Michelle Dryburgh

PROFESSIONAL CV M:- E:- Michelle Dryburgh Copywriting|Content Marketing|Communications A love of the written word Finding the perfect word for every occasion, Michelle has applied her craft everywhere from front page news to TV commercials, corporate reports, websites, product labels… and even her own book! As the founder and director of MLDMedia, I specialise in corporate and commercial copywriting, content marketing, communications, social media and PR. With a background in journalism, I am also a regular contributor to magazines and publications Australia-wide and the self-published author of my own cookbook and food blog, The Real Foodies. With a professional communications career spanning 10 years, my diverse portfolio includes work with major Australian brands including Budget Direct, Shaynna Blaze, Urban Road and Jimalie Organic Coconut Products, just to name a few. I then ventured into From the newsroom to now communications and It all started with a pen and a notepad at a public relations in local regional Victorian newspaper, age 18 government, providing copywriting and As well as covering breaking news and front page communications, leads, I developed a niche for feature writing and marketing and social received a Rural Press Club of Victoria Award in media management, PR 2008. It was during my five years at the Wimmera and strategic Mail-Times I also honed my craft for commercial management, and took copywriting, with editorials achieving unprecedented charge of the department sales for clients ranging from bridal boutiques and as relief Communications hotels to farm machinery. I was acting Chief of Staff Manager for a 6 month and responsible for the editorial team at the time of period. my departure, age 22. COPYWRITING & MARKETING JOURNALISM & BLOGGING COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS 1 MLDMedia Content Solutions Copywriting, Content Marketing & Communications The Real Foodies Food & Lifestyle Blog Founder, author and gluten free, paleo recipe developer Nutrition & Health Coach Recipe developer, cookbook author, Nutritional Medicine student MICHELLE DRYBURGH Going solo PORTFOLIO Growing demand for her writing services prompted Michelle to launch MLDMedia as a part-time sole trader venture in 2011 ‣ Commercial Copywriting for Jimalie Organic Coconut Products including product labels and web content I was soon engaged by multiple marketing agencies, government organisations and magazines to provide a diverse array of commercial and corporate copywriting, communications, media and marketing services. ‣ Copywriting, Communications and PR for canvas art house Urban Road and celebrity designer Shaynna Blaze ‣ PR for Budget Direct Relocating from Victoria to Cairns in 2012, I was able to continue my contract work remotely and quickly caught the attention of publications and other businesses in the region and across Australia, making MLDMedia a full-time operation from 2014. Since then, I have been working virtually from my established home office with clients across Australia and overseas. ‣ Blogs, Web Content, Social Media & Marketing Manager for Remote Work Hub ‣ Feature Writing and Business Advertorial Content for publications including Yum Gluten Free Magazine, PakMag, Oasis, CairnsLife, DarwinLife and more they can find elsewhere. My journalism training allows me to truly understand the individual needs of every client in any industry, enabling me to create unique content perfect for every platform. Great content is about more than just SEO Helping business understand the selling power of story telling I provide copywriting for websites and social media as well as digital marketing solutions, corporate and commercial copywriting and communications services including print and digital newsletters, media releases, advertising content and scripts, speeches, letter writing and more. MLDMedia specialises in content marketing - using story telling to attract and engage your target audience. This is a powerful method of modern marketing, drawing in audiences by sharing your story, rather than just pushing a product or service PERSONAL HEALTH CHALLENGES NOW INSPIRING THOUSANDS Diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2011, Michelle took to Facebook to vent about her frustrations of living life gluten free. Falling in love and moving to Tropical North Queensland inspired a fresh approach to food, transforming her health, mindset and career, with the blog attracting national media attention and a loyal following of 8000+. The Real Foodies celebrates fresh, healthy, real food, helping those with coeliac disease and food allergies learn to love and enjoy delicious food. Michelle and her fiancé Jahmin have self-published their own cookbook, with Michelle qualifying as a Food and Nutrition Coach, and studying to become a registered Nutritionist. 