BIOGRAPHY
Christina is an award-winning writer and photographer, and an emerging screenwriter. She was previously chief eater at The Hungry Australian, Executive Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and Corporate Development Manager at London’s South Bank Centre.
As a globe-trotting ABC (Australian Born Chinese) and twice-married mother of two, she is passionate about creating diverse, interesting and complicated characters in her work. She loves mining the drama and comedy to be found in stories about cultural identity, intergenerational conflict, family dynamics, and gender issues, across different forms.
Recently, she has worked in development on original scripted drama series for Disney+, the ABC and SBS. She was the notetaker in the writer’s rooms for a new, original drama series for Disney+ premiering in 2024, a new drama series for the ABC and for a new web series, Confinement, for SBS’ Digital Originals. She was also an observer in a 15-day writers’ room for a new TV drama being developed for Disney+.
She was awarded a 2023 Varuna Fellowship, shortlisted for the 2022 SBS Emerging Screenwriters’ Incubator, selected for the 2022 AFTRS Talent Camp SA and commissioned to contribute a short story for Liminal x Arts SA’s ‘Haunt’ chapbook.
Christina has completed numerous screenwriting courses and programs with AFTRS, Corey Mandell, Mercury CX, and Script University and a note-taking workshop with AWG/SBS.
OTHER AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
Christina’s former food & travel blog, The Hungry Australian, was the national winner of the Australian Writers’ Center’s Best Australian Blogs 2014 competition over 1,100 other blogs. She also won the Outstanding Use of Photography award in the same competition the previous year for her story on Dubai’s markets and souks.
In 2015 Christina was one of three photographers commissioned to shoot a coffee table book, Flavours of South Australia, for Smudge Publishing, which covered 130 restaurants and wineries over 500+ pages. The book won gold in the International Book Awards ‘Cookbooks: International’ category.
In mid-2016, Apple asked Christina/The Hungry Australian to be part of their Australian campaigns for their iPad, iPad Mini, IPad Air, and iPad Pro.
In 1993-4, Christina was awarded an Asialink arts management residency to work at the Hong Kong Fringe Club for three months.
THE LONGER STORY
Hello! I was born in Adelaide, South Australia, to a Tiger Mum from Hong Kong and an easy-going dad from Malaysia. Growing up caught between cultures was confusing, but working in Asia helped me to understand that I would always feel like an outsider and that what I thought were my weaknesses were actually strengths.
I completed a BA (Chinese) and Grad. Dip. in Anthropology at Adelaide University and a Grad. Dip. in Management (Arts) at UniSA. I started writing in my teens because I thought writers were the coolest people and I wanted an excuse to meet my favourite bands. I got into publicity and marketing because I stuck my hand up when my singing group (Before You Were Blonde) needed a publicist. Both led to my first paid jobs as co-editor-in-chief at On Dit, Adelaide University’s student newspaper and publicity & marketing coordinator at Carclew Youth Arts Centre. On the side, I also managed my brother’s indie-pop band, Brunatex, which was nominated for Best Unsigned Act at the national Music Industry Critics Association awards.
After university, I headed overseas. I spent 13 years working in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Leeds and Melbourne in the arts, not-for-profit, and media industries. I have been employed as a freelance writer, a marketing manager, a sub-editor, a fundraising manager, a marketing & development manager, an executive director and a board director.
During my extended maternity leave, I started a food and travel blog, The Hungry Australian. This led to a full-time career as a food and travel writer, recipe developer, photographer, presenter, and blogger. During this time, I worked with numerous Australian and international F&B brands, media outlets and tourism boards.
My writing has been published in Jetstar Magazine, Tiger Tales, That’s Shanghai, 8 Days, The China Daily, The Adelaide Review, Honest Cooking, Adelaide Dining Magazine, Aspire, About.com, She Knows,Rip It Up, dB and Sumptuous. My recipes and photography have been featured in Elle, She Knows, Woman’s Day, Gourmet, Elle Decor, Food & Home Entertaining (South Africa), The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Apartment Therapy, In Daily, The Kitchn, and KidSpot.
In 2017, I retired from blogging to focus on other creative and family projects. I also began working with my brother’s education technology company, Makers Empire, as its marketing director.
I live in Adelaide, Australia, with my kind and patient husband, two hormonal teenagers and a delightful labradoodle named General Iroh.
(c) All text and photographs by Christina Soong 2013-2024. Photographs may not be reproduced without permission. Please contact me for republication and licensing rights.
