Conrad Empson stumbled into the world of yachting. After a career on board, he switched his hand to entrepreneurship and created CrewPass, solving a long-standing problem within yacht crew recruitment.
How did you get into yachting?
I completely fell into the industry. I had never heard about it or even really been on a boat before. A family friend told me about it, and I was in dead-end jobs trying to figure things out, so I completely winged it. I did my STCW course and got some money from the ‘Bank of Mom’ and flew down to Antibes. I knew nothing; I spent three months searching for a job and got my lucky break with a Chief Officer who gave me a chance. I did five years on three different yachts; the last one was for the (Below Deck Med Season 3) show.
How did you find being on Below Deck? Is it a true reflection of being a crew member?
I went on to show how yachting should be done. When you step on board, you are told it is run like a ‘normal’ yacht and are under that assumption the entire time. Until the end, when you figured out you could have got away with a lot more! You have to remember that they pick the personalities. The show picks you based on the fact that you will clash with other crew. The personality tests recruiters do to evaluate whether the crew will work well together are done but entirely the wrong way around – for that on-screen drama. It is a bizarre scenario to be in when filming because you don’t see the backlash of what you say. You are entirely oblivious to what will happen after, so you completely get used to the cameras being there.
Do you miss working on board?
Yachting is a world like no other. The experiences, the people, and the places you get to visit, so yes, I do miss it sometimes. My favorite part was the variety, the constant demands and the pressure from having to continually problem-solve various weird and wonderful situations that arose with guests. My life has always been about the ‘what next,’ and yachting filled my desire and drive for adventure. Although, one thing I don’t miss is that longing feeling to come home and set up a base, which is what I did.
What was your journey like coming back to shore?
After I finished on Below Deck, I was tied into contractual obligations with them for the next six months, always having to go to LA and NYC to film extra segments and attend events – which I was pretty unaware of when I started the show. This didn’t help for getting another yacht job, so I decided it was time to return to shore. I first started working as a project manager for Marine Guard – a company that fits security systems on board.
Can you explain your inspiration for CrewPass and how it works?
While working for Marine Guard, I consulted with them about the threats on board and started to question the importance of background-checking crew. Everyone assumed that the agencies did all the correct due diligence regarding this, but after I delved into the issue, it was apparent that no one did, so I wondered how we could improve this, hence CrewPass. When I think about it, the idea for CrewPass actually rattled around in my brain back when I was still on board. I remember being a chaperone with the yacht’s nanny around Europe with two young children – which was amazing fun – but I realized I was being entrusted with these kids, and I never once had a background check, and neither did the nanny I worked with. Fast forward to my time at Marine Guard, and that eureka moment to create a straightforward service that could do this was how Crew Pass was born.
I launched CrewPass 18 months ago. It is a digital employment passport that verifies crew members’ identity, conducts a full global background check, and authenticates and validates certification. Providing crew pass our checks, they get an approved status they can share with agencies and employers – improving the recruitment process and overall safety and integrity of the industry.
