Bradley Trevor Greive
Encyclopedia
Bradley Trevor Greive is one of Australia
's most prolific and successful authors. He has written 20 books which have been translated into 27 different languages, and have been sold in 115 different countries. Several of which have appeared in the New York Times bestseller list. Greive's work has won multiple awards worldwide and has sold more than 20 million copies. He lives mostly in Tasmania
, Australia.
and Asia
. He returned to Australia in 1979 to finish his schooling at Tweed Valley College in Sydney
, where he was awarded Dux
in 1988.
Greive served as a paratrooper
after leaving high school, and underwent training at the Royal Military College
in Duntroon
. While an undergraduate at RMC, Duntroon
, Greive undertook a military exchange with the Royal Thai Military Academy
, during which he toured Thai/Cambodian border military installations and refugee camps. Upon graduation as a commissioned officer (Lieutenant
) Greive was posted to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (Para)
, and assumed command of 1st Platoon, Alpha Company – a paratroop combat rifle platoon. Greive’s specialist combat qualifications include: Airborne Operations, Air Mobile Operations, Survival, Mine Warfare & Anti Handling Devices (Instructor), Heavy Weapons – Direct Fire Weapons, Anti-Armour, Heavy Machine Guns (Instructor). He continued to serve in this capacity until 1993, when he left the military due to a tropical respiratory infection that led to asthma.
Greive subsequently worked across several creative fields (including media such as television, radio and published cartoons) before his debut as a successful author in 2000, which led to the inception of BTG Studios, followed by The Lost Bear Company and the uptake of several notable creative projects, which he continues to work on to the present.
Greive rose to prominence as an author in 2000 with the release of his hugely successful Blue Day Book, a collection of amusing animal photos and inspirational text designed to "lift the spirits of anyone who has got the blues."http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Book-Bradley-Trevor-Greive/dp/0740704818 Since then he has published in excess of 20 books and has won numerous awards for his work, including the ABA Book of the Year Award (2000), the APA Best Designed Children’s Non-fiction Book Award (2003) and numerous #1 placings in bestseller lists across the world. Greive's work has been published on 6 continents and has sold in excess of 20 million copies to date.
, and went on to pursue a similar role in 1997 with MTV Australia
. In 1998, Greive collaborated with Kapow Pictures to write and direct an animated short for Nickelodeon
called Agent Green, and a short film called Show & Tell which won the Comgraph Animation Gold Award, the Tellrude Film Festival Best Short Film Award, the Danish International 3D Award, and was nominated for an AFI Award.
In 2007 he produced and hosted The World According to Bradley Trevor Greive on Tasmania's community radio station Star FM and produced two sell out performances of An Intimate Evening with John Cleese - starring John Cleese
and featuring Richard Morecroft
, one with Paul Chesher and 4D Events.
Greive has long enjoyed a close relationship with ABC Radio and Television, appearing on numerous programs over the past decade, including Stateline, ABC National News, ABC Radio National Night Club, and an appearance on Creature Features with his pet rabbit, Biff.
On 21 April 2007, Greive read his poem Welcome to the East Coast (after the fire), during the live broadcast from the ABC ‘Back to St Helens’ concert to acknowledge the heroic efforts of the East Coast community who rallied together during the devastating forest fires of December 2006.
Over December 2009 and January 2010, BTG presented ABC Radio National Evenings (hosted by Christopher Lawrence) with his ‘E-Mail From America’ - a weekly series of eclectic and humorous reports from Florida, USA. The title of BTG’s program was a tongue in cheek homage to the late Alistair Cooke’s ‘[Letter From America]’, “a weekly 15-minute radio series on BBC Radio 4, previously called the Home Service, which ran for 2,869 shows from 24 March 1946, to 20 February 2004, making it the longest-running speech radio programme in history. The programme was also broadcast for many years on the BBC World Service.”
BTG and Christopher Lawrence teamed up again, this time on ABC Classic FM, over Monday, 5 April 2010 to co-host “The Life Changers”, the finale of First Time Classics, a publicly voted classical music showcase, produced by Marian Arnold.
in 1997.
Founding Governor - The Taronga Foundation,
Chairman - The Taronga Foundation Poetry Prize,
Life Benefactor - Durrell Wildlife Conservational Trust (UK), Patron - Painted Dog Conservation Inc (Africa), International Conservation Ambassador - Fort Worth Zoo (USA), Council Member of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Board Member - Australia Poetry Centre, Ambassador - Dymocks Literacy Foundation.
Greive has also qualified for the Russian Space program by completing testing at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow
, and in 2006 won the French Polynesian Ha'a'piti Rock lifting championships.
In 2011 BTG temporarily relocated to Costa Rica to work on a new book entitled The Obsequious Parrot.
