About Ed Charles

Hi. I’m Ed Charles, and I am a journalist who for the past few years has consulted to some of Mebourne’s top food and drink businesses on social media. I’ve helped launch some of the cities most popular restaurants and learnt many lessons from the venues which didn’t make it.

Prior to that I was a freelance journalist who was taken into the social media space by this blog and Twitter.

I have now returned to writing full time and am based in Johannesburg and am still available for consulting for selected clients.

In 2005 I started this blog, Tomato, one of the best read and most influential in Melbourne. I also tweet as @tomatom and have about 11,100+ followers at the time of writing.

I also am a ring leader in organising stuff. In 2010 I was the driving force who made the first Australian Food Bloggers’ Conference, cocktail party and dinner happen arranging all the venues and sponsors. I also arranged a SBS Food sponsored exhibition of food bloggers’ photos.

Currently I’m one of the people behind the Melbourne Fringe Food Festival and am organising various eating and drinking events, from pioneering truffle dinners, gin & tonic and wine tastings.

Check out my Linked In and Twitter profiles.

SPEAKING

I am available to speak on the disjoin between traditional media and social media. Specifically, I speak on how small businesses can harness social media and free blogging tools for marketing. I also speak on how businesses need to integrate social media and blogs into their marketing and PR plans. Recently I have spoken at:

    NOVEMBER 2012

  • Eat Drink Blog 2012 Ethics and working with PRs
  • Everyone’s a critic, State Library of Victoria in association with the Gusto Exhibition

    • AUGUST 2012

  • Everyone’s a critic, Melbourne Writers Festival

    • MARCH 2012

  • The Business of Freelancing, The Walkley’s Foundation freelance conference

    • MAY 2011
    Food Writing, The Emerging Writers Festival

  • Food Service Australia 2011 – Can we talk? Marketing – Finding the right mix
  • Restaurant 09 – Talk Business: Gen Y Dining – Meeting Their Demands
  • Restaurant 09 – Café Live: The Gen Y Café
  • Good Food & Wine Show 2009 Sauvignon Blanc tasting panel forum
  • Victorian Tourism Conference 2009 – Brand building through social media
  • Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2008 – Out of the Frying Pan (How to blog)
  • Restaurant and Catering Victoria – Doing Better Business Series (Media Essentials)
  • Restaurant 08 – Restaurant reviews – no such thing as a bad press?
  • Restaurant 08 – Making you website work for you (search marketing)

    • SOCIAL MEDIA

    I run the popular Melbourne-focused food and wine blog Tomato which attracts some 30,000+ page views each month. I also established the group blog Very Cheap Eats and Food and Wine Daily, which is still in development.

    WEBSITES AND BLOGS

    I help set up easy to update and effective blogs and websites . I can help set-up with the key blog platforms.

    I can also advise on marketing through social sites and blogs and provide coaching.