Born in England, with a direct maternal bloodline to the last king of Burma and a history of nomadic predecessors, Niel has a rich and varied background and has spent most of his life exploring remote and exotic places.

Driven by the thrill of the unknown and pursuing new challenges, Niel’s earliest adventures include travelling completely by natural power from England to Antarctica – cycling, sailing, kayaking and climbing the entire way, whilst raising funds for orphaned children – circumnavigations of Australia by 4×4, hitchhiking across Asia and the Americas, island hopping throughout the South Pacific and sailing across all the world’s oceans.

With an almost fanatical passion for experiencing life at its most extraordinary, he’s as comfortable in inhospitable, far-flung jungles as he is sailing luxurious super-yachts.

It is Niel’s ambition, determination and boundless enthusiasm which led to the founding of ‘Based On A True Story’. Always striving to share the beauty of the world and the wisdom of its cultures, he has forged new frontiers in travel and, with the help of our guests, has supported environmental issues and the preservation of indigenous cultures around the world.

The daughter of a Zimbabwean-born airline pilot, a qualified ski instructor, devoted scuba diver, and a direct descendant of Charles Darwin, Sophie Wedgwood has naturally evolved from being an expert travel designer with pedigree into one of our Company Directors. 

Sophie fell in love with Africa at an early age and formed her inquisitive and devoted affection for travel during her childhood. Equally happy in the bush on safari as she is on the slopes in Switzerland, acclimatisation to new places and fresh challenges comes easily to Sophie. She has not only managed some of our most high-budget and large-scale productions, but is also highly skilled in forming partnerships and building essential business relationships.

Cutting her teeth in PR before migrating to high-end travel industry event planning, Sophie has been integral to the orchestration of magnificent and magical events in far-flung locations, bringing her expertise, dynamism, and strategic mastery to Based On A True Story to create itineraries with incredible accuracy and diligence.

Out of the office, Sophie explores the world beneath the waves and is currently planning a trip to the Galapagos, where she will visit her Darwinian ancestral island… and perhaps discover a new creature as rare and unique as herself!

Growing up between Brighton in the UK, Mallorca and Los Angeles, James was raised on film, photography, screenwriting, music and travel.

These early exposures influenced James’ impassioned interests and expressive character and he carried these formative creative forces into adulthood.

A fateful chance encounter between James and Niel in a small, mountainous Mediterranean village, has led to some remarkable worldwide adventures. Allowing them to combine their creative forces to produce incredibly unique moments, breathing wonder and surprise into some magical client experiences

Adventures in locations such as Japan, South Korea, Peru, the Galapagos, Central America, the Caribbean, Patagonia, and Morocco have led James on to his next endeavour: bringing his cinematic experience to the forefront and creating a series of short films to showcase Based On A True Story’s extraordinary masterpieces.

With a legacy of success in the travel industry, James has spent most of his professional life either travelling, working in the travel business, or on location in the film industry. He is one of our Company Directors and continues to assist the company in its evolution.

Originally hailing from Lincolnshire’s rolling countryside in the UK, Nik’s wanderlust finally got the better of him in 2006 after the best part of 10 years working in creative advertising agencies in London.

Travels through the US, Europe and Africa followed, knowing he wanted to do something away from the confines of a ‘normal’ office, but with no real idea quite what form that would take…

A 6-month stint in the French Alps single-handedly running a VIP chalet led to a chance meeting with Based On A True Story founder Niel… and the discovery of a shared passion for authentic adventurous travel, the fine art of dinner parties, and loud rock music…

Nik joined forces with Niel soon after that in 2007, during the early days of the company, and continues to have an endless desire to explore and engage in all that the world has to offer… often with guitar in hand.

Personal highlights include playing on the banks of the Irrawaddy, and serenading reindeer (and guests) in a Sami tepee in Northern Lapland underneath the shimmering Aurora Borealis…

Splitting her childhood between Milan, the French Riviera and Toulouse, Felicita grew up with a multicultural mindset, speaking a mix of Italian, French and English at home.

She embarked on her first transatlantic flight at the tender age of 2 months, and less than fifteen years later, exploring that same city that never sleeps, Felicita decided that she would spend the rest of her life travelling the world, one way or another.

After obtaining a B.A. in International Business, she flew to Australia with only a backpack and a one-way ticket. One year later, not yet ready to head back to Europe, she pursued her solo adventure across Southeast Asia, from Kuala Lumpur to Ho Chi Minh City, traversing Cambodia and finishing the journey island-hopping in the Gulf of Thailand.

An expiring passport led her back to Paris, where she fortuitously began her career in luxury travel, specialising in logistically challenging, multi-country journeys. 

Having fallen in love with the local cultures and people, Felicita spent the next ten years going back to Asia, furthering east to Japan and west to India, with one of her most precious memories being watching a monks’ ceremony at the Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan. Though her thirst for adventure also led her to explore North and South America, New Zealand and on many road trips across Europe. 

When not travelling, Felicita now lives in London and spends most of her time exercising and piling up degrees in marketing, business, holistic well-being and graphic design.