Since 2010 Greive has been in a romantic relationship with American Architect, Amy Melin. Publicly declaring that he was “head over heels in love” with Ms Melin, and that “all [his] future life plans revolve around this remarkable woman”.
Greive’s hobbies and interest include: sky-diving, desert racing, scuba diving, wildlife, adventure travel, art, cooking, science, and reading. BTG’s favourite authors include Joseph Heller, Douglas Adams, and Gerald Durrell, and his favourite painter is Philip Guston. Other BTG admires includes: Richard Feynman, Jacques Cousteau, Howard Carter, Robert Goddard, Marie Curie, Yuri Gagarin, Erwin Rommel, David Lynch and David Sterling. His favourite fictional character is “The lace-making, latently heroic Beaver from Lewis Carroll’s Hunting Of The Snark.”
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's most prolific and successful authors. He has written 20 books which have been translated into 27 different languages, and have been sold in 115 different countries. Several of which have appeared in the New York Times bestseller list. Greive's work has won multiple awards worldwide and has sold more than 20 million copies. He lives mostly in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia.
Early life and career
Greive was born in Hobart, Tasmania to Dr Trevor Colin Greive and Nita Fay Greive, and spent his childhood living with his parents and sisters in numerous countries across EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. He returned to Australia in 1979 to finish his schooling at Tweed Valley College in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, where he was awarded Dux
Dux
Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms ....
in 1988.
Greive served as a paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
after leaving high school, and underwent training at the Royal Military College
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
in Duntroon
Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory
Duntroon is a suburb of the city of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.-History:Robert Campbell's property Duntroon was situated on the limestone plains of New South Wales in the area that is now covered by the ACT....
. While an undergraduate at RMC, Duntroon
Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory
Duntroon is a suburb of the city of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.-History:Robert Campbell's property Duntroon was situated on the limestone plains of New South Wales in the area that is now covered by the ACT....
, Greive undertook a military exchange with the Royal Thai Military Academy
Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy
Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy or CRMA is the military academy of Royal Thai Army. Established in 1887 it has graduated the vast majority of Thailand's military leaders and many of them become Thai Prime Ministers.-History:...
, during which he toured Thai/Cambodian border military installations and refugee camps. Upon graduation as a commissioned officer (Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
) Greive was posted to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (Para)
3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment is a parachute infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Sydney. 3 RAR was initially formed in 1945 as the 67th Battalion and has seen active service in Japan, Korea, Malaya, South Vietnam, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Iraq...
, and assumed command of 1st Platoon, Alpha Company – a paratroop combat rifle platoon. Greive’s specialist combat qualifications include: Airborne Operations, Air Mobile Operations, Survival, Mine Warfare & Anti Handling Devices (Instructor), Heavy Weapons – Direct Fire Weapons, Anti-Armour, Heavy Machine Guns (Instructor). He continued to serve in this capacity until 1993, when he left the military due to a tropical respiratory infection that led to asthma.
Greive subsequently worked across several creative fields (including media such as television, radio and published cartoons) before his debut as a successful author in 2000, which led to the inception of BTG Studios, followed by The Lost Bear Company and the uptake of several notable creative projects, which he continues to work on to the present.
Publishing
- See also: list of books published by BTG
Greive rose to prominence as an author in 2000 with the release of his hugely successful Blue Day Book, a collection of amusing animal photos and inspirational text designed to "lift the spirits of anyone who has got the blues."http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Book-Bradley-Trevor-Greive/dp/0740704818 Since then he has published in excess of 20 books and has won numerous awards for his work, including the ABA Book of the Year Award (2000), the APA Best Designed Children’s Non-fiction Book Award (2003) and numerous #1 placings in bestseller lists across the world. Greive's work has been published on 6 continents and has sold in excess of 20 million copies to date.
Television and radio
In 1996 Greive became a creative consultant and writer for Godfrey Bigot's weekly political sketches on Channel 7's Today TonightToday Tonight
Today Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
, and went on to pursue a similar role in 1997 with MTV Australia
MTV Australia
MTV Australia is 24 hour general entertainment channel specialising in music and youth culture programming which serves Australia and New Zealand. It is operated by Viacom International Media Networks Australia owned by Viacom and primarily features imported shows as well as locally produced...
. In 1998, Greive collaborated with Kapow Pictures to write and direct an animated short for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
called Agent Green, and a short film called Show & Tell which won the Comgraph Animation Gold Award, the Tellrude Film Festival Best Short Film Award, the Danish International 3D Award, and was nominated for an AFI Award.
In 2007 he produced and hosted The World According to Bradley Trevor Greive on Tasmania's community radio station Star FM and produced two sell out performances of An Intimate Evening with John Cleese - starring John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
and featuring Richard Morecroft
Richard Morecroft
Richard Morecroft is an Australian television presenter and former host of the ABC News Sydney bulletin. He is currently host of the quiz-show Letters and Numbers.-Early life:...
