Matthew Odam
Austin,TX
Summary
Award-winning Restaurant Critic and Features Writer recognized for delivering engaging stories through rich detail and solid reporting. Earned 15 national and state writing awards from the Society for Features Journalism and Texas Managing Editors, demonstrating exceptional storytelling skills. Built a social media presence of approximately 20,000 followers and contributed to various radio programs and podcasts as an experienced public speaker.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Restaurant critic and reporter
Austin American-Statesman
Austin, Texas
07.2011 - Current
- Write regular reviews of Central Texas restaurants with an emphasis on cuisine and a cultural context that allows readers to understand the restaurant's place in the city's current and historical landscape.
- Report and write an annual Dining Guide of the Best Restaurants and Best New Restaurants in Austin based on hundreds of meals.
- Write features on classic Austin restaurants for the Dining Guide's Restaurant Hall of Fame, which I created for the Statesman in 2021.
- Shoot and edit photos and videos for social media that complement written stories around regular features like 'The Best Thing I Ate Last Month' and our dining guide lists.
- Travel across Texas and to more than a dozen North American cities to report and write feature pieces that give a sense of other city's dining scenes and recommendations on where to dine when traveling.
- Host dining events, like traveling dinners, where I discuss the cuisine with subscribers and interview chefs and drink experts at participating restaurants.
- Engage readers with in-depth profiles of chefs and hospitality leaders in Austin and beyond.
- Write ranked lists and other guides based on geography and cuisine.
- Write news items and regular featurettes for both print and web that track restaurant openings and closings, along with trends in the Austin dining scene.
- Provide readers with a sense of history by writing authoritative, reported obituaries of major players from Austin's restaurant scene and beyond.
- Appear on radio and podcasts to promote my written work.
Film critic and general features writer
Austin American-Statesman
Austin, Texas
01.2010 - 07.2013
- Wrote regular film reviews, interviewed famous actors and directors, covered local and national film festivals, and produced feature stories on local and national filmmakers.
- Left position to focus on dining content, which I was writing concurrently.
Blogger and content producer
Austin American-Statesman
Austin, Texas
01.2007 - 01.2010
- Built Austinist into a trusted brand for food, music and entertainment in Central Texas by overseeing engaging written and visual content, forming relationships with marquee brands and producing parties and showcases.
- Covered food, film and music events, using first-person style for scene reports, criticism, recommendations and more for a personal blog at the Statesman for which I was the sole author.
- Edited and produced content on the web for a variety of channels for Austin360.com, using my news judgment to help build the site's brand and drive engagement.
Co-editor-in-chief
Austinist
Austin, Texas
03.2005 - 12.2006
- Edited and managed a team of several dozen volunteer contributors.
- Wrote features, lists and blog posts about food, film, music and more for an award-winning city blog that was part of the Gothamist network.
- Oversaw editorial processes and content quality for a leading local news platform.
- Collaborated with writers to shape engaging articles and multimedia content.
- Managed editorial calendar to ensure timely publication of stories and features.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Literature
American University
Washington, DC05-1998
Skills
- Restaurant criticism
- Feature writing
- Travel writing
- Interviewing
- Public speaking
- Photography and video
- Newsletter writing
- Hosting events and being the trusted face of a brand
- Social media
- Trend analysis
- Building professional relationships
Timeline
Restaurant critic and reporter
Austin American-Statesman
07.2011 - Current
Film critic and general features writer
Austin American-Statesman
01.2010 - 07.2013
Blogger and content producer
Austin American-Statesman
01.2007 - 01.2010
Co-editor-in-chief
Austinist
03.2005 - 12.2006
Bachelor of Arts - Literature
American University