Born in the remote Scottish Highlands, Ailsa grew up exploring craggy mountains, scouring the coastline for rock pools, camping in the wilds and thriving in the great outdoors…

After migrating south to warmer climes, Ailsa has since found an equal love for life below the sea. Learning to dive on a biological research mission in Indonesia, she became a qualified ecologist, avid conservationist and a keen thalassophile. A fighter and protector of the world’s oceans and their inhabitants, Ailsa is our in-house mermaid.

With a masters degree in environmental conservation, she remains on the pulse of the world’s most pressing eco-issues and oversees our sustainability initiatives.

Naturally possessing an aptitude for all things online, Ailsa also looks after all our digital needs, web development, marketing, social media and communications.

Ailsa is an academic and hungry for knowledge, scientific proof and plant-based food. She believes that planetary wellness begins with the self, and is an advocate for yoga, mindfulness and consciousness, both on land and under the sea.

Megan is a Louisiana native but grew up moving between New York, Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, and her home state. Megan’s love for travel started at a young age, tagging along with her father on business trips. Inspired by what there was to see around the world she planned her first family holiday, to French Polynesia, at the tender age of seven.

After attending Bard College in rural upstate New York studying Human Rights and Middle Eastern Studies, Megan changed course and worked in fashion advertising and public relations, first at Ralph Lauren and later Black Frame, representing global luxury brands such as Elie Saab, Gabriela Hearst, and Vivienne Westwood.

Following her career in fashion, Megan returned to her childhood passion for travel, taking two years to travel the world – something she had always wanted to do. It was during this time, visiting many different places like Iceland, Sweden, Egypt, Morocco, and India, that she realised she was destined to work in the travel industry.

Megan’s favourite destinations include Laos, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Whilst not averse to a bit of camping, she is equally at home in a luxury spa and enjoys a bit of pampering whilst on the road. On her current travel bucket list: Namibia, Botswana, Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador.

She now lives in London with her husband and Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Mavis. Megan is an avid photographer and art collector. True to her Southern roots she is deeply passionate about wine and food. From street food to fine dinning she always has the best recommendations.

Born and raised in the beautiful Scottish capital of Edinburgh, Lewis brings a meticulous attention to detail shaped by his background in UK-based Project Operations.

His career began orchestrating intimate private dinners, before naturally progressing to managing weddings and summer soirées. From there, he moved into overseeing the logistics of large-scale global events, including COP26 and The Scottish Open — experiences that cemented his calm, solutions-focused approach under pressure.

A natural explorer, Lewis has backpacked extensively across Europe and Southeast Asia, later settling in Tianjin, China for six months to study Mandarin — an experience that broadened both his cultural understanding and global perspective.

Transitioning seamlessly into the world of ultra-luxury private events and property servicing, Lewis went on to manage hospitality operations at one of Scotland’s most prestigious estates. There, he refined his ability to deliver exceptional experiences for the most discerning international clientele. Most recently, he led some of the highest-touch, most complex projects across the UK and Ireland at House of Sleigh, further strengthening his reputation for operational excellence.

Lewis actively seeks out challenges where the word “no” simply doesn’t exist — bringing creativity, rigour and unwavering dedication to every project he delivers.

Hailing from the city of Santa Fe in northeast Argentina, Emiliano travelled far and wide after studying tourism in his hometown, enjoying time spent in numerous locations throughout Latin America, the United States and Europe, reaching as far east as Thailand and China.

After a 2-year period living and working in Patagonia’s beautiful Glacier National Park, hosting and guiding guests at a spectacular rural estancia, he moved to Europe with his wife, finally establishing roots in Mallorca in 2006.

Emi continued to develop his passion for travel and tourism working with Balearic properties, gaining a degree in photography and embarking on a photography career, earning several awards along the way.

Emi oversees the editing of all photography that is created during Based On A True Story guest adventures, meticulously artworking the digital book layouts before personally hand printing them, ready for binding at our artisanal partner’s exceptional workshop in London.

Outside of work, Emi can often be found playing drums or cooking up a mouth-watering asado, gaucho-style!

Born in Mumbai, then raised in England, Diana is a seasoned world traveller, mother, grandmother and master baker. Equally adept at handling the weights and measures of our business as she is managing a mind-boggling spread sheet, Diana takes care of our finances, accounts and payment processes.

No stranger to exotic and far flung locations such as Bora Bora and Fiji, Diana has enjoyed South African safaris, explored Maharajas palaces in India, savoured the flavours of Italy, the gastronomy of France, the hospitality of Greece, and explored Thailand with such reverence that she’s even growing Kafir limes in her own garden.

Diana’s most frequently visited destination in recent years is New Zealand, where she visits her adorable and cherished grandchildren, her loving son Niel and his wife Emma.

The matriarch of our small family business, Diana raised Niel and his siblings in Yorkshire before he first set sail on his intrepid adventures that led to the founding of Based On A True Story. Now many years later, Diana resides amongst the Tramuntana mountain range of Mallorca, not just Niel’s mother but taking care of us all… and our finances!

