With the launch of my book #travellingwithcardboardpaul in May 2019, I engaged a publicist to assist with promoting the book and to gain some media interest in my story and book. The publicity was extremely successful to the point that I appeared on Sunrise (Australia) and in the Herald Sun (Melbourne), that’s Life magazine in Australia, plus numerous radio interviews and articles via social media and the internet.
Although in the beginning there was some interest within Australia, on 1st June my story went viral and was across the world with over 60 media outlets in 7 countries. I was kept extremely busy during those few months telling our story over and over again and exhausted as there were many late nights due to the time difference.
I was fortunate to be interviewed by the BBC Wiltshire live on radio and during our conversation, I told the interviewer that I would be back in Stonehenge in September 2019 and it would be great to catch up. I was in contact with the BBC Wiltshire prior to my departure and confirmed dates that I would be in the area.
When travelling on my tour around Scotland and Ireland, I also had publicity lined up including an appearance on Good Morning Britain on the Monday morning of the 16th September 2019 in which I was really looking forward to and was a huge opportunity for me to tell our story and promote the book. As Brexit was heating up, unfortunately my story was bumped a few days prior and I didn’t get an opportunity to meet Pierce Morgan or the team or appear on UK television. Can you imagine sitting at the desk with Cardboard Paul, Pierce Morgan and myself?
I was standing in my hotel room in Fort William, Scotland on live radio talking with PJ Cooghan on 96FM Cork about my travels with Cardboard Paul and as he loved the story so much, invited both Cardboard Paul and myself to Cork to be interviewed live in the studio and to have a photo taken with the three (3) of us. We did eventually meet up with PJ Cooghan a few weeks later and had that photo together. Whilst I was waiting to be directed into the radio studio, I was sitting in reception and looked up to a shelf that just happened to have a large model car that was a mini cooper S. I laughed, took a photo of the car and thought, you cannot make this stuff up, knowing that Paul was around me.
At one stage I was standing outside the Royal Britannia yacht in the shopping center and talking with the editor of the Irish Sun going through my story and trying to understand his accent over the noise in the center.
My photo with Cardboard Paul in front of Edinburgh castle appeared in the Scottish Sun and also a feature article and photos in the Irish Mirror and Irish Sun.
I can assure you that travelling around the world with a cardboard cut-out of Paul is never boring.
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