Thank you. Thank you very much.
A number of editors, managers, clients, and colleagues have chimed in at various times with kind words about my work. I've had a number of terrific work experiences in San Francisco, and these people have all played important roles in making them so enjoyable.
Brad Harvey on my food writing and content production
"Charles does exceptional work, takes direction like a pro, and is a motivated self-starter. He approaches his job with an eye for detail and shows laser-like focus on the task at hand. I highly recommend Charles and look forward to working with him again when the opportunity arises."
— Brad Harvey, former Project and Content Manager at ChefsBest
Kathryn McEachern on my food writing
"Charles is a valuable asset to any editorial team. He's hard-working and diligent and tackles every project with equal parts enthusiasm and professionalism. He works incredibly well independently and is proactive about helping the team, instead of waiting for assignments. As a writer, he possesses a very rare combination of creativity and distance: He is clearly passionate about his work, but is also able to graciously and maturely accept feedback — and the end product is always strong as a result."
— Kathryn McEachern, former Senior Content Manager at ChefsBest
Nick Smith on my speech writing
"Thanks to Charles, I 'killed' a recent awards dinner audience with a speech he wrote for me."
— Nick Smith, Correspondent at KGO-TV
Dave LaDuke on my marketing writing
"Charles did a nice little piece for Sputnik to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our namesake, the Sputnik 1 satellite. Charles' writing is dry, witty, well researched, thoughtful, and he completed the assignment ahead of time. He is a pleasure to work with, and as good as his word. If you're looking for a writer, I would highly recommend Charles."
— Dave LaDuke, CEO at Sputnik.com
Jeremy Nisen on my urban environment writing
"During my tenure at SFist, I was thrilled to bring Charles onboard as a contributor. Long an admirer of his other projects, I had hopes that his sharp sensibilities, quirky humor, and excellent writing would bring something new, fresh, and lasting to the site. Charles more than fulfilled my expectations. To this day, his Blocker features remain some of the best SFist ever carried. It's the kind of evergreen content a city blog can really hang its hat on. I'd hire Charles for any kind of writing or editing project in a second, given the opportunity."
— Jeremy Nisen, former Editor at SFist.com
John Alderman on my music writing
"Everyone should be so lucky as to work with someone like Charles. He's competent without being pedantic, passionate without being reckless, and dependable without being boring. When he's at work on something, you know it's going to be fun to read, well-reasoned, and that you'll walk away knowing more than you did before, whether it's about soulful burritos or gut-wrenching jazz pianists."
— John Alderman, former Music and Lifestyles Editor at MP3.com at CNET
Tim Mitchell on my music writing and content production
"Charles has an excellent work ethic and a great attitude. He's one of those people who can take his job seriously without taking himself too seriously, and as a result is a great team player. He writes very well and can be serious as well as sardonic. He also has excellent taste in both music and burritos...a combination that's hard to find, quite frankly. I fully endorse the Hodge."
— Tim Mitchell, former Director of MP3.com at CNET
Nick Tangborn on my music writing, editing, and personnel management
"Charles was a wonderful manager of his team, a dedicated, hard-working writer and editor, and is an all-around good guy. I recommend him highly."
— Nick Tangborn, former VP of Content at Listen.com (now Rhapsody America)
Daniel Taylor on Burritoeater.com
"I knew Burritoeater.com was a genius site from the first time I laid eyes on it. But it was on a fine San Francisco day, a couple years back, while lost somewhere in the Inner Sunset that I realized the sheer awesomeness of it. I accessed the site from my phone, used the neighborhood search function, found an amazing burrito spot tucked away on a side street that I never would have found on my own, and enjoyed a fantastic lunch. They say the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and thus, my eternal love burns bright for Burritoeater.com."
— Daniel Taylor, Editor at Synthesis Magazine / Synthesis Network