Sony with kids in Venezuela

GoNOMAD Writer Profiles

Sony Stark: The One and Only

GoNOMAD readers are probably familiar with Sony Stark's effervescent style of travel writing, her eye-popping photographs, and her groundbreaking travel video shorts, all of which we're proud to feature on GoNOMAD.com. We're also proud of the fact that she was first published on our site.

She first dazzled us with her walking tour of Dallas, and then visited Quebec City where she took in a music festival and slept on a park bench. Right there we knew she was a true nomad.

We followed Sony on her tour around the world with Semester at Sea aboard the MV Explorer, the fastest passenger vessel in the world. After stops in Venezuela and Brazil, she crossed the Atlantic with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and visited the impoverished townships of South Africa and the cell where Nelson Mandela was confined for 18 years.

Sony with children of the Embera Tribe in Panama

After a stopover in Mauritius, she went on to India where she stayed with the "untouchables" the Shudras and the Dalits. In Vietnam she wrote about the echoes of war in what is now a land of peace.

She reported on the warmth of the people and the oppressive government in Myanmar and the business boom (Cha Ching) in Hong Kong.

Since returning to the 'States, she has visited Montana, Argentina and Panama where she filmed the first of her "Travel Shorts" videos.

Sony is an award-winning, Albany, NY, and NYC-based freelance videographer, and the founder of PilotGirl Productions. She is currently working with several non-profit organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Sean's Run, 9H Camp for Handicapped Children, MDA and St. Jude Children's Hospital.

A puppeteer in Myanmar - photo by Sony Stark Read Sony's Blog: CrossThatBridge Stories and Photos by Sony Stark: Turku and Helsinki, Finland: A Tale of Two Cities in a Young Republic Smugglers Notch, Vermont: Screaming Fun on Groomers and Glades Greenland: Island of Melting Traditions Touring the South of France: Ancient Bones, Fine Wine and Fairy-Tale Castles The Voyage That Changed History: London to Jamestown, 1606 Lincolnshire, England: Two Thousand Years of History Panama's Wild Side: An Undiscovered Paradise for the Eco-Traveler Buenos Aires: Paris of the South Montana's Wildest Winter Resorts Nashville, Tennessee: A Renaissance in Music City Argentina's Iguassu Falls: Niagara's Big Brother Quebec City: Fine Art, Fois Gras and Frog's Legs Dallas: The Big D Offers Museums Galore and Even Places to, um, Walk! Venezuela: First Stop on Sony's World Tour An artiste in Quebec City Salvador, Brazil: Second Port of Call South Africal: My Favorite Country So Far Mauritius: Sony's Secret Island Paradise Myanmar: Friendly, But Not Free Visiting the Untouchables of India Sony Visits Vietnam: Echoes of War in a Land of Peace Sony Visits China: Cha-Ching, Feng Shui and Man Mo Asia Photo Gallery MV Explorer Shipboard Photo Gallery