Our go-to guy for North America, Gus brings an intimate knowledge of Hollywood, the entertainment industry, and the West Coast tech world, all wrapped up in cool, Texan charisma.

Hailing from Houston and having travelled extensively, Gus now roams the States, migrating between California, Texas, and beyond, connecting with and looking after our growing US clientele.

Fresh out of college, Gus’ working life began in tourism but was quickly side-lined to a successful career in Hollywood. Travelling the world on location, Gus experienced the planet through the whirlwind of motion picture production.

But after twenty years in Tinsel Town, he now returns to the world of travel, bringing his unique skill set and experiences to our team.

With an affection for yoga and ancient Tibetan practices, Gus brings a pearl of steady cool-headed wisdom to our US endeavours as we expand our hybrid philanthropic travel model across the globe.

Currently focusing on developing some critical conservation initiatives with our US partners, Gus brings a wealth of experience to our true travel stories and is helping us write meaningful and hopeful chapters for a brighter future on planet Earth.

Born and raised on the spectacular east coast of Australia, Mick grew up with laidback vibes and seawater running through his veins.

He first travelled to Indonesia on surf trips and holidays, but quickly developed a strong connection with the people, rich culture and way of life. The original homeland of his wife and children, Bali is a second home for Mick, though for the past decade he and his family have been drawn back to the breaking waves of the Sunshine Coast.

A passionate and diverse photographer, Mick has specialised in professional surf photography for many years and has a natural flair for creative landscapes, lifestyle images, culture, and portraiture. He has worked on assignments for Vanity Fair, Versace, Patagonia, Canon, Discovery Chanel, Red Bull, Rip Curl, Billabong, Oakley, and Quicksilver, and his work is highly awarded and recognised worldwide.

With the camera as an extension of his warm and caring soul, Mick captures the true essence and mood of any moment and has carved a vital role within Based On A True Story. His experience and expertise are exceptional, as he manages and photographs adventures and expeditions around the globe for a diverse array of our guests.

Photographer, director, explorer, and creative, Matt brings a fusion of visual storytelling, adventurous curiosity, and community-minded spirit to the Based On A True Story team.

Known for his cinematic sensibility and his instinct for connection, Matt’s work sits at the intersection of emotion, authenticity, and adventure, often blurring the lines between documentary realism and crafted artistry.

He began his career at a London creative agency, collaborating with clients such as Patek Philippe and Deutsche Bank. A later move to India, where he led design for a startup incubator, proved formative—shaping his understanding of culture, place, and purpose, and deepening his commitment to storytelling grounded in lived experience.

Since 2015, Matt has focused on photography, filmmaking, and adventure-led projects. He has worked with global brands including Adidas, Wella, L’Oréal, and Garnier, with editorial features in Vice, ELLE, Vanity Fair, and Dezeen. Whether documenting vast landscapes or intimate human moments, his approach is guided by empathy, curiosity, and respect.

Beyond photography, Matt is passionate about surfing, mountaineering, motorcycling, and high-altitude trekking, with a particular love for the Himalayas. He believes time in raw natural environments expands perspective and fuels creativity.

Now based in Mallorca, Matt combines his creative work with group facilitation and transformational travel experiences, helping people rediscover awe, presence, and meaning through adventure—while capturing cinematic photographs and films along the way.

Luke Perry blends travel, food and cinematography into a melting pot of magical, moving imagery to bring our stories into the cinematic realm. Originally hailing from the Cotswolds, his life path took him southward toward the Balearic Islands, where he came to settle on the island of Mallorca.

Whether living with monks in Vietnam, nomadically exploring southeast Asia with his family or opening Thai restaurants to rapturous applause — Luke takes his life experiences and brings them to his audience in a uniquely creative way.

Travelling alongside our guests Luke captures our carefully crafted experiences in his discreet and unobtrusive style to deliver films that really capture the essence of our work.

Luke joins our team of creative minds and works masterfully to deliver a level of cinematic service that equals that of our outstanding pedigree in photography and cinematography.

With a career that spans remote deserts, storm-lashed oceans, and Himalayan peaks, Simon is a seasoned guide and one of the world’s most intrepid visual storytellers; an elite photographer and cinematographer whose lens has captured some of the planet’s wildest places and most extraordinary people.

Of Māori and European descent, Simon grew up in New Zealand immersed in nature. Later earning degrees in Outdoor Leadership, Recreation Management, and Leadership Psychology. He began as a heli-ski guide and mountain leader before being pulled behind the camera to film professional athletes and adventurers in the backcountry for Red Bull and global outdoor brands.

Since then, Simon’s work has included production roles on world-class movies (including Avatar and The Lord of the Rings), gritty documentaries (including crossing the Sahara in a flying car and sailing the Pacific using Polynesian star navigation), and high-end commercial shoots from Patagonia to Papua New Guinea.

Simon brings human warmth, deep cultural respect, and a razor-sharp eye for moments that matter. Whether sailing into a typhoon or filming a tribal elder under starlight, he works calmly, collaboratively, and always with purpose.

As part of the Based On A True Story team, Simon brings not just technical mastery, but the rare ability to see—and tell—the story that no one else even noticed.