Soon after Hutchison moved into TV he was appointed Chief Football Reporter at Channel 10 in 1997 and began working at Triple M. In 1999 Craig moved to Channel 7 where he was Chief Football Reporter for eight years. In his TV news career, Craig Hutchison won the Australian Football Media Association award for Best Electronic Reporter a record 11 times, and in 2007 he added the prestigious Walkley Award to his journalistic resume.
Stories broken in TV included Wayne Carey’s sensational retirement from the Kangaroos due to an affair with a teammate’s wife and Malcolm Blight’s shock sacking at St Kilda. But it was content and the broader media business that became Craig’s focus.
In 2006 Craig established Crocmedia with fellow Aussie James Swanick. Initially created as a public relations and news distribution business, Crocmedia quickly developed into something entirely new- a media content and entertainment business specializing in radio syndication, television and online programming. Now CEO of the Crocmedia group, Craig’s vision has seen the company grow from four employees to 40 in just over five years.
In 2007, following a defection from the Seven Network, Craig joined the Nine Network in the specially created role of AFL Editor, where his reputation for breaking top AFL stories sees him play an instrumental role as a presenter and host in programs The Footy Show and the award-winning Footy Classified. In 2008 Craig created, and still hosts, the Saturday morning sports radio show, Off The Bench which enjoys a cult following on SEN 1116 and is syndicated nationally to over 100 regional markets.
