I am an award-winning journalist and communications specialist with more than 15 years' experience at national and regional newspapers, who made the leap from traditional media to creating one of the UK’s best independent online local newspapers - Bristol24/7.

I provided challenging news reporting which helped to lead Bristol’s news agenda and led to a number of major regional and national awards.

Meanwhile, I was able to lead and inspire my team of professional and volunteer writers, photographers and film-makers to consistently provide some of the city’s most-respected comment on news, opinion and culture.

During this time, I set up a digital marketing agency - Bristol24/7 Digital Marketing - which helped small businesses and major charities such as Oxfam South West spread their message effectively across social media, traditional media, websites and more.

My record

Here is a small snapshot of some of the great journalistic and content marketing projects I have been involved in over the years. If you want more details then please get in touch via the form below...

Bristol24/7 — 2009-14

Set up the independent online newspaper which twice won EDF South West Website of the Year award and a commendation at the national Online Media Awards.

 
  • • From scratch, I created Bristol24/7 which provided a daily online news service for Bristol for more than five years;
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  • • Independent, agenda-setting coverage of city politics, major events and news features, which led to regional and national awards;
  • • I encouraged a team of volunteers, made up of experienced journalists and keen amateurs, to devote their energies and create daily news, comment and features;
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  • • Became expert in SEO (allowing Bristol24/7 to gain consistent Google page 1 results), and use of social media to develop audiences and engage with readers (I generated more than 20,000 Twitter followers and 2,000 Facebook fans);
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  • • Attracted an average of 50,000 unique visitors a month, with zero marketing budget;
  • • Created an innovative business model, based on providing the city with a mix of advertising and full suite of digital marketing solutions (including website design, SEO and social media). Unlike the majority of hyperlocal sites, this model created enough income to pay for paid staff to join the team;
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  • • Worked with a number of high-profile businessmen and publishers to take the business on in 2014, so that now Bristol24/7 includes a monthly magazine, mobile app, paid sales staff and more editorial staff to help it develop into the future.

Associate lecturer — 2014 onwards
University of the West of England

I teach journalism, particularly the new skills involved in online publishing, to students on the full honours journalism degree course at UWE. My focus has been on online journalism, providing insight into the use of SEO and social media for journalists, as well as integrating online publishing into a multimedia newsroom.

Oxfam — 2010-11
Media campaigning

Ensured the charity’s brand and campaign messages were promoted across traditional and online media.

 
  • • Working with the national media and PR team, and independently, I doubled the amount of traditional media coverage within six months of the charity’s campaigning work in the region;
  • • Worked with staff members and volunteers around the region to develop their media skills, giving them the support to develop their own communications;
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  • • Developed their use of new, digital media - using search engine optimised blogs, Twitter and Facebook, among others - to develop new audiences.

Deputy chief sub-editor — 2006-09
Western Daily Press

Reporting directly to the chief sub-editor, I designed the front page and inside news pages, and organised resources to ensure news pages were designed and subbed to house style. I took charge of adding breaking news and video bulletins to the website.

The Relaxation Centre — 2012-13
Content marketing

Tasked with introducing new media to their traditional marketing mix. Working with their practitioners and managers, as well as external writers, I developed their website with a series of blogs, rapidly expanded their social media audience through conversations and competitions and doubled revenues from online advertising.

Micrima — 2011
Web design and PR

After building a new website for this University of Bristol spin-off, I secured national and international coverage in the likes of the The Times, Daily Mail and Daily Express, as well as ITV and BBC World Service. Find out more here...

Want to know more? Then why not connect with me on LinkedIn or get in touch now...

Testimonials

Chris is one of the most talented, driven and ethical people I've ever worked for. He is a fine example of a fierce journalist with integrity, earning respect from his interview subjects, his team and his readers.

Christopher is a highly skilled media operator. He writes well, is an excellent story spotter and creator and has superb mastery of digital media. The Awards he has won are testimony to his current success.

Chris is that rare thing - a journalist who sees the big picture. He has excellent skills and experience in writing, sub-editing, editing and has now proved to be an accomplished media entrepreneur.

Contact me

If you would like to know more about me and my work, or are just interested in starting a conversation, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can either follow me on social media or email christopherbrown73 at gmail dot com.

P0st_News on Twitter Christopher Brown on LinkedIn