Michael Blayney

Writer

Australia

As a journalist, I write fast and I write accurately, capable of providing weighty and/or whimsical material in an engaging and accessible style.

As a copywriter, allow me to deliver your brand's message through compelling, authentic and optimised content. I want the reader to dream it, feel it, purchase it.

Email [email protected] for more information. Enjoy selected samples of my work below.

Portfolio
Intheblack
01/12/2016
Toying with technology

Bethany Koby aims to solve the growing digital skills shortage by turning computer technology into child's play. By any measure, Bethany Koby is a success. The company which she co-founded five years ago, the playfully named Technology Will Save Us (TWSU), is on track to ship 100,000 do-it-yourself digital toy kits to 97 countries in 2016, tripling its year-on-year production.

Intheblack
20/09/2016
Aussie entrepreneur's beauty business a blooming success

Once a fixture at Brisbane's weekend markets, Cherry Blooms' Jellaine Dee is now conquering global retail markets. In 2011, Jellaine Dee attended a Sydney trade show promoting her Beauty Bag Organiser, a product she'd been selling with some success at Brisbane's weekend markets. During some downtime, she decided to stroll around Darling Harbour.

Intheblack
09/01/2016
How sports bodies are cutting out the middleman

Major sporting codes are taking control of their own valuable product, side-stepping the media networks by marketing video direct to their audiences' smartphones. In a 2011 interview, the then chief executive of the Australian Football League (AFL), Andrew Demetriou, dropped his guard for a few moments to talk about the possibilities offered by high-speed internet connections.

Intheblack
01/08/2016
Will robots deliver your pizza?

Sydney start-up Marathon Targets is applying military technology to the everyday task of pizza home delivery. When Domino's Australia recently released footage of an autonomous robotic vehicle delivering pizza, some considered the exercise little more than a PR stunt. Not so, according to Dr Alex Brooks, the man behind the four-wheeled wonder.

Leadershipmatters
01/06/2016
What you need to know about whistleblowing

Exposing wrongdoing in the workplace can suck you into treacherous territory. Michael Blayney examines the ethical and legal considerations of whistleblowing. Whistleblowing has always been a dangerous business for those brave and principled enough to expose illegal or unethical activities within an organisation. The process can lead to isolation, harassment, lost work opportunities and forced job transfers.

Intheblack
01/06/2016
The Renaissance CFO

They still crunch numbers, but today’s CFOs are increasingly being called on to devise and drive strategy, innovate and build strong teams across the business.

Intheblack
01/04/2016
The trick BP's CFO uses to supercharge her team

An unconventional career path has helped BP's Brooke Miller approach strategic thinking with a clearer and more targeted purpose. Brooke Miller CPA likes to create options, bullet point upon bullet point - so much so that when presenting strategy to her team, the CFO of BP Asia Pacific often runs out of whiteboard, prompting calls from the floor to "Sharpie the walls!".

Intheblack
01/09/2015
10 ways to give your business the best chance at longevity

Everyone hears about businesses that burn out early, but what about the ones that have stood the test of time? Many businesses fail in their first years of operation, while others thrive and survive over generations. What can we learn from companies that remain relevant after years of trading?

Intheblack
28/04/2016
Good-bye gold watch: How mature-age employees are changing the workforce

Australian businesses must engage and employ an ageing population in order to offset a decline in labour participation, a skills shortage and to boost economic and income growth. Here's why. Occasionally Hollywood gets it right. In the 2015 comedy, The Intern, Robert De Niro's 70-year-old character returns to work following a premature retirement.

Intheblack
01/12/2015
What does financially effective global charity look like?

Our short-term emotions often dictate our charitable giving, but what if we scrutinised our giving in the same way that investors look at stocks and nurses perform triage? In a 2013 TED Talk, Australian ethicist and philosopher Peter Singer raised the type of moral dilemma likely to pop up in an after-dinner board game.

Intheblack
01/06/2015
Is California the new promised land for Aussie tech start ups?

Australian technology start-ups continue to set up shop in and around San Francisco in search of more lucrative markets, a deeper talent pool and a dynamic investment culture. But as expenses escalate, is the area losing its lustre?

Intheblack
08/01/2015
The pickiness epidemic: When eating right goes wrong

People are getting pickier about what they eat and smart food marketers are jumping on board. Perception has always played a pivotal role in food retailing, but for decades food companies felt confident they alone were shaping these perceptions. In recent years they have had to cater to a swelling band of health-conscious consumers cutting down on fat, sugar and salt.

Australian Worker
22/04/2016
Cold War Games

Australian Olympian Lisa Forrest and the Moscow Olympics boycott...

Australia Today
22/04/2016
The Young Ones

Profiles of young Australians making a difference in their chosen fields...