What does the "Yachting Life" mean to you? For some boaters, this means cruising from Montauk to Miami as the weather changes. Others transport their yacht from the Caribbean to the Med for chartering season. Others may venture on The Great Loop or trek to Bermuda for an annual Billfish tournament. No matter how you spend your time boating the one constant among boat owners is their unwavering passion for being on the water.
United Yacht broker Juan Morillo understands what the Yachting Life is all about having travelled to every corner of the earth to learn how boaters boat in different countries. "It is important for me to understand what "yachting" means in every part of the world," says Juan. "I find that most of the yacht owners or potential yacht owners I work with don't really know what the yachting life means. By travelling, I've been able to broaden my own horizons and those of my clients of what it really means to be a yacht owner." And with this, Boatopia.TV was born.
According to Juan and producer Bernard Dino Bonomo of Marine Video Production, Boatopia is a look at a different side of yachting. "We want to show the lifestyle side of owning a yacht," continued Juan. "Anyone with a yacht can do these things. Most of the content about yachts that I see online today is very serious and boring. That isn't what owning a yacht is about. Of course people want to know how fast it goes and what kind of leather seats it has, but what these videos don't show you is what it means to be in a marina while a potential business partner is inviting you to tour his yacht next to yours. When you're a yacht owner at an exclusive marina, you are basically part of a group." Boatopia gives you a firsthand glimpse into what it's like to arrive at an exclusive Miami Beach restaurant by yacht, sipping champagne, and later embarking for a mansion party where your yacht is your invitation. "It's a different lifestyle," said Juan.
Boatopia begins with Juan at the Bodrum Cup in Turkey. This is a famous annual Turkish Gullet Regatta held each October. The 2018 event was unique because it was the very first time that it started in Istanbul. "What impressed me this year about the Bodrum Cup," said Juan, "was that they completely closed the shipping channel. All of these massive commercial ships are waiting for the sailboats to go through the channel during the Regatta. It was so interesting." Juan attended the Bodrum Cup as a guest of the owner of the largest 40M gullet named "Silver Moon". The Regatta was followed by an amazing gala.
Boatopia also includes a glimpse into watching the Monaco Grand Prix from the aft deck of a motor yacht. "I attend the Monaco Grand Prix every year," said Juan. "The 'Who's Who of the yachting and racing world all meet here every year. It's an impressive collection of yachts and the quintessential place to see the best race from the best yachts in the world!"
Part of being an international yacht broker is learning about the different shipyards and the new projects in the works. Boatopia takes you inside the esteemed Bilgin Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey. Bilgin has recently expanded and created a new facility in the West Istanbul Marina that is spectacular. This marina can hold up to 3 100 meter superyachts at the same time. Bilgin currently has two 80 meter superyachts under construction. They also have a 47 Superyacht ready to be delivered. "I was impressed by the quality of the yachts and the designs," said Juan. "I was greeted by the owner of Unique designs. They are chief designers for Bilgin yachts currently. I also noticed that Bilgin has impressive in house productions of almost every part of the yacht. This allows for direct control of the build and the quality."
While the first Boatopia episode was a teaser, Juan and producer Bernie have a lot more opportunity in store. "We have several big boat shows coming up," said Juan. "We have a few trips overseas planned. There is going to be a lot of exciting content for Boatopia!" Stay tuned to the United Yacht Sales news section and Facebook page for the next episode.
Follow the fun. (Boatopia has already reached 20,000 views on Facebook and counting as of 11/9/18!)
A word from Bernie, the producer of Boatopia.TV:
Boatopia is produced by Marine Video Production, a subsidiary of BONOMOTION Global Video Agency. As a Miami Media Entrepreneur, Bernard Dino Bonomo is a web-TV pioneer, having launched the first local lifestyle channel (Symbols of Success) and automotive video review site (Motorguru), several years before YouTube. Bonomo’s award-winning team specializes in corporate, entertainment and web-video solutions; serving luxury lifestyle clientele worldwide. In only 2 years, Marine Video Production has filmed / photographed over $250 Million dollars of yachts for sale and charter, making it one of the leading content creators based in Miami, FL.
Graduating with an Associate of Arts degree from University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Arts in media communications from Florida Atlantic University, Bonomo trained at the renowned NYU Film School. As a media entrepreneur and Final Cut pro certified editor with over 15 years of experience, Bonomo’s produced over two thousand videos for Startups to Fortune 100 companies.
“With the latest cinematic production techniques, Boatopia introduces the boating lifestyle to new boaters and yacht aficionados,” said Bonomo. “It’s all about enjoying your dream lifestyle on the water, while also revealing the success stories of those who are leading this industry. We don’t want to just show you how cool it is to enjoy life on the water, we want to help inspire you to achieve your dreams.”
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