2 MICHELLE DRYBURGH Freelance History FOUNDER|COPYWRITER, COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING MANAGER MLDMedia, Cairns, QLD 2011 – CURRENT I work virtually on a freelance or contract basis from my established home office in Cairns with clients locally, throughout Australia and overseas. Launching my own freelance business while still living in Victoria, I was initially engaged by government organisations and marketing agencies to provide communications, media liaison and PR services. Relocating to Cairns in 2012, I was sought after by print and digital publications to provide feature writing and business advertorials - telling the stories of hundreds of organisations in a wide array of industries including food and hospitality, beauty and fashion, finance and real estate, retail and sales, agriculture and mining, and more. I have also been directly engaged by small to medium business and major brands across Australia including Budget Direct, Jimalie Organic Coconut Products and canvas art house Urban Road, providing communications and public relations services, web copywriting, content for product labels, media releases, social media and more. Most recently, I completed a remote contract as the Marketing and Communications Manager for Remote Work Hub, creating original content for the digital company’s blog and managing all social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest and LinkedIn. During this contract I was required to source and interview the founders of 30 virtual companies from around the globe and author the e-book DRIVE Distributed Remote Innovative Virtual Enterprise, celebrating the remote and virtual work movement. I am available for short and long term contracts with companies throughout Australia and overseas and enjoy the borderless and unlimited career opportunities that working virtually provides. www.mldmedia.com.au FOUNDER|RECIPE DEVELOPER|BLOGGER|STUDENT NUTRITIONIST The Real Foodies, Cairns, QLD 2012 – CURRENT In my spare time, I manage my own blog The Real Foodies which includes recipe development and blogging, as well as social media management of close to 8000 followers across Facebook and Instagram. The blog’s Facebook posts regularly reach in excess of 80,000+ views and the audience continues to grow. I wrote and self-published my own cookbook in 2015, The Real Foodies Cookbook: Real Food for Real People. It has attracted national media attention with feature articles in Paleo Lifestyle Magazine, The Thinkergirls, Mens Muscle and Health Magazine, PakMag and Oxygen Magazine. I am now a Certified Food and Nutrition Coach and I am studying part time to be a qualified nutritionist. wwww.therealfoodies.com.au 3 MICHELLE DRYBURGH Employment History COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER Warrnambool City Council, Warrnambool, VIC August 2011 – May 2013 This diverse role encompassed both corporate communications and marketing for Council’s cultural facilities and tourism services. My duties included media advisory and liaison, copywriting and communications, marketing, public relations, social media management, community engagement, strategic advice and consultation. I was heavily involved in the rebranding and promotion of the Warrnambool Entertainment Centre to the Lighthouse Theatre, as well as developing marketing strategies, content and event promotion for the Warrnambool Art Gallery, Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Fun4Kids Festival, AquaZone leisure centre and Volunteering Warrnambool organisation. I also fulfilled the role of acting communications manager from November 2012 to late February 2013, during which time the city’s telecommunications exchange was destroyed by fire cutting telephone and internet services to almost 100,000 homes and businesses throughout the region for up to a month. During this time I was heavily involved in the Municipal Emergency Management Team, responsible for community liaison and decision making on issues of public welfare. As acting manager I was also responsible for overseeing the graphic design and web development staff, managing the communication department budget, and leading some of the largest ever community consultation projects in the Council’s history on heritage preservation and tourism. DUTIES Communications: Advising and writing speeches and reports for the CEO and executive officers. Social media management including generating and maintaining 16 social media networks for Council and cultural services organisations. Copywriting for websites, print publications and advertising. Media: Proactive and reactive media response for regional, state and national media. Generating