5Qs: Danielle Finestone, Founder of ToFoodies
Danielle Finestone, Founder of ToFoodies sat down with APEX PR to answer 5 burning questions. We thought that we would share it on our website as well, since we still get these questions from a lot of you!
What else do you want to know about ToFoodies and how it all started? Send us a DM or let us know in the comments below.
1. What first attracted you to the industry?
“First, food. I have always been obsessed with food, scouring menus and restaurant reviews way before I could choose where to go myself. But food and music and media have been a constant, all intertwined in my professional dreams. I was a theatre major at an arts high school and applied to many, many, (nine!) different post-secondary programs not knowing what to do. But eventually, I got in tune with myself and went straight for the jugular when I went to Ryerson University’s RTA program where I then interned at MTV, Sony Music and the Marilyn Denis Show. A different kind of theatre, but I kept those central interests close and got into freelance writing, where I LOVED seeing the events side. By the time I graduated, Instagram was invented (literally) and the landscape had drastically changed from what it was when I entered a four-year program. My thoughts of being MuchMusic VJ or MTV Host started changing towards the more tangible opportunity of being a content creator, where viewership was and is democratized on social media. But first, I spent time freelancing and working at a major label where I learned so much more about the entertainment industry and marketing. Then, I started ToFoodies and fully took the plunge.”
2. What are some ways that you’ve grown your following and how have you kept them engaged?
“ToFoodies has grown organically over 5+ years but funnily enough, I think the best way to grow your online following is to do IRL (In Real Life) collaborations as a brand, as a person, as a media company. If I am meeting and supporting the food community around me, I like to think that the love comes back. And that same sentiment can be taken for the digital side as well. There will always be more that I can do to pump out content that would engage the ToFoodies audience in new ways, like build a newsletter and a podcast, and these are things that I am currently working on. But in the day to day, it can be as simple as getting back to DM’s faster and writing back my true answers when someone takes the time to comment. This is not done with a specific schedule or checklist, but I take into account how I would want to be interacted with and try to do the same. Be human.”
3. How will advancements in technology affect your work?
… Read the rest over at APEX
