"Tourism companies are crying out for exciting videos, and that means anyone with a camcorder, a computer, and a willingness to learn, could get free holidays or could even be paid to film promotional holiday videos," says Mr Reissmann, who is based in Sydney, Australia.

"Video doesn't need to be perfectly shot to generate great interest. Take the example of the now famous 'Battle at Kruger', involving a pack of lions, a herd of buffalos and a crocodile. It's a very shaky camera-operation, and totally unedited, but it attracted 26 million viewers on YouTube. My own lion video received 100,000 hits - and tourist companies would love that kind of exposure."

Mr Reissmann has been a travel videographer for three years and has filmed adventure and trekking holidays, safaris, ballooning, camping, eco-tourism, sailing and resorts - in Europe, Africa and Australia. His videos can be viewed at www.authenticholidayfilms.com.

His new 'How to Get Paid Filming Holidays' ebook is suitable for hobby filmmakers, tourism industry professionals, professional videographers, film students seeking experience and tourism students exploring possible careers.

Subjects covered include tourism marketing, producing effective videos, shutter speed and aperture, recording good audio, structuring your video, editing, the use of music and sounds, and selling your services. The manual also includes section summaries, links to additional information, good and bad sample videos, letters used to sell services, and images and graphics.

The manual is available on the Filming Holidays Website for the introductory price of $US14.99, and subscribers will also receive a contact list of tour companies operating thousands of holidays worldwide. Anyone buying the manual this month will also receive a free subscription to a monthly newsletter containing more tips, plus regular updates and a second ebook on tourism marketing.

Mr Reissmann holds a degree in tourism and worked in the industry for many years. He began shooting online video three years ago while working for Responsibletravel.com in Brighton, England. Since moving to Australia he has been a full-time videographer for 18 months, filming in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.

Having started out as an amateur videographer he is well-placed to guide others through the process of producing high quality video using basic equipment and skills.

"There are wonderful opportunities for hobby filmmakers to enjoy free holidays because the tourism companies are every bit as keen to get low-cost video on their web sites," he says.

"The more information they can provide to potential customers the more likely they are to book, but it can cost a lot of money to use fully-blown video production companies. This is where amateur and hobby videographers come in because they can do the job both affordably, and well."

Marketing specialists are beginning to put viral video sharing to formal and extensive use thanks to the growth and popularity of sites such as YouTube, and of user-generated content such as blogs and Myspace. And more than 250,000 people have watched Reissmann's holiday videos at YouTube alone: YouTube Videos.

Shaun Latham, a web-developer, and one of his clients noted that: "Video is the ultimate viral marketing tool. We got 15 pages of listings in Google for Bigozmusic.com.au even before the site was launched! These listings were all from videos posted on sites such as YouTube."

Those already impressed by the new online manual include Sally Renzenbrink, a Melbourne based PR executive, who said: "Tom Reissmann knows the secret to making every day a holiday. He's travelled the world for years getting paid for it, and has proved that with a passion for travel, a camcorder and a simple strategy for producing promotional videos, anyone can do it."

Nasreen Aziz, a primatologist based in Detroit, US, said: "Thomas is a true inspiration for those who do not want to sit in an office all day, who truly seek adventure and who love nature. The manual was easy to follow and straightforward."

Notes for editors
Filming Holidays is a website operated by travel videographer Thomas Reissmann to promote his online manual 'How to Get Paid Filming Holidays'. Mr Reissmann, a published author, worked in the tourism industry for many years and began shooting video three years ago. After filming in Europe and Africa he moved from the UK to Australia, where he has been working as a full-time videographer for 18 months, filming in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. He is based in Sydney.