About Shannon
“STAND OUT WITH
CURATED VISUAL CONTENT AND STORYTELLING.”
SHANNON HAS 15+ YEARS' EXPERIENCE as a successful editor, creative director, writer and content strategist across print, digital and other visual mediums.
From her global travels for delicious. magazine – where she was Managing Editor for six years, working with inspiring producers and food royalty such as Anthony Bourdain, Massimo Bottura, Jamie Oliver and Rene Redzepi – to her role as Editor of Qatar Now magazine, Shannon’s approach to creating visually engaging and insightful content is via her unique brand of storytelling. Through the lens of SLOW FOOD – a sustainable and mindful approach to everything – Shannon’s content is highly creative, authentic and curated – and this ethos underlies all that she does. Check out her travel, lifestyle and recipe portfolios here.
Highlights of Shannon's time at delicious. include the brand redesign and digital transformation. She dramatically extended the brand's reach with her network of influential creatives and trendsetters, who she still works with today. Shannon launched the healthy eating column Balancing Act, foreseeing the wellness trend's influence; and was responsible for editorial planning, creative direction, writing and recipe development. Her monthly column, Future Proof, shifted the focus to global trends and their impact on a local level.
Recently, Shannon spent a year living in the northern Italian region of Piedmont (known for its truffles, beef and Barolo wine), exploring Europe for various publications, while undertaking a Master of Gastronomy at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. The university is the heart and home of the global slow-food movement, and it is from here that Shannon deepened her understanding of international gastronomy through the study of regional food traditions, anthropology, food history, health, sustainability, food waste and food justice, plus sensory training in luxury food items, including wine, coffee, chocolate, cheese and cured meats (Shannon was the 'golden nose' of her year!).
Shannon’s unique offering is the combination of her deep and insightful worldly outlook and her engaging storytelling ability. Whether it is launching a new magazine, brand campaign or digital product, Shannon’s clear creative vision and her ability to lead a team set her style of content apart.
All content on this website, including recipes, words and photographs (unless otherwise credited), is Shannon’s own. Through her work creating compelling content that is at once inspiring and engaging, Shannon’s ability to capture the world in a new light is a refreshing approach to storytelling and content creation.
Ethos
"IF IT DOESN'T GIVE YOU BUTTERFLIES, IT'S NOT WORTH DOING." This advice from chef/activist Massimo Bottura has been my litmus test ever since he beautifully spilled these words over lunch in a Sydney cafe.
MINDFUL TRAVEL The trend towards slow food and slow travel, slow living and even slow working spaces is a backlash against the fast-paced, mass-produced mentality that influences how we live today. As a global citizen in a world without borders, travel is our modern language for cultural exchange. With curated content guiding our journeys, we can explore sensitively and with curiosity. Slow down and smell the roses, or whatever is blooming in your destination, for mindful travel is the new way to explore the endless possibilities of our world.
SLOW FOOD Exploring the world with my camera, fork and passport has opened doors to inspiring people and compelling stories that I have been privileged to share with audiences. In every pocket of the world, food has environmental, social and economic contexts – no ingredient is an island. Food waste, sustainability, food security, peace, climate change, social equality and health are now pertinent issues when it comes to food choices. Every destination visited, every meal eaten is loaded with information on these critical issues, and helps us understand our part in it all.
CONSIDERED DESIGN Content achieves its purpose only when it resonates with an audience. This means nuances in culture, experience and place will determine whether messaging lands with an audience. High-quality visual content is informed by global and local cultural design considerations across international markets, and I am an advocate of authentic content. – Shannon Harley
Recent experience
2022-2023 Medium Rare Content Agency, Editor in Chief
Leading the in-house creative team and broader content strategy for a national food & beverage client. Responsible for ideation and approval of engaging monthly content for digital channels. I create and present seasonal insights reports to the business to identify global trends and their impact on local markets and audiences.
