Aside from being a full-time superyacht chef, freelance writer, and maintaining her YouTube channel that follows her adventures aboard M/Y Revelry, Head Chef Nina Wilson is now an award-winning videographer. Her recent video, “Alaska with M/Y Revelry,” won the hearts and votes of judges from BlueiProd, Burgess, Dockwalk, and YachtieWorld.
"Nina Wilson’s video stood out as it encapsulated the theme of the competition perfectly, namely Experience, Exploration, Expertise."
“It was an absolute pleasure to participate as a judge in the Burgess Crew Photographer and Videographer of the year in association with Dockwalk,” says Alex Haubrich, founder, of YachtieWorld. “We received content from talented content creator yachties from all around the globe, and I must say it was a challenge to pick just one winner per category, as I'm sure the rest of the panel would agree.”
Of course, only one could win. “However, Nina Wilson’s video stood out as it encapsulated the theme of the competition perfectly, namely Experience, Exploration, Expertise. Nina shares the unique experience of working as a crewmember in this magnificent industry, showcasing exploration around Alaska and her expertise as a chef and filmmaker. Well-deserved, Nina,” says Haubrich. “Your video will undoubtedly inspire many!”
Winners (for the photo and video) were announced on September 25 at the Monaco Yacht Show.
And the Winner is ...
Chef Nina Wilson was one of the 13 to submit videos for the Burgess Crew Photographer and Videographer of the Year in association with Dockwalk. Not only did she get the winning title, but she also took home a GoPro bundle, and is being featured on Burgess, Boat International, and Dockwalk.
Through video, Chef Nina Wilson obligingly shared her yachting adventures through the lens of Experience, Exploration, Expertise — the three words that encapsulate the Burgess difference to frame her unique take on life at sea.
“It was important to me to show the processes that we follow at sea to deliver the best product possible — I decided that by showing the progression of fish to fillet to taco, it would emphasize the expertise aspect. To show off the experience, I thought the shots of the crew hike and enjoying Alaska would convey that. Overall in general, the exploration would be shown through the shots of Revelry cruising the wild Alaskan waters, navigating through icebergs, and nosing up to waterfalls,” she says.
The Story Behind the Video
Thanks to a summer spent cruising Alaskan waters, the crew of Revelry was lucky to be welcomed out on deck a lot by the guests, she says. “Seeing the whales bubble feeding was a highlight, and they were very considerate to do it after guest lunch, so they didn't hold up any services,” she says.
"I think being a bit older has given me the confidence to get in front of the lens and not be afraid to take the piss out of myself a bit.”
Wilson says that due to having almost 300 GB of footage from three different cameras, it was definitely hard to narrow down the video footage, adding, “I've made a longer version of the video, which you can see on my YouTube channel The Crew Chef.”
When asked how she felt about winning, she said, “Relieved! I spend a lot of time filming and editing, pouring my love into it — so it's a wonderful confirmation that it's something I'm good at!”
How Chef Wilson Learned Her Video Skills
According to Chef Wilson, filming and editing has been a creative hobby of hers ever since school. “I used to edit little videos for school camps and assemblies,” she says. “Now I have a YouTube channel where I get to post all things yachting and it's getting a good following” — she has over 77K subscribers so far.
For Wilson, who says she doesn’t have any formal training in videography, working on videos is about cultivating her hobby. “I love travel highlight and vlog-style videos. I never used to talk to the camera, but now that's what my YouTube is focused on! I think being a bit older has given me the confidence to get in front of the lens and not be afraid to take the piss out of myself a bit.”
While she learned her cooking skills from studying at Ashburton Culinary School in Devon, UK, her video shooting and editing skills are the result of what she’s gleaned from YouTube, as well as her friend (a professional color grader and video editor) who showed Chef Wilson around Final Cut Pro (the current software she uses now) and showed her a few tricks of the trade.
How She Become a Superyacht Chef
As the head chef aboard 55-meter Revelry, Wilson says this is her first head chef role after being sole chef on a 40-meter for the same owners. “Loving the upgrade in size and also having an amazing sous chef, Tilly, join me in the galley.”
Though she first started out in the industry as a stewardess, then deckhand, Chef Wilson eventually worked a season cooking in “the tiniest galley imaginable” (where she even burnt her behind on the oven once), she decided that she wanted to stay where all the food was and made the transition.
“Watch this space!” she says. “I'm waiting for a calling for a cooking show to come along — any takers out there?”
Follow her on Instagram @TheCrewChef.