~ In the Hot Seat with Glenda York ~
Glenda York created GCY Travels with one thing in mind: To showcase the island in an authentic way, beyond the beaches, shining lights and touristy hotspots. Essentially, a fun blog focused on destination marketing, exploring the island and its culture from a local’s perspective, GCY Travels, launched in 2015, has since become GCY Initiative.
GCY Initiative keeps the same goal in mind but encompasses a broader range of travel, lifestyle and culture content, focusing on vlogging and other digital content across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. You may recognise Glenda from her Instagram content, the ReDiscover St. Maarten series on TV Carib (also broadcast via Facebook) and a few appearances on TV15 News.
Tell us about GCY Initiative. What type of content do you make, and why?
GCY is destination marketing content creation. The overall goal is to show people the uniqueness that is St. Maarten, and the greatness that is St. Maarten people. It's to show the world – on and off island – that we have a bit more to offer than beaches and parties… though those are great things that I also love to enjoy.
We also have extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. We have a culture and way of life, and all of those things are just as important as the flashy stuff. The aim of GCY is to show people those things, with the voice that I have.
Are there any types of collabs you’re particularly interested in?
Yes, honestly, I’m open to working with just about anyone who's not afraid to be in front of the camera. I myself am still getting used to that. I’m open to working with musicians, artists, restaurants, hotels, small businesses looking for exposure… etc. I'm pretty open to anyone doing things for positive change and positive representation of the island.
What single video has been your favourite to make, so far?
Recently, I worked with a fellow mommy-friend who's a property manager at Antilles Realty. She contacted me to create content to show off a property that she manages. That was pretty great, because it gave results to the work that I'm doing, and it reassured me that I'm on the right path.
What can you tell us about new developments for GCY, including your newly launched talk show – Sit, Sip & Chat?
Sit, Sip & Chat launched just this month, on October 9. The show embodies the goal of GCY Initiative, which is to showcase local people and culture. As the name suggests, we sit down, have a drink together at a bar/restaurant, and engage in conversation. The show is produced by Shox Media, and aired on TV15 and the GCY Initiative YouTube channel.
So far, there have been two episodes, one where I interview the owner of Tropsical, Dominique Hodge, who recently took part in the US Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Programme; and Makhicia Brooks, Managing Director of the St. Maarten Development Fund. It’s still new, but so far I have received positive feedback, and I’m excited to see where it goes, and what impacts the interviews can have.
Aside from the talk show, I’m working on growing my YouTube channel, which is the smallest of my social media accounts. A few weeks ago, I had 88 subscribers, compared to Instagram, the largest account, where I have 1300+ followers, and Facebook where I have 500+. I had set the goal of reaching 100 subscribers by the end of the year, and actually just accomplished that this month. I plan to keep growing the channel further so that more people can see the content I’m creating.
I’m also working on revamping the website, so that everything can be found in one central spot. I’ve been focusing on video, which gets better engagement. However, in the next few months, I plan to start blogging again, which is how it all began.
Let’s say you’d like to make a short video series focused on encouraging your viewers to travel and explore. Every expense is covered for a full week’s trip, including the expenses of a travel mate or two. What two destinations would you choose, and what would you be interested in doing there?
I don't have two destinations per se, but I do have two video series. First, I'd visit the different islands in the Dutch Caribbean. The goal would be to explore the similarities and differences and to enjoy the beauty of it all. I'd go with my six-year-old daughter, so that we can learn and explore together, and my husband, because we'd need a camera man.
Second, I'd visit the different Caribbean carnivals. That's been a dream of mine since my late teens/early 20s. Here again, I would focus on seeing the similarities and differences of the cultures, and a lil partying is a bonus. For that trip, I'd have to find a friend up to the task, or maybe switch out friends as we go…ha-ha.
Where can we find you?
An easy overview of my socials can be found on Linktree, at linktr.ee/gcyinitiative. Here, you’ll find links to my Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube accounts, and my original GYC blog. I can be contacted via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +1 (721) 581-4999. Anyone interested in sponsorships, working together, and product placement is encouraged to reach out.
