As Broadsheet's Australia Editor, Nick Connellan documents the intersection of hospitality, design, and regional identity. His decade-long tenure has seen him evolve from venue cataloguer to leading the publication's national editorial strategy.
Connellan prioritizes stories that:
Nick Connellan's 10-year journey at Broadsheet mirrors the publication's own growth into Australia's definitive cultural guide. Starting in 2015 as the inaugural directory editor, he systematized thousands of venue listings while developing the editorial voice for Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth launches. This foundational role honed his ability to identify emerging trends in Australia's hospitality landscape.
By 2016, Connellan began expanding Broadsheet's storytelling arsenal through podcasting (Around Town) and print publications. His 2020s work editing hardcover books like The Broadsheet Italian Cookbook demonstrated an ability to curate content ecosystems across platforms. The 2024 promotion to Australia editor formalized his leadership in shaping cross-platform narratives that blend SEO strategy with literary journalism.
"Google, Meta and other platforms are turning their backs on publishers, and we have to find more direct channels to engage loyal readers with stories they can’t find elsewhere."
Connellan prioritizes stories that reveal how Australian locales reinvent themselves. His Vale article showed how closed venues live on through community memory. Successful pitches might highlight: regional distilleries using endemic botanicals, architects reimagining heritage pubs, or chefs developing hyperlocal supply chains.
The smoked spirits piece succeeded by framing product development within post-colonial identity debates. Effective pitches should connect subjects to broader themes like: First Nations food sovereignty, sustainable design in hospitality, or digital detox dining experiences.
With Broadsheet's expansion into podcasts and books, Connellan seeks stories with transmedia potential. A strong pitch might outline: a chef's memoir chapter adapted as longform article, a restaurant design story with podcast interview angles, or a regional guide with mapped walking tours.
Connellan's work on niche cocktail communities shows his interest in subcultures with outsized influence. Pitches could explore: underground supper clubs shaping menu trends, bartender exchanges fostering international collaborations, or sommeliers curating non-alcoholic pairings.
While known for narrative flair, Connellan's articles always incorporate hard numbers - liquor license statistics in Vale, export figures in the spirits piece. Successful pitches include: venue survival rates post-pandemic, ingredient cost analysis, or demographic shifts in dining habits.
Connellan's investigative piece on pandemic-era restaurant pivots earned recognition in the Best Food Commentary category. Judges noted its innovative use of procurement data to track supply chain adaptations.
His series profiling hospitality interior designers received special commendation for elevating public understanding of spatial storytelling. The Australian Institute of Architects subsequently invited him to juror their 2024 hospitality design category.
The Around Town podcast's interactive map feature, which allowed listeners to geo-locate episode subjects, was recognized for pushing the boundaries of audio journalism.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Food, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
