‘Tech Trek’ to air on OPB and Amazon Prime

Chris Nelson, right, and Todd Montgomery explore Japan in a new television program called “Tech Trek,” which explores the intersection of travel and technology in the hospitality industry. (Contributed Photo)

Chris Nelson and Todd Montgomery host a new television program that explores the intersection of travel and technology in the hospitality industry. The pilot was shot and edited by Ben Atalig.

The ​debut episode​ has Nelson and Montgomery exploring Japan. It airs at 7:30pm on Dec. 1 on Oregon Public Broadcasting and will be streamed beginning mid-December on Amazon Prime Video. It will also air on Channel 4 in Hawaii and on Channel 2 on Saipan later this month.

In the first episode, the pair explores automation technology being introduced to the hospitality industry in Tokyo. They also look at the impact of automation on the workforce.

“The Japan episode is a combination of fact, future, and fun. We wrapped shooting in Tokyo, just prior to the pandemic and the country shutting down, so our first episode looks at where things were and where they could be going when travel resumes,” said Nelson.

“Automation is already having a big effect on the travel industry, and it looks like it will be accelerated by the current pandemic. We do interesting things like visit a robot restaurant, check into a hotel staffed by robots, and look for the world’s best toilet,” said Montgomery.

The show was written by Nelson who has produced travel segments that include climbing to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, mountain biking on The Inca Trail in Peru, hiking the Milford Track in New Zealand, snorkeling between continents in Iceland, and building artificial reefs in Indonesia.

“Travel is always more interesting with a purpose. We’ve never been too interested in sightseeing. We like to dig into the doing part. We loved traveling and shooting in Japan, and it was great to shoot with Ben and Todd. I think viewers will be entertained and learn something too. We are excited that the show has been picked up by Oregon Public Broadcasting, and KITV in Honolulu,” said Nelson.

Montgomery now lives in Bend, Oregon. He spent many of his formative years on Saipan. He met his wife at the Pacific Islands Club tennis courts, and co-hosted a TV show with Nelson called Eye on the CNMI. The pair decided to reunite forces for this new travel show with more episodes to come.

The show is shot primarily in Shibuya, Shinjuku, Niigata, Chiba, and Odaiba and includes exploration as well as a casual interview style shared by Nelson and Montgomery.

“Consumers are going to one day see these incredible technologies when they begin to travel again, and automation is going to have a big impact not just to save on labor costs, but now for public health reasons as well,” said Montgomery.

Future episodes of “Tech Trek” will continue to focus on travel, the future of work in the travel sector, and what a post-COVID-19 recovery may look like around the globe. (PR)