My day starts as perfectly normal as all of you, wake up, eat, shower, shampoo condition and oil my beard. My life however is far from normal. For as long as I can remember the magic of cinema (see what I did there) has fascinated me.
So when there was an opportunity to share my geeky knowledge with the world I absolutely jumped at the chance. Having nailed the interview I started working for See Your City, a small 2 year old company ran by a pair of great guys, Frankie and Ferry. The company is situated in the heart of London and operates a colourful array of walking tours. Not only was this my dream job, after only one day of working there we had the Christmas party. Where I met my new misfit family. Some of the greatest people I’ve ever had the honour of working alongside. Anyway back to why you’re here….. what I do in my day. Once my beard has been brushed and is looking like a fantastic mane, I vacate my house in Wood Green and jump on the tube to Leicester Square.
Upon arriving outside Palace Theatre, looking up at that glorious “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child” sign, longing for the day I can get a ticket, I am greeted by a sea of people with the odd orange jacket here and there which symbolises my work colleagues greeting people for their Harry Potter walking tour. Once the parties have been separated out, I take my group and introduce them to myself. “my name is John, better known as Hagrid, if Hagrid went wild and got tattooed.” Once we have got past the introductions, we divide the group up into their relevant houses, the sorting hat never fails, even with people that have done the online quiz and know which house they belong to. From here on out we partake in a walking tour showing people some amazing spots in London, spots that quite often get overlooked, I know because locals that have lived here for decades tell me, they had no clue until it was pointed out. Why is this my perfect job you may ask?
Well for a start I’m being paid to geek out on one of my favourite movie franchise’s. I get to share my knowledge of the Harry Potter universe, I’m out doors and getting excersise, I get to meet new people every day, learn about different cultures, different countries and even learn a few new words. But the main thing that makes my day, is hearing the awe filled gasp from child and adult alike when you show them a movie clip and they realise they are stood in the very location it was filmed.
Another highlight is when that tour finishes and hearing a round of applause, seeing smiles on people’s faces, shaking hands which contain tips of gratitude for making their day. Upon completion of my day I love to sit with my work mates in the pub upstairs, with a cold alcohol free beer and discuss highlights of their tours. Smiling, realising I have a fantastic job and a great life. The only thing that could make this better is the Dragon egg in the strangers coat a few tables away. I get up and walk over, wondering how cheaply I can get this Norwegian ridgeback….
