Stuart Howie: journalist, author, entrepreneur and government communications specialistHELPING ORGANISATIONS AND THEIR LEADERS TO BE HEARD, NOT HERD
Stuart Howie is a Canberra-based communication specialist and founder of Flame Tree Media. After a distinguished career as a journalist, editor and executive, Stuart left big media to set up a communication consultancy. Today, he is known as a communications entrepreneur who helps government and corporate enterprises discover, shape and tell their story for maximum recognition. His guidebook on how to cut-through the cacophony of communications and win in today’s Attention Economy, The DIY Newsroom, has attracted international attention. As such, Stuart is sought out as a speaker and commentator on media and communications. He is currently working for the Australian Government, helping it craft communications messages, including in response to the COVID-19 crisis and other emergency situations. He has consulted to New Zealand’s largest media organisation Stuff Limited, as well as to other organisations in education, sport, government and publishing. 
NEVER BEEN HARDER TO STAND-OUT
We’ve never had more ways to communicate, but also it’s never been harder to stand-out in the crowd. Everyone is a publisher. Clients come to Stuart because they are:
LEARN TO MASTER YOUR OWN MEDIA
The communications field is a busy one. Even the smartest executives in the room say it’s mind blowing to navigate. Many solutions are on offer - brand marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, digital media solutions, traditional public relations, external and internal communications, and so on, and so on. The SMART Way™ is to blaze your own trail to:
Stuart draws on his unmatched experience to show organisations how to achieve this. He has helped clients to improve their communications by:
He has a track record of creating premium content, including speech writing, corporate presentations, scripting and fronting video for government, and developing communication strategies for profound cultural change programs. Stuart is passionate about content - and about organisations using it brilliantly to build trust and to shine in their sector. 
Method to madness: Stuart Howie's The DIY Newsroom is a must-have reference guide for the modern communicator.
ULTIMATE FIX: THE DIY NEWSROOM Stuart’s point of difference is his five-step SMART Way™ to simple, strategic and sustainable communications. SMART stands for Strategy, Media, Authenticity, Results and Team - and it puts method to the madness of competing in today’s Attention Economy. He outlines this in his award-winning quality hardback, The DIY Newsroom. “I draw on the principles and practices I’ve learned over decades spent in newsrooms, large and small, across the world,” Stuart says. What’s the big deal about newsrooms? “Well, they’re at the top of the content food chain,” Stuart explains. “Content is their reason for being - and I have deep and wide experience over more than 30 years in media and publishing.” 
New chapter: Stuart Howie signing his book The DIY Newsroom in Canberra.
My book arrived today. I started reading it when I got home and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Such a great read. Simple, elegant and immensely practical. Congratulations ... it is about to be put to good use as I rebuild my new ‘newsroom’ ... I mean marketing team! 
Only rock 'n roll but I like it: Stuart's father interviewing Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in Melbourne in 1966.
WIRED FOR STORYTELLING
Stuart is driven to help organisations and their teams to be heard - not herd. “As a journalist, I’m wired to tell stories,” he says. “Now, as a communications professional it’s about making sure organisations put their best foot forward by creating authentic, relevant and compelling content. “This is not spin. So many organisations have truly great stories to tell. But they get lost in operational mumbo-jumbo and distraction.” Stuart was destined to be a communicator. “My father Bill was one of Melbourne’s first rock DJs and I spent my earliest years kicking around radio and TV stations. It was inevitable I’d go into media, initially as a journalist on newspapers,” he says. Stuart progressed up the ranks and became the editor of The Courier (Ballarat), Illawarra Mercury and deputy editor of The Canberra Times. He carved a new digital path for Fairfax Media as editorial director, in charge of a national news operation overseeing 180 regional and rural titles, and more than 800 editorial staff. Fuelled by a desire to help others be their best, he founded Flame Tree Media Pty Ltd. “To me, life is all about the comms,” Stuart says. “Unfortunately, even some of the sharpest businesses make common mistakes with their communications.” “I want to help leaders move from a position of feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and lacking clarity to where they have a sense of purpose and confidence with their comms. “That leads them to success, influence and authority in their field.” Does your organisation need a new communication approach? Do you know what you need to get ahead in the game? For more information, email Stuart at stuart@flametreemedia.com.au |
