit.
GUATEMALA
We travel to Guatemala to the Lake Atitlon region and also to the artistic city of Antigua in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Guatemalan people.
We feature workshops in cotton dying, back strap and loom weaving, embroidery, basket making, and candle making. We craft the perfect cup of coffee, enjoy a cooking lesson where we make tasty tamales and guacamole, see a demonstration in iron working, learn about crafting a medicinal garden and create a special artistic journal.
The theme for this episode is colorful crafting for necessity.
GERMANY & AUSTRIA
We travel to the city of Salzburg, Austria and throughout Bavaria as we highlight crafts associated with the Christmas holiday.
This episode features a trip to the tiny village of Oberammergau where we visit the workshop of a master wood carver. We make a delicious homemade apple strudel in a three hundred year old cafe, show the craftsmanship of the centuries old Glockenspiel in Salzburg as we see behind the scenes on how it operates, and we provide the recipe for a delicious mulled wine called “Gluhwein.” Our host takes us to different stands in the famous Salzburg Christmas Market and we learn about a variety of crafts. We also take a tour inside an antique toy museum, participate in a hands on workshop making glass ornaments, see a demonstration on making Austrian lederhosen, and sing Silent Night in a tiny Bavarian village.
The theme of this episode is crafting for the holidays.
815.878.3600
Jim@DestinationCraft.com
We travel to the cities of Cusco and Lima in Peru in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Peruvian people. We feature workshops by master artisans as we learn the crafts of gourd carving, pottery, and making the pan flute. We participate in an authentic cooking class and make a traditional Peruvian “ceviche” dish with a master chef. Our master artisans demonstrate their skills in silver jewelry making, weaving colorful tapestries, and show us the ancient art of retables. We also visit a community where the local ladies make traditional and beautifully crafted arpilleras. The theme for this episode is crafting with natural and organic matter.
We travel to Jaipur, India and the surrounding area in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Indian people. This show features master crafters who provide demonstrations and workshops in wood block printing, henna designing, paper mache and miniature painting. We watch a masterful father and son show us the craft and techniques of brass inlay wood. We participate in a rangoli design workshop taught by master artisans and learn savory tips from a master chef for making a traditional Indian dish. We take viewers deep inside the Kathputhli Slums of Jaipur to visit a family that has been making puppets for more than a century. The theme for this episode is crafting traditions.
We travel to Nepal to the Kathmandu Valley area in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Nepalese people. We feature workshops and demonstrations with master crafters in paper & clay mask making, wood carving, Napali paper making, felting, and pottery. We visit a Buddhist Temple and show monks making a colorful sand mandala. We see master artisans making a metal “singing bowl,” designing and weaving exquisite rugs, and participate in a cooking lesson taught by women who are part of an independent women’s support group. The theme for this episode is crafting with minimal resources.
We travel to the West of Ireland and also to Dublin and the surrounding area where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Irish people. This show features workshops taught by master crafters in felting, basket making and Irish soap making from organic materials. We enjoy master artisans demonstrating the crafts of woodturning, carving Irish crystal and making jewelry from Connemara Marble. We visit the kitchen of a master chef as we learn to make homemade Irish scones and even learn tips for designing an Irish garden from a master gardener. We travel to the heart of Ireland where an expert craftsman shows us how to build the perfect rock wall, and finally we learn firsthand how to make Irish lace from master lace makers. The theme for this episode is crafting with passion.
We travel to Reykjavik, Iceland and the surrounding area in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Icelandic people. This show features master crafters who provide demonstrations and workshops in horsehair jewelry, making crafts from fish skin, embroidery on one of the largest tapestries in the world, making traditional leafbread, carving driftwood into marvelous works of art and creating beautiful glass products from volcanic ash. We travel outside the city and visit a couple who make traditional Icelandic costumes and we enjoy a cooking lesson on how to make a centuries old bread and homemade soup. The theme for this episode is crafting from natural resources.
We travel to Zurich and Lucerne, Switzerland and the surrounding areas in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Swiss people. This show features master crafters who provide demonstrations and workshops in Beekeeping & Crafting Honey, learning how the Alphorn is made. We visit a family that has been making cow bells for over one hundred years, travel high into the Swiss mountains where we visit a family that makes authentic Swiss cheese, warm up our vocal cords as we learn the craft of yodeling, and make a traditional cheese fondue with one of the local residents. Our journey takes us North to the town of Steckborn where we tour the Bernina Sewing Machine factory, and we’ll wrap things up with Bobbin Lace Making, a workshop in decoupage and enjoy the sweetest craft in the country as we learn to make Swiss chocolate! The theme for this episode is crafting from a proud heritage.
We travel to Vancouver, Canada and the surrounding area where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Canadian people. This show features master crafters who provide demonstrations and workshops in crafting the perfect beer, building a Canadian canoe, carving soapstone and learning to paint on canvas. We travel into the forest where we craft the perfect maple syrup, visit a master wood carver who takes totem poles to a new level and enjoy the fascinating skills of a printmaker. Our host Jim West visits a Canadian tattoo artist and receives his first tattoo and we satisfy our appetites with a master chef who creates traditional Canadian grilled Salmon! The theme for this episode is crafting with a blend of old and new.
We travel to the Warsaw and Krakow areas of Poland in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Polish people. We feature master crafters who provide demonstrations and workshops in traditional Polish folk dolls, learn the art of paper cutting, make traditional folk pottery, watch a blacksmith bend beautiful steel, and participate in a workshop of traditional stained glass making. We travel to a local village where the entire community participates in painting designs as artwork on their homes, then we visit deep inside the salt mines of Wieliczka where we see an entire chapel carved out of salt. Our cast crafts the perfect dance step with some Polish folk dancing and crafts the perfect pierogi as we enjoy a hands on cooking lesson. The theme for this episode is crafting folkart based on a resilient heritage.
We travel to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and the surrounding area in an episode where we explore the culture, traditions, food, and passions of the Mexican people. This show features master crafters who provide demonstrations and workshops in paper mache, pinata making, and crafting giant puppets with Mojiganga. We’ll visit a master tinsmith and watch him make amazing art, see a family who has been making Huichol Bead crafts for decades, and participate in a mosaic workshop with master artisans. We travel outside the city to Dolores Hidalgo where we paint designs on pottery in the Talavera style, enjoy an Alfeniques workshop and learn how the city is changing graffiti into neo murals throughout the city. Finally we participate in a cooking lesson and prepare a delicious mole sauce with chicken, and sweeten our day with a man who has been making unusual kinds of ice creams in Guanajuato for over sixty years! The theme for this episode is crafting a colorful heritage.