Anthony Bourdain is nothing if not a man of many ventures.
The chef-turned author and Parts Unknown star is currently on the hunt for new titles for his book line, Ecco, while simultaneously overseeing an investment in digital magazine Roads & Kingdoms, which publishes long-form stories about travel, food, and culture. At South by Southwest last week, Bourdain sat down with Inc. to explain some of the rules he lives by as an entrepreneur, TV personality, and media executive.
Here are highlights from the conversation.
What else have you invested in besides Roads & Kingdoms?
This is my one and only. I’m not looking for investment opportunities. I thought whatRoads & Kingdoms was doing was providing a venue for really great voices to tell really great stories that other people weren’t telling. I just really wanted to be a part of that.
You basically travel for a living now. What do you think is the biggest trend that could change the travel industry?
We are looking at an inevitable situation where you will be able to go online, probably with an Oculus, and walk down the streets of Tokyo and look in every direction and have the voice of Jeremy Irons whispering in your ear saying, “Turn left and on the third floor is an excellent Izakaya.” You will be able to walk down the street in a city that you’ve never been to, in preparation for your trip. It’s certainly going to change the way people plan their vacation.
You’ve also said that Twitter is the future of business. Why?
It’s not just the way we talk now, it’s the way we experience things. Even chefs who bitterly complain about Twitter and Instagram and people taking pictures at the restaurant, when I go out to dinner with eight of them, they’re all taking pictures of their food and tweeting each other at the same table. This is kind of the nexus of the future of small business and the future of big business. For my publishing imprint and my show, we often source subject matter and even authors and characters from Twitter.
