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Gregg Bleakney

Founder and CEO, WhereNext DMC

Gregg Bleakney is the founder and CEO of WhereNext DMC, a luxury destination management company with locally operated teams in Colombia and Peru. He started the online travel guide WhereNext.com in 2000. After the dot-com bust and a stretch in the technology sector, he ditched logic and rode a bicycle 18,500 miles from Alaska to Argentina between 2005 and 2007.

From there he turned his camera and pen into work for National Geographic, Outside, and Patagonia. He then built a creative agency that produced campaigns in 30 countries and helped Colombia and Peru find their voice on the global destination stage, including USAID Colombia’s Destination Nature, a tourism development project of nearly $40 million.

He launched WhereNext DMC Colombia with Angelika Köhler in 2021, and WhereNext DMC Peru with Fiorella Freyre in 2025. Most recently, 60 Minutes called on him to help produce Anderson Cooper’s story on birdwatching in Colombia, which aired on May 3, 2026.

He studied at the University of Oregon, where he earned All-American honors as an NCAA Division I track and field athlete.

From the ride to a DMC

A man in a cap stands in silhouette at a wall above the sea at dusk, between two dark trees. — How Do You Start Over After Losing Everything? | The Origin of DITCH LOGICWatch on YouTubeWhereNext Original Video

The founder’s story in dates
Founded	WhereNext.com launched on March 10, 2000, and the dot-com bust closed it in 2001. Gregg Bleakney Visual Storytelling began in 2009 and became WhereNext, Inc. on August 24, 2018.
The ride	By bicycle, Alaska to Argentina, 2005 to 2007, 18,500 miles.
The restart	He spent more than 15 years building a travel and storytelling company in Latin America, lost almost everything, and started over. DITCH LOGIC tells it in his own words.
In print and audio	The Dirtbag Diaries, “Ditch Logic” (2011, Patagonia). States of Adventure (Penguin Random House), where the episode became a chapter.

At a glance

Expertise

Destination Storytelling
Documentary Film
Photojournalism
Community-First Tourism
Luxury Destination Management

Languages

English and Spanish

Works in

Colombia · Peru

Media, films and interviews

Photojournalism
National Geographic, Outside, and Patagonia
2008 onward. A National Geographic scholarship in 2008, then photographs for Outside and Patagonia.
Read about the scholarship
Podcast
The Dirtbag Diaries, “Ditch Logic”
2011. Recorded in Seattle for the podcast supported by Patagonia.
Listen to the episode
Book chapter
States of Adventure
Fitz Cahall, Penguin Random House. The Ditch Logic podcast episode became a chapter.
Buy the book
Development work
USAID Colombia’s Destination Nature
2023. WhereNext, Inc. was the local implementing subcontractor on a nature tourism initiative of nearly $40 million. Gregg Bleakney was its legal representative on the project.
Learn about the project
Television
60 Minutes
WhereNext helped support and facilitate Anderson Cooper’s story on birdwatching in Colombia. It aired May 3, 2026, with an encore on August 2.
Read about the episode
Keynote
Adventure Travel World Summit
2013, Namibia. The closing keynote, with short films on Colombia.
Watch the keynote

Stories by Gregg Bleakney

Company: WhereNext DMC

Contact

Request a proposal LinkedIn