Orlando Celebs Share ‘Common Ground’ with Travelers on New YouTube Series

Joey Fatone is changing his tune, asking potential travelers to Orlando to say “Hi, Hi, Hi” to some of the unique local experiences sometimes left in Mickey Mouse’s shadow.

Fatone, the *NSYNC member, is among the famous central Floridians starring in a new YouTube series, Common Ground, a new initiative developed by Tripadvisor in collaboration with Visit Orlando. This is the first time Tripadvisor has worked with a U.S. destination on the video series, which premiered in 2025 featuring Shoreditch, England.

Now online, the series pits two local celebrities together to explore powerful ways to connect in Orlando. Each of three initial episodes focuses on a singular theme: Sports, food, and inclusivity.

Fatone, for instance, is paired with celebrity chef Richard Blais on a culinary tour featuring Universal Orlando Resort and Blais’s kitchen at Four Flamingos. The hope is viewers will think that next time, “It's Gonna Be Me” taking the tour or enjoying another memorable activity in Orlando.

“Travelers today want inspiration that feels authentic, personal and relatable, and that requires destinations to show up in more dynamic ways across the channels where people are discovering and planning travel,” says Casandra Matej, President and CEO of Visit Orlando. “For Visit Orlando, content like Common Ground helps travelers connect with the people, places and experiences that make Orlando unique.”

In other episodes:

• Brazilian soccer legend and former Orlando City SC star Ricardo Kaká joins current Orlando Pride defender and Brazil women’s national team standout Rafaelle Souza to discuss the unifying nature of sports.
• Broadway actor and Orlando native Michael James Scott is joined by viral social media stars, the Valentine Brothers, on a journey through the city’s performing arts scene to discuss the power of inclusivity.

While the stars are celebrities, the point of the series is that they are also relatable.

According to Tripadvisor’s 2026 Trendcast Report, connection, experience, and humanized hospitality are the driving forces powering travel today. Matej says Visit Orlando has been focusing on sharing authentic moments to their audiences since launching its “Unbelievably Real” platform now featuring the DMO’s “Moments in Between” campaign.

The timing with Tripadvisor was ideal, Matej notes.

“We saw an opportunity to create long-form content that allows audiences to spend more time with Orlando’s story, showcasing the depth and diversity of the destination through meaningful conversations and shared experiences,” she says.

Episodes are available to stream now on Tripadvisor and on Visit Orlando’s website. To boost engagement, the brands are partnering on a contest in which the winner will receive an eight-night vacation to Orlando, and receive planning trips from the Visit Orlando staff.

Long term, Visit Orlando will do a brand lift study to measure whether exposure to the Common Ground content influences how consumers perceive Orlando and their attitudes toward visiting the destination, according to Matej. Early metrics will include content views, engagement, impressions, email performance, and YouTube watch times, Matej adds.

The initiative is representative of the changing roles of DMOs, she says. “Destination marketing is evolving. DMOs are no longer just promoting itineraries; we are increasingly acting as storytellers, content creators and collaborators, and strategic media partners.”

Photo Credit: Visit Orlando