Six billion sport stories and counting
Sydney Area, Australia
- Current
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- Executive Producer, Sport Online at SBS
- Past
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- Sports Editor at Telstra BigPond
- Editor at FOXSPORTS.com.au
- Reporter at NEWS.com.au
- Producer at Seven Network
- Sports Editor at Seven Network
- Production Editor at Inside Sport
- Sports Sub-Editor at The Times
- Sports Editor at Waltham Forest Guardian
- Education
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- St Dunstan's College
- University of Liverpool
- Recommended
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7 people have recommended Toby - Connections
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136
connections
- Industry
- Online Media
- Websites
Toby Forage’s Summary
I started working in newspapers in 1995, with Newsquest in London. By 1997 I was sports editor of the Waltham Forest Guardian group. I left in 1998 to take up a position on The Times sports desk, where I was a sub-editor and reporter. I also worked for Hayters sports news agency during this time, filing reports from football and cricket matches in and around London and the south-east of England.
I moved to Australia in 1999 where I took up a role as production editor on Inside Sport magazine for six months before joining Channel 7 in March 2000 as the founding sports editor for its then new online venture i7. There, I oversaw the coverage of two Olympic Games (Sydney 2000 and Salt Lake City 2002) and two Australian Open tennis tournaments, as well as a myriad of other sporting events.
I moved from online to on-air in 2002 as a producer on a live weekend sports show called Sportswatch before freelancing on various magazines - ABC Sports Monthly, Inside Sport, FHM, Ralph and more.
I was selected for my most recent role at FOXSPORTS.com.au in 2003 after a spell working as a reporter on NEWS.com.au, covering entertainment.
FOXSPORTS.com.au was ranked around No.4 in the Australian online sports market, from where I took it through a redesign and to No.1 in it's market and a consistently high performer against the highly trafficked likes of AFL.com.au, NRL.com and Baggy Green.
My dream job would be to use multimedia online, and tell highly evocative stories through the tools available in that environment. I am inspired by story telling, and would like to create custom built content for clients on a vareity of subjects, from sport to entertainment to current affairs and more.
I am also a keen photographer, and have been commissioned to shoot various events in Sydney. I also shoot many travel shots for my own personal enjoyment.
Toby Forage’s Specialties:
A decade of experience in the online/digital space
Award-winning editorial skills
Exceptional written and communication skills
A rich understanding of all aspects of the online business framework
Extensive work experience in online, TV, newspapers and magazines
Vast experience in team building and management
Proven ability in product management
Capable of creating market-leading products both start-up and existing products
Superb motivator and willing mentor
Toby Forage’s Experience
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Executive Producer, Sport Online
SBS
(Broadcast Media industry)
January 2009 — Present (11 months)
Looking after SBS Sport, The World Game, Cycling Central, Dakar and all the other online sports interests of SBS.
More to follow as I sink my teeth into this new role. -
Sports Editor
Telstra BigPond
(Public Company; TLS; Telecommunications industry)
January 2008 — January 2009 (1 year 1 month)
Chief of editorial for Bigpond Sport websites, including the official AFL website AFL.com.au, the official NRL website NRL.com, and the official site of V8 Supercars Australia, as well as BigPond Sport.com.
Managed Australia's first "mobile" Olympic Games, overseeing Telstra's bold and ultimately enormously successful live broadcast the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to tens of thousands of mobile customers.
Collaborated on the redesigns of AFL.com.au and V8 Supercars homepages for 2009, and assisted content plans for 2009 seasons across AFL, NRL and V8 Supercars.
Ensured editorial integrity across all four sites, from content commission and style to the sites' look and feel. -
Editor
FOXSPORTS.com.au
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Online Media industry)
June 2003 — October 2007 (4 years 5 months)
Editor of Australia's No.1 sports website. The site moved from Australia's No.4 to No.1 under my editorial leadership, and expanded from three journalists to a standalone business of more than 20 people.
Also contributed creatively to the site with columns, news reports, video reports and multimedia.
Key achievements
- Nomination for News Corp (international) employee of the year, including a written testimonial from company chairman Rupert Murdoch
- Growth of the site (staff and business); successful redesign and relaunch in August 2006, integration with the on-air TV product and overseas partners (Fox Sports US and Sky Sports UK), as well as News Limited's Australian newspapers
- NetGuide Magazine Best Sports Website 2006 award winner
Major events covered
Rugby World Cup 2003
Athens 2004 Olympic Games
Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games
Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup -
Reporter
NEWS.com.au
(Public Company; NWS; Online Media industry)
June 2003 — September 2003 (4 months)
Contributed chiefly to the entertainment section, breaking showbiz stories and covering major entertainment events in Australia. Also worked as a freelance photographer, covering red carpets major entertainment industry awards nights
Covered general news for the website, and achieved major success with stories of major international significance, such as the Australian embassy bombings in Jakarta and the war in Iraq. -
Producer
Seven Network
(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Broadcast Media industry)
February 2002 — October 2002 (9 months)
Produced the onscreen breaking news ticker for the live three-hour telecast across the weekend.
Wrote and assisted with scripts for show hosts, and assisted with research during the show's lead-in week.
Contributed columns to the show's website. -
Sports Editor
Seven Network
(Public Company; Online Media industry)
2000 — 2002 (2 years )
Founding editor of Australia’s former No.1 general sports website i7sport.com.au.
Managed a team of nine reporters covering major events telecast by Channel 7, including the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Australian Open tennis, Australian PGA golf season, Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, AFL, and the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Liaised with Seven’s hosts, commentators and heads of sport to create integrated content. Ghosted columns for the station's talent, including Bruce McAvaney, Sandy Roberts, Johanna Griggs and many more.
Key achievements
- Launching the site, taking it from inception to live
- Integrating television products and personalities into the site
- Gaining No.1 ranking in a competitive market ahead of far more established brands -
Production Editor
Inside Sport
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Publishing industry)
September 1999 — March 2000 (7 months)
Sub-edited and contributed features and stories to the iconic sports magazine.
Worked closely with the editor and art directors on all aspects of the magazine's production, from coverlines to page design and photo editing. -
Sports Sub-Editor
The Times
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Newspapers industry)
June 1998 — July 1999 (1 year 2 months)
Responsible for subbing copy and writing stories from agency wires for the newspaper’s sports desk.
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Sports Editor
Waltham Forest Guardian
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Newspapers industry)
1997 — 1999 (2 years )
Looked after the sports pages for 15 titles, including East London's top selling local group the Waltham Forest Guardian.
In charge of a team of three, and full production of the sports pages, using Quark Xpress.
Toby Forage’s Education
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St Dunstan's College
BA Joint Honours , Sports Science and Psychology , 1992 — 1995
Majored in sociology of sport
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University of Liverpool
1992 — 1995
Additional Information
Toby Forage’s Websites:
Toby Forage’s Interests:
music, photography, travel, sport, books, entertainment industry.
Toby Forage’s Groups:
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Digital Media Group - Australia and New Zealand -
SportBusiness Group
Toby Forage’s Honors:
News Corporation Employee of the Year nominee (international) 2005
NetGuide Magazine Best Sports Website 2006 for FOXSPORTS.com.au
Toby Forage’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- job inquiries
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
