Well I am the co-producer of the Carolina Traveler, not the professed wordsmith that Mike is. I’m good for a one-liner or two then good night! Thanks for coming.

But I’m always up for a challenge so I figured if I was able to fool the English professors at a fine university like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, then I can pull it off on our web site.

A big key is having something to write about. Mike suggested I talk about things that happen behind the scenes and kind of let you all know what goes into putting our stories together. That sounded like a good idea.

But before I can do that, I figure you should know just what my perspective is. If you’re reading this then you’re most likely a fan of Mike’s weekly column. He lets you inside his little world and has built a relationship with all of you.

So to give you an idea about who I am, besides my biographical background ( updated on our big bio page), I figured I’d keep it simple.

Take what you have learned about Mike through his writing and on-air persona. Okay, you have an image? Now, turn that image 180-degrees and here I am!

I am the opposite of your Carolina Traveler. No, I’m not the Joker to his Batman or Lex Luther to Superman (although I do like Gene Hackman). It’s really nothing that sinister.

Mike is the eternal optimist. I’m the eternal pessimist (my bio about my Buffalo sports teams sums it up). Mike sees the glass half full, mine is half empty (on some days less).

But in all, it creates a unique team for what we do. When I’m not bringing Mike into a depressed state, I manage to bring a unique brand of sarcasm to the table to make the days interesting. I wasn’t the class clown in school. I was the guy supplying the jokes.

Mike’s counter balance, I think that is the way to take me then. I’ve been called “Wilson” from the “Home Improvement” show since people never get to see me. But I’ve never been a big Tim Allen fan so try to think of me as the Ying to Mike’s Yang, the Tom Hagen to his Michael Corleone. Or if those references are too vague, I’m Weezie to his George Jefferson. Hopefully one of those will work.

So remember to stop and smell the people. No wait, he uses that one! I’ll think of something by next week.

Andy Benton
Carolina Traveler Producer/Photo Boy