Unique Experiences

Item Description

Meet Phil Watson, Cartoonist and Shark Conservationist in Sydney, Australia

Phil is one of Australia’s best-known shark celebrities.

Born a shell's throw from the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, he now lives, works and surfs on the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia. After school, he completed a degree in Science, majoring in Coastal Geomorphology. But it was his other skills in cartooning and story-telling that would become his career.

'Shaaark!' grew out Phil's love and cautious respect of sharks. As a surfer, Phil decided to make fun of sharks from the safety of his drawing board. Originally a hobby, Shaaark has grown into the world's largest collection of single panel shark cartoons.

In 2005 Phil was hired by SeaLife Minnesota to turn their mascot 'Sharky' into a series of short animated videos, which have over 4 million youtube views. In 2011 Phil turned Shaaark into an animated series for Movie Extra, and is currently looking to develop a second series.

These days Phil is passionate about his family, the ocean and telling stories to a kids of all ages. . He continues to draw and animate Shaaark, and hopes that his cartoons inspire people to respect and protect sharks all over the world.

http://shaaark.com/

Item Special Note

The objective of this auction is to spotlight individuals and organizations working effectively for ocean conservation, and raise funds for field research, conservation and outreach projects.

 Being auctioned is a dinner or lunch with one of the world's foremost shark experts or celebrities. This is a unique opportunity to "talk shark" face-to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks.

How this auction works

1. Bid on a celebrity you would like to get to know personally (shark scientist, educator, explorer filmmaker, shark photographer, television host, conservationist) who works or lives nearby, unless you are willing to drive or fly to meet them in their area.

2. We will introduce the winning bidder to the celebrity. The two of you then set a mutually agreeable date, time and place to meet within one year of the close of the auction.

3. The winning bidder pays for lunch or dinner and may bring guests.

NOTE: The winning bid is 100% deductible from US Federal 2018 income taxes as a Charitable Donation. A tax receipt will be given to the winning bidder.