Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Staudinger. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chris, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The goal with Pretty Gritty Tours is to get people genuinely engaged with a story and a location. Even the word history can make people turn away from a destination but we wanted to offer experiences that were both historically rich and deeply fun. Learning about a location or connecting with a destination should feel exciting and personal. That’s what we do, we offer tours that feel more like you’re listening to gossip with a friend than taking a history lecture.

Chris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into tourism incredibly young and traveled all over the world. My first real career path was as a travel videographer and journalist. Working for major outlets like BBC, USA Today, Food & Wine, Expedia, and so many more gave me an opportunity to see some amazing destinations. Along that journey though I always wanted to go explore the small niche stops in a location. I covered traditional healing and witchcraft on a small island in the Philippines and was one of the first journalists to get deep into the Ashura mourning festival in Bahrain. Each story I tried to dive deeper in. I wanted to share something universal and educational but to always pursue the magical and unknown. My greatest desire was just to explore and share the wonders I found with a curious audience.
When it came time to pivot what I was doing into a tour company I got to bring my whole skillset as a journalists into that field. I am still investigating and sharing travel stories but I get to dig deeper into the past of Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest and share that info with locals and tourists alike.
With Tacoma in particular it is so rewarding because this city has a rich past and a terrible reputation. I went to school out here and any chance I get to help the people who live here and the people who are only here for a day see this city in a better light I a chance I love to take. I want to be a story keeper and a hype man for this region and that is something I think Pretty Gritty Tours does well.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When the world shut down at the start of COVID in 2020 I lost almost my whole business in 48 hours. All the walking tours and events I have set up for the year were refunded, cancelled, and put on an indefinite hold.
I didn’t think about it at the time but I immediately started live broadcasting one of my tours online that first week. We were supposed to have done a walking tour of a cemetery but I ended up doing it online. It was an instant success. For three years I kept broadcasting, sometimes 5 times a week. The online tours became more sophisticated until it was almost like a TV episode or travelogue of a destination. Each one I would leave up online for free and it turned out to be the best thing I ever did for the company. The brand awareness and authenticity that came from those broadcasts has driven the success of the company ever since.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Leaning into my background as a travel videographer has been incredibly helpful in building and online audience. I often give away tour info for free. It hasn’t hurt the business, its been quite the opposite in fact. Many people have expressed that they enjoy being able to learn something new about where they live and that trust has lead them to book multiple tours in person over the years. There is something to be said about showing people the intimate details of what you do online. It builds a relationship and a trust that can’t be bought and it will always help grow your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://prettygrittytours.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettygrittytours/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prettygrittytours
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pretty-gritty-tours
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/prettygrittytours
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pretty-gritty-tours-tacoma

Image Credits

All credits are for Chris Staudinger and Pretty Gritty Tours