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2022 Qatar Now, Editor
We were briefed by Qatar Tourism to pitch for Qatar Now, a premium print travel magazine to promote tourism in the region. Working with a Creative Director and Art Director, we concepted the entire 260page magazine, then travelled to Qatar to write, photograph and shoot the content. Managing the entire editorial process from ideation to content creation, production and final sign off, 500,000 copies of Qatar Now volume 2 hit the market just in time for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
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2021-2022 THE ICONIC, Managing Editor
As Managing Editor, I led the Editorial, Design and Content Teams at The Iconic. Since 2011, The Iconic has disrupted and redefined retail, creating seamless and inspiring experiences and is dedicated to being #1 fashion and lifestyle platform. The role of the Managing Editor was to lead the 40+ creative team (across design, copy, production, styling, photography, video) to create compelling campaigns and social first digital content (as well as print assets) that were impact driven and forward thinking.
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2020-2021 Hot Potato, Co-Founder
Identifying the need in the market for healthy, premium delivered kids meals in 2020, I co-founded Hot Potato. While the food delivery and wellness spaces have grown over the past 2-3 years, there was an evident lack of healthy convenient food delivery services for children. Thus Hot Potato was founded on the mission: NOURISHING CHILDREN + EMPOWERING PARENTS with delicious, healthy family meals made from wholefoods and packed with at least 2 servings of plants. After successful organic SEO, influencer campaigns and media coverage, Hot Potato ranked second in Google search results for 'healthy kids food delivery Sydney'. I exited the business after achieving 300% growth.
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2019-2020 Courier Media, Managing Editor
As Managing Editor of this London-based media start-up, I was part of the small founding team responsible for creating and implementing the editorial strategy and processes across print, digital, podcasting and video. Our titles included the monthly Courier Magazine (including Courier Live events in London), monthly Courier London Eat + Drink + Shop newspaper, and client content production, including AMEX Shop Small campaigns and branded content, and Mailchimp print, podcast and video content.
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2018 Columnist
My monthly column in delicious. magazine, Future Proof, shifts the focus to global food trends and movements, and their impact on how we eat, travel and live.
2017-18 Freelance writer, content strategist, editorial consultant, speaker
Writing, Editing and Creative Direction for the following brands: Vogue Living, Miele, delicious. Australia, delicious.com.au, delicious. UK, delicious. Holland, CES Formulations Skincare + Organics, UKHarvest, Abercrombie & Kent, Biota: Grow, Gather, Cook by James Viles (book launch guest speaker), Caring Canary, Möet & Chandon.
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2017 UKHarvest, Education programme consultant & business development manager
UKHarvest’s food education programme focuses on the key areas of food waste, increased health and social connection. By developing the education programme and growing the organisation, I hope to see tomorrow’s meal served at a table where there is plenty for everyone, where the food consumed comes from a sustainable system and nourishes the individual, as well as their greater community and the planet beyond. Read more about UKHarvest here.
2016-17 University of Gastronomic Sciences, Italy, Master of Gastronomy
I have a Master in Gastronomy from Italy’s highly respected slow food university, UNISG, established by the godfather of slow food, Carlo Petrini. The programme, delivered in Pollenzo, Italy, explores the political, economic, social, cultural, ecological, and nutritional dimensions of food from a global perspective.
2010-16 delicious. magazine & delicious.com.au, Managing Editor
delicious. is Australia’s highest-selling premium food & lifestyle magazine. I drove the brand redesign and digital transformation from a monthly print title to a high-ranking food and lifestyle platform. Subsequently, delicious. won ‘Magazine Brand of the Year’ at Australian Magazine Awards 2016. After launch, delicious.com.au exceeded traffic targets in the first month, overtaking established competitors. I headed a national campaign taking the rebrand to market and was responsible for growing traffic and audience over print, digital and social platforms.
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The second phase of the redesign included the launch of delicious. brand extensions, including video strategy, cookbooks, social channels and the glossy weekly national newspaper lift-out, delicious. on Sunday. I was involved in the creative build, taking products to market, recruitment and ongoing editorial planning.