The company has beefed up its content team with the appointment of several new journalists.
Momentum Media welcomes eight new members to the team.
In the last year, Momentum Media has significantly bolstered its roster of journalists, welcoming eight new members to the team. This expansion spans multiple sectors within the company, encompassing real estate, aviation, defence, professional services and financial services.
Robert Dougherty, Jake Nelson and David Hollingworth join Momentum Media as senior journalists, while Rhea L Nath and Daniel Croft join as journalists, and Christine Chen, Nick Wilson and Orana Durney-Benson join as graduate journalists.
Mr Dougherty works across Momentum Media’s extensive defence portfolio, bringing with him a wealth of experience from Seven West Media in Western Australia, Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in NSW.
Throughout his career, Mr Dougherty has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended a student exchange program with Fudan University in Shanghai and holds a Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional.
“Since starting as senior journalist at Defence Connect earlier this year, I have enjoyed the abundance of information regarding the domestic defence industry and exploring insights in military geo-politics,” Mr Dougherty said, commenting on his role.
“There’s never been a better time to be involved in the Australian defence industry as companies and governments invest in equipment for national defence, the Ukraine War in Europe and future regional tensions in the Indo-Pacific.”
Mr Nelson works across both Australian Aviation and Space Connect. He is an experienced trade journalist who has previously covered the print and packaging, consumer technology, and retirement living and aged care industries.
On what he likes about his new role, Mr Nelson said: “I find the culture at Momentum really refreshing - work/life balance is fair, there are good support systems available, and I feel valued as a journalist”.
“Aviation is a challenging beat at times - but also an exciting and dynamic one, as you never know what will cross your desk when you sit down in the morning.”
Mr Hollingworth has been a consumer technology and games journalist for nearly three decades, working on and editing magazines such as PC Authority, Atomic, Hyper, PCPowerPlay, and writing for websites such as PC Gamer and TechLife.
At Momentum, Mr Hollingworth covers content for Cyber Daily, Defence Connect and Australian Aviation, having discovered a passion for cyber security reporting and covering data breaches as they happen, while also exploring best practices in the industry and getting to know how cyber criminals and the dark web operate.
Taking to Momentum’s financial services team, Rhea works on Money Management and Super Review, with a focus on financial advice, investments, funds managing, and superannuation.
She first moved to Australia as an international student in 2019 and has since dived headfirst into the media scene. Her career began reporting on multicultural affairs at Indian Link Media Group in Sydney before venturing into small business and entrepreneurship news with Dynamic Business.
In 2022, Ms Nath was named Young Journalist of the Year at the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards for her work on international student issues, mental health, diversity, and sustainability.
“Financial services always seemed like a foreign land to me until I decided to get involved, and ever since, it’s been nothing short of exciting and dynamic,” Ms Nath said.
“I’ve previously joked that I now ‘understand what the adults are talking about’ when it comes to investment portfolios, but in all honesty, I feel like I’m growing my financial literacy every day and broadening my horizons.
“Best of all, I’m able to do this as part of the brilliant editorial team here at Momentum Media, surrounded by fellow journalists who are like-minded, friendly, youthful, and incredibly talented.”
Mr Croft writes for Cyber Daily, specialising in the fields of cyber security and technology. During his time at Momentum, he’s also produced content for Australian Aviation and Defence Connect.
Outside of writing, Mr Croft has a keen interest in music, and spends his time playing in bands around Sydney.
Ms Chen works across Momentum Media’s professional services portfolio, covering Accountants Daily and Accounting Times.
Prior to joining Momentum, Ms Chen wrote for City Hub, the South Sydney Herald and Honi Soit. She studied commerce at the University of Western Australia.
“I love the variety of the stories I get to cover every day,” Ms Chen said. “I could be writing about the economy in the morning, then writing about a business and interviewing its founders in the afternoon!”
Mr Wilson, who is also part of the professional services portfolio, covers HR Leader. With a background in environmental law and communications consultancy, he has a passion for language and factual storytelling.
“What has impressed me about Momentum, so far, is the trust that the editors on my publication, HR Leader, have placed in me. There’s a culture of: ‘first, try it out, second, here’s what we think’. I think those kinds of environments, at least for me, produce the best work,” Mr Wilson said.
“Regarding HR Leader, I’ve loved getting across a world that was largely unfamiliar to me. From a distance, you hear the infamous buzzwords: ‘hotdesking’, ‘bossware’, and so on, but getting the opportunity to see beyond the trends and to learn just how wrong your intuition often is, particularly when dealing with something as important as work, can be gratifying (albeit humbling).”
Momentum’s newest addition, Orana, joins the real estate portfolio, covering Real Estate Business (REB) and Smart Property Investment (SPI).
Ms Durney-Benson joined Momentum in spring 2023, having just completed her Honours in English Literature at the University of Sydney. A Sydney girl born and bred, Ms Durney-Benson loves writing thought-provoking content that Momentum's readers can connect with.
“I've been loving the diversity of projects that Momentum offers. Only three days in, I've already had the opportunity to sit in on a podcast recording, write original stories, and plan future video scripts and events,” Ms Durney-Benson said.
“My teammates have been amazingly welcoming and patient as I learn the ropes of editorial work at Momentum.”
Emma Musgrave, managing editor of professional services at Momentum Media, extended her congratulations to the journalists, saying:
"We are delighted to extend a warm welcome to the eight new journalists joining Momentum Media.
“Their arrival enriches our editorial capabilities, further elevating our commitment to delivering exceptional content across diverse sectors.”