, one with Paul Chesher and 4D Events.
Greive has long enjoyed a close relationship with ABC Radio and Television, appearing on numerous programs over the past decade, including Stateline, ABC National News, ABC Radio National Night Club, and an appearance on Creature Features with his pet rabbit, Biff.
On 21 April 2007, Greive read his poem Welcome to the East Coast (after the fire), during the live broadcast from the ABC ‘Back to St Helens’ concert to acknowledge the heroic efforts of the East Coast community who rallied together during the devastating forest fires of December 2006.
Over December 2009 and January 2010, BTG presented ABC Radio National Evenings (hosted by Christopher Lawrence) with his ‘E-Mail From America’ - a weekly series of eclectic and humorous reports from Florida, USA. The title of BTG’s program was a tongue in cheek homage to the late Alistair Cooke’s ‘[Letter From America]’, “a weekly 15-minute radio series on BBC Radio 4, previously called the Home Service, which ran for 2,869 shows from 24 March 1946, to 20 February 2004, making it the longest-running speech radio programme in history. The programme was also broadcast for many years on the BBC World Service.”
BTG and Christopher Lawrence teamed up again, this time on ABC Classic FM, over Monday, 5 April 2010 to co-host “The Life Changers”, the finale of First Time Classics, a publicly voted classical music showcase, produced by Marian Arnold.
Cartoons
Shortly after retiring from his career as a paratrooper in 1993, Greive worked in several entry-level positions in the advertising, modelling and service industries which he has described as "creatively enlightening". In 1994 Greive went on to become the youngest feature cartoonist at the Sydney Morning Herald, and launched a series of cartoons known as Fate which featured in the Manly Art Gallery and Museum Newsletter. Greive continued to explore his graphical creativity in 1995 with the launch of the Bradley Trevor Greive Cartoon Series in the Sydney Morning Herald. Greive's work was later exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, SydneyMuseum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia is an Australian museum solely dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting contemporary art, both from across Australia and around the world...
in 1997.
Conservation and other activities
Greive has supported numerous conservation, arts and literacy initiatives and projects around the world, and presently holds the following offices:Founding Governor - The Taronga Foundation,
Chairman - The Taronga Foundation Poetry Prize,
Life Benefactor - Durrell Wildlife Conservational Trust (UK), Patron - Painted Dog Conservation Inc (Africa), International Conservation Ambassador - Fort Worth Zoo (USA), Council Member of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Board Member - Australia Poetry Centre, Ambassador - Dymocks Literacy Foundation.
Greive has also qualified for the Russian Space program by completing testing at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and in 2006 won the French Polynesian Ha'a'piti Rock lifting championships.
Personal life
Despite his many media appearances Greive is known to be a very private person. He currently lives on a remote farm on the East Coast of Tasmania, Australia and has never allowed media onto his property.In 2011 BTG temporarily relocated to Costa Rica to work on a new book entitled The Obsequious Parrot.
Since 2010 Greive has been in a romantic relationship with American Architect, Amy Melin. Publicly declaring that he was “head over heels in love” with Ms Melin, and that “all [his] future life plans revolve around this remarkable woman”.
Greive’s hobbies and interest include: sky-diving, desert racing, scuba diving, wildlife, adventure travel, art, cooking, science, and reading. BTG’s favourite authors include Joseph Heller, Douglas Adams, and Gerald Durrell, and his favourite painter is Philip Guston. Other BTG admires includes: Richard Feynman, Jacques Cousteau, Howard Carter, Robert Goddard, Marie Curie, Yuri Gagarin, Erwin Rommel, David Lynch and David Sterling. His favourite fictional character is “The lace-making, latently heroic Beaver from Lewis Carroll’s Hunting Of The Snark.”
Published books
- The Blue Day Book
- Dear Mom
- Looking for Mr Right
- The Meaning of Life
- The Incredible Truth About Mothers
- Tomorrow
- The Book for People Who Do Too Much
- Friends To The End
- Dear Dad
- The Simple Truth about Love
- A Teaspoon of Courage
- Dieting Causes Brain Damage
- Every Day is Christmas
- Thank You for Being You
- The Blue Day Book for Kids
- Friends To The End for Kids
- A Teaspoon of Courage for Kids
- Priceless: the Vanishing Beauty of a Fragile Planet
- I'm Sorry . . . My Bad!
- Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats
- The Blue Day Book 10th Anniversary Edition
External links
- Bradley Trevor Greive at Andrews McMeel Publishing
- Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats: Videos, Reviews, Sample Pages
- Bradley Trevor Greive interview with Alyce Faye Cleese
- Bradley Trevor Greive at Random House Australia
- 2002 article from Taipei TimesTaipei TimesThe Taipei Times is one of the three major English-language newspapers in the Republic of China the other two being the Taiwan News and The China Post...