proactive, positive publicity of Council activities, services and programs via regular media releases, marketing and social media. Marketing: Strategic direction for marketing and promotional campaigns for Council programs and key tourism businesses including Fun4Kids Festival, Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Volunteering Warrnambool. Public Relations: Co-ordinate and produce monthly community magazine C2C and e-newsletter. Manage and facilitate community consultations including public forums, workshops, surveys. Events: Founded and coordinated the Arts on the Grass summer concert series. Marketing all events and festivals. ACHIEVEMENTS • Reduced production cost and increased distribution of C2C community magazine • Improved community engagement through monthly publication of C2C and social media (Warrnambool City Council up 500%, Youth Council up 400%, Wonderful Warrnambool up 300%) • Founded and co-ordinated Pet Of The Week social media campaign, successfully increasing pet adoptions rates from Warrnambool RSPCA. • Founded and co-coordinated the inaugural Arts on the Grass community arts and music concert series in 2011. • Founded and assisted co-ordinating the What a Wonderful Warrnambool Community Christmas campaign and window display competition 2011 and 2012, generating increased sales for local traders. 4 MICHELLE DRYBURGH Employment History JOURNALIST & ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF The Wimmera Mail-Times, Horsham, VIC October 2006 – August 2011 My writing career began with my cadetship at The Wimmera Mail-Times. I had always held a great love of writing and saw journalism as the entry point to making writing more than a hobby. Beginning as an 18-year old, soon after completing my VCE by distance education, I was thrown in the deep end at the Mail-Times, which was revered as a brilliant training ground for reporters. It was a challenging but rewarding five years and I am extremely grateful for such a diverse and comprehensive start to my career. DUTIES ACHIEVEMENTS News writing: Interviewing and reporting on local government, business, tourism, events, crime, corporate meetings, court hearings, general and breaking news. Feature writing: Produced quarterly Tourist News Magazine publications from-, annual Wedding Planner-, Century of Smiles – 100 people, 100 stories 2008, annual Inside Outside lifestyle and real estate magazine 2009, First Homebuyers Guide 2009, Wimmera Mail-Times 50th Anniversary special edition • Best Story by a Cadet Award, 2008, Rural Press Club of Victoria for ‘Century of Smiles - 100 people, 100 stories’ • Significant contribution to content and design of special publications including researching and writing the history of the Wimmera-Mallee’s water supply system for the Wimmera- Mallee Pipeline souvenir publication ‘Signed Sealed Delivered’ in 2010 and the history of the Wimmera Mail-Times for the newspaper’s 50th Anniversary publication in 2009 2009, Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline souvenir publication 2010. Advertorials: Specialised in commercial copywriting for paid advertisements for a wide variety of businesses. Editing & Proofreading: Copy editing, proofing and page layout. Team management: Acting chief of staff, liaising with the senior editor to manage the editorial team of 12 reporters and photographers and plan newspaper layout and content. Training: Training cadet journalists, data entry assistants and work experience students in practices and procedures • Promoted to grade one journalist at age 20, after 2.5 years of three-year cadetship • Promoted to acting Chief of Staff, 2011, age 22, managing an editorial team of 12. 5 MICHELLE DRYBURGH Education & Qualifications Portfolio Diploma of Marketing & Communications UpSkilled- Please visit my website www.mldmedia.com.au for a portfolio of recent works. You will also find more on Facebook & LinkedIn Diploma of Social Media Marketing Australis College- Professional References Advanced Diploma of Nutritional Medicine Nature Care College- Debbie-Jo Dutton Founder Remote Work Hub Email:- Certificate of Nutrition & Health Coaching Cadence Health- Post-Cadet Journalism Deakin University - Journalism Cadetship The Wimmera Mail Times - Nick Higgins Communications Manager Warrnambool City Council Ph: - Email:- Certificate in Freelance Journalism Thomson Education- Kim Sweetnam EnigmaCorp (former Communications Manager, Warrnambool City Council Ph:- Email:- Certificate III in Business Administration Distance Education Centre Vic- Years 10-12 Distance Education Centre Vic- Scholarship for Excellence in Media Years 7-9 Stawell Secondary College Tanya Egan Business Support Manager Warrnambool City Council Ph:- Email:-- Karen Foster Director O2Media Ph:- Email:- 6