In recent years Olaf has focused on music and travel journalism. He co-writes the weekly Under The Radar column in Scotland on Sunday [which previously appeared monthly in The Scotsman] and his work has been appeared in The Guardian and Press & Journal as well as trade publications Billboard, Music Week, I-Q, Musik Woche and Music Ally.
On 22 July 2011 Olaf was close to the site of the Oslo bombing and was the first person to report live from the scene for the BBC network. Additional pieces appeared in The Scotsman and Scotland On Sunday.
Olaf started out as a reviewer for local station Radio Forth during his teens, and has gone on to write for a wide range of media, covering everything from student criminals to the Mexican forensic service. This is reflected in his choice of interviewees, many of whom he spoke to before they became household names. They include former Mexican president Vicente Fox, ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone, author Irvine Welsh, jailed publicist Max Clifford, Turner Prize winner Keith Tyson and hundreds of bands and music industry figures.
In the mid-nineties Olaf wrote for Scotland On Sunday, i-D Magazine, The Mexico City Times, Mexico Business, The Scotsman, DJ Magazine and yoof technology magazine Cyberia, of which he was features editor. Moreover, he completed a postgraduate diploma in periodicals journalism at London’s City University.
In 1998 Olaf was part of the founding editorial team behind pan-European music industry magazine, fono. After ten months he was promoted to news editor, responsible for coordinating a team of 20 foreign correspondents and in-house freelancers. This was followed by the Hamburg-based role of editor-at-large, building the profile of the publication in Germany and overseeing media partnerships with German organisations such as The German Dance Awards and trade fair Popkomm.
In addition to fono, Olaf also wrote for fono’s sister publications Music Week, Music Business International and music video trade magazine, Promo.
Since returning to Scotland Olaf has covered the Scottish, German and Nordic music scenes for several music-industry titles including Billboard, Audience, I-Q, Music Week, Record Of The Day and PRS members’ magazine M.
As a journalist Olaf has made numerous contacts in the media, both at home and abroad. These relationships have proved invaluable in attracting coverage for his tourism and event clients, not least because he has a comprehensive grasp of what his peers need in terms of information, photographs and other relevant material.
He has extensive experience negotiating media partnerships as an editor and as an event organiser, as well as being able to pen a snappy press release.
Although he has yet to write a book, he wrote two chapters in Time Out’s first guide to Edinburgh and one about Norwegian bands for a volume to mark the centenary of Norway’s songwriters’ association NOPA.
Encouraging Music Tourism, I-Q Magazine
An Alt Music Tour Of Scotland, The Guardian
Pohoda Festival Review, The Scotsman
Basque Country Travel Article, Scotland on Sunday
Brussels Travel Article, Scotland on Sunday
Music Cities Report, Musik Woche Part 1
Music Cities Report, Musik Woche Part 2
Tallinn Music Week Report, Musik Woche
Sørveiv Festival in Norway, Clash
Mexico City’s Green Wave, Aftenposten Innsikt
Travelling Mexico City’s metro, Svenska Dagbladet
Away Game Festival on the Isle of Eigg, The Scotsman
Oslo’s music hotel, The Guardian.
Olaf Furniss 