My Reality: "Aric With An A"

Aric S. Queen, 36, [Homeless], Author, Producer, Sailor, Presenter, Snacker, Pastor’s Kid.

My Reality is YOUR show. Reality Check, FM4’s daily midday news magazine, investigates the stories behind the headlines and every few Saturdays, we devote the Saturday midday hour-long special, to the stories behind YOUR personal headlines. Cause your stories rock.

Take for example the story of Aric S. Queen, a member of the FM4 community from far away:

Highlights

Aric S. Queen, 36, [Homeless], Author, Producer, Sailor, Presenter, Snacker, Pastor’s Kid

Aric S. Queen

And you will be alone with the gods" wrote Bukowski. Aric S. Queen at The Salt Flats - Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia'.

1995 – Barely made it out of high school, never set foot in college, became a radio presenter at 18.

2000-2001 – Fired over a slander lawsuit on my show, took the severance package and bought a backpack + a one-way ticket to Europe – traveled for 6 months, worked for the Russian Mob in their bar in Marbella, Spain for 6 months.

2001-2003 – Bounced back-and-forth between the States and England, mainly as a dish-washer and world’s-worst-waiter.

Aric S. Queen

2003 – Was told that “for a real adventure, I should go teach English in China”, so I bought a fake diploma online and a one-way ticket to Beijing.

2003-2004 – World’s Worst English Teacher.

2004 – Moved to Shanghai, was recruited to produce a Chinese-teaching podcast.

2005-2008 – The podcast was listed on Time Magazine’s “Top 10” for 2006 – my hourly rates quadruple. I began producing short films, local music and writing. Co-owned an art studio, was the first foreign Radio Program Director in the history of China, magazine columnist, documentary producer.

2008 – Fed up with the way China was presenting it’s “Amazing” side to the world building up to the Olympics, I began producing/hosting an underground expose called “The Shanghai Diaries”. Two weeks before the Olympics began, I left for Indonesia to relax until it was all over. Three weeks later, I’d receive a call that the police were after me, my bank account frozen, my apartment door kicked in, one of my producers jailed. I would spend the next 6 months laying low in SE Asia, India and Nepal.

2009 – I moved back to the US and lived on a bus for a year.

Aric S. Queen

2010 – Fell in love with a girl in NYC, moved to LA to be with her. Fell out of love with the girl, took what money I had and spent 5 months traveling the Middle East. Ended up in Ethiopia, and a week later was kindly asked to leave Ethiopia. Moved to England and, drunk on St. Patty’s, bought a sailboat to live on. 3 months later, I was told to leave England. Moved to Vietnam for 4 months, then to Bend, Oregon – where I wrote “The Shanghai [Exile] Diaries”.

2011 – Moved to NYC to produce a travel app for a really shitty company. Left for 8 months in South America. Launched my personal travel website “AQueenandCountry” – complete with photos, podcasts, articles and a video section that includes an Ecuadorian Enema.

Aric S. Queen

2012 – Was first up on Machu Picchu for 2012, was contacted by National Geographic if I would write a story, complete with photos + videos about it. That story went over well, so they asked me to write a second article – one that would be their most popular for 2012 – “The Top 10 Rules of Packing”. 3 months later, they called to let me know I’d been named one of their “Travelers” and sent me on a coast-to-coast road trip in the US.

Aric S. Queen

2013 - I took that money and bought a bike + tent and flew to Europe – where I’d spend the next 8 months wondering what the fuck I was doing on a bike with a tent around Europe. Would then get a call from the BBC that they liked an idea I had, wanted to make it into an online series … Filming slated to begin in the fall. Shall use that money for a very, very big adventure launching in October. Very big.