My blog activities are strategic and creative conduits leading to our food website, a separate division to the hard-core television and film production business I partner with my daughter. It is part of our livelihood and part of our network of prestigious brand partners. We work at it with the same investment, commitment, seriousness, ethics and dedication as any other profitable business.
Having written and published more recipes books than any other local food author during the 80s and 90s and to date, we own a very large archive of recipes and food images. But, many images are a tad dated (smile) so we buy licensed images from libraries or hire freelance food photographers and stylists. We’re happy to invest the high cost related to professional images as we get excellent return on the investment, we have more time to do other crucial work while clients and users and readers receive the best and finest quality images.
So although I admire and acknowledge that beautiful photography is a great skill and talent and gets you gawkers and compliments and many feet, I spend more time and energy on maintaining the integrity of a professional recipe developer: recipes that are original (well as much as one can), that are tried and tested and that unsuspecting readers won’t end up financing as flops!
Authenticity, quality work and ethical practices are key issues for me. I publish only my own work, and mostly keep it simple, user-friendly and calling for produce and brands available in most supermarkets. I take care to make readers and users feel safe and relaxed and not uncomfortable by any display of food superiority, food grandness, great culinary skills, fancy vocab, vast food knowledge or name dropping. I decline freebies in return for a review. I’d rather spend the precious hours required with my few loved ones or on my own work, making my own real money. This way, I never have to write a not-so-objective review and if I did – the cost would be a lot more than the cost of the freebie meal or book or even pots and pans or appliances … guaranteed.
In the short time on this platform I have gained enormous regard and respect for sincere, honest, loyal bloggers. I know what goes in every authentic post and am doing my very best to draw attention to your work. Below is a piece that appeared in an ad industry magazine recently with more info about my work – I want you to know that what goes on in my work life, includes you. Soon we will launch a Best Blogger’s campaign, and then a television show looking for the best SA blogger – and no voting involved! Happiness, some merit at last!
From the hip …
Marketing fundi, food fundi and television director and producer Anne Myers is known for her positive, warm, yet no-nonsense approach to life and other matters … known to shoot straight from the hip!
During her successful career as marketing strategist for well-known food brands, she also wrote and published eighteen best-selling books about food and nutrition. She has probably written more recipes in her life than any other local recipe author and ended up being our most-often seen television food presenter from the late 80s to the early 2000s. By that time she fell in love with the power behind the camera and that was the end of her public career.
In the past decade she has become the AFP (Advertising Funded Programme) guru of SA having conceptualised, produced and directed eleven major television series, funded by major brands, televised on three major television channels reaching the majority of ARs and some on DSTV. In this time she also became an accredited SABC producer and delivered some highly acclaimed content.
Passionate about quality of work and people relations, she is constantly conceptualising and developing new ideas for television and brand marketers to explore and use to grow their brands. Needless to say, she is a great mentor and trainer, strategist and marketer with a solid track record that is supported with a pile of references regarding her creativity, ability to work to tight deadlines, restricted budgets and extremely high work ethics.
A firm believer of strong relations, she has built long-term relations with clients, television channels and other media – resources that have benefitted many in creating networking and promotional partnerships.
Anne is in partnership with the television and internet content production business, 2 blonds and a redhead filming, the brand architecture business Artelligence Media and she writes all the recipes and produces the video clips for the website I love cooking .
