Barnard Castle, The Hoff, and me, Teesdale Mercury

AT first glance, the leafy banks of the River Tees do not appear to have much in common with the Hollywood hills.

Indeed, the tranquil village of Wycliffe seems as far removed from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles as it is possible to get.

But one man links this small community to A-list celebrities like David Hasselhoff and Austin Powers star Verne Troyer.

Aged just 31, Joe Townley has already led a most extraordinary life. He has stood guard at Buckingham Palace, founded a successful internet business, starred in a hit TV show and become right-hand man to The Hoff.

And despite a jet-set lifestyle that has seen him travel the world and rub shoulders with the biggest names in show business, Joe insists he is never happier than when he is back in Teesdale, the place he still calls “home”.

Whenever he can, Joe returns to the family pad at Wycliffe, where dad Paul Townley is best known as a 

former High Sheriff of Durham and clerk of the tiny Wycliffe with Thorpe Parish Meeting.

But it was from his Los Angeles office that Joe spoke to the Mercury last week. 

He had mentioned in an earlier 

e-mail that it had been a busy few days. Perhaps this was a subtle reference to The Hoff’s brief visit to hospital that had made headlines around the world at the start of the week. I wouldn’t find out because Joe began our chat with a gentle warning that questions about the personal lives of his clients were strictly off-limits. 

However, it turned out that Joe was happy to talk about his many “adventures” with The Hoff. 

“He just oozes charisma and charm,” he said. “He has the most amazing presence. Even in LA he’ll walk into a restaurant and there’ll be all these big names there but they all want to talk to David.

“I think I first realised David’s unique position in the world when I was travelling with him in Europe. We were at the top of Eiffel Tower and there were people from all over the world there and they all wanted David’s autograph. I realised at that point that David is truly an international star.”

On another occasion, Joe attended the Brit Awards with The Hoff. “There were all these big names from the music business at our table, but it didn’t matter who they were, they all asked if they could have their pictures taken with David,” he recalled.

“When I’m with him I find it very funny to walk about ten paces behind him and watch the reactions of people as we pass. They all do double takes and nudge each other.”

I suggested to Joe that it may be a little surreal travelling the world with such a well-known star.

“Oh, it is totally surreal,” he laughed. “There are moments when you think, ‘wow, am I actually here doing this?’

“But David is such a genuinely nice guy, you never feel like you’re not part of things and you never feel uncomfortable. It’s always very much an adventure together.

“In fact it’s strange how quickly it becomes just another day at the 

office.”

And it is back at the office where Joe spends much of his time.

“For every TV show, every fun event, every trip, there is a lot of time spent at the desk, answering calls, doing paperwork, making these things happen.

“There is such a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make these things appear so slick in front of camera. I am on call 24/7 and my phone can ring at any time. My job brings great rewards and also tremendous responsibilities. But I am very lucky.”

Joe began his working life at 15, doing the occasional shift for his father’s telecommunications firm during holidays from school at Ampleforth, in North Yorkshire. He packaged mobile phones to earn pocket money.

After graduating from Oxford he joined the Army, spending four-and-a-half years with the Irish Guards. During this time he stood guard outside Buckingham Palace, an experience that would prepare him for his future career. “Being in the Queen’s Guard meant I became used to doing unusual things,” he said.

Before heading for Hollywood, however, Joe rejoined his father’s company as marketing director.

“And then I decided I wanted to try something different and I moved to LA,” Joe said.

“It is daunting starting a new business from scratch, but dad’s been incredibly helpful. And the way he built up his company is a great inspiration.

“My business partner Wes Stevens and I started iconduit about two years ago.

“I had the background in technology and new media and always had a passion for entertainment, while Wes is a talent agent who represents a large list of celebrity clients.

“We thought we could bring new media and celebrities together. Very few people effectively represent celebrity clients in this area.”

Joe’s fledgling company is at the forefront of new media, utilising video blogs and mobile technology.

It was through iconduit that Joe met The Hoff. He built a social networking site for the star’s fans and introduced video blogs, keeping them up to date with all things Hoff.

“Just a simple blog would never be enough. It would not suit David’s personality. The site needed to be larger than life, as he is. With David Hasselhoff we were able to create a reality show online.”

Radio One DJ Scott Mills became part of this show when he got in touch with Joe and asked if he could meet The Hoff.

The pair got on well and British satellite channel Living asked if they could turn the internet blogs into a television show.

“When Scott Met The Hoff” was the result, and it proved a huge hit for the channel, with Joe being credited as producer.

The follow-up show, “Meet The Hasselhoffs”, is currently being shown on Living and this time Joe has a much higher profile – in front of camera.

“Because Scott Mills was not always available for filming, I acted as David’s guide around Britain. They wanted someone for David to bounce off when Scott wasn’t there and that fell to me. I hadn’t originally intended to be in front of the camera so much.”

Sadly, Joe wasn’t able to bring The Hoff to Teesdale to meet the folks.

“I kept trying to persuade them to get up there but the filming schedule just didn’t allow it,” he said.

“But I’m sure I’ll persuade David Hasselhoff to come to Barney some day.”

Joe regularly visits the dale, and he was last in the area for Easter. “As much as I love LA, and have a great time here, I want to spend more time with my family in Teesdale. When I was last there I went jogging along the Tees, it is just so beautiful.

“After LA, London feels so claustrophobic and I much prefer the country life. And the people are so much friendlier there.

“I hope that as my business grows, I will be able to spend more time in England with my family.

“If I was to move back I couldn’t imagine my base being anywhere other than Barney and Teesdale.”