Before Spotify, before Apple Music, and even before Google Play (RIP), there was Simfy. Same idea, just a few years ahead of its time (circa 2012). Which would be its downfall, ironically. The idea was the same. Streaming music, on demand, with all the major labels on board. The brand had launched in certain European
This was a lot of fun… with literally zero budget! We had a funny idea, so I wrote it, played all the characters, creative-directed it, and got it done! My long-time clients at SARU had brought me on to oversee the creative campaign for the 2016 Cape Town 7s event. At the time, I was
Starting this article, I wanted to begin by saying that “specialised, experienced advertising/content consultants are the future”. But, in truth, we’re already the solution, right now. When your business takes on a “traditional” or “big” agency, most of your marketing-spend essentially goes to keeping alive vast, complicated systems that exist purely to put distance, people,
A million views in five days! SA Rugby asked us to create a message from the Springboks to the 2016 SA Olympic Team, wishing them good luck and showing them that the Boks are 100% behind them. In less than a week, the video notched up seven figures’ worth of combined views, across several social
A handy collection of just a few of the radio ads I’ve written over the years. Like many creatives who’ve been at it a while, I’m generally not great at archiving my work. But, in 2016 I threw this collection together on Soundcloud. It’s got some pieces I really like and I’m glad I have
This was a cool brief that let me use my background as a rapper and musician, and my love of rhyme, to make something fun for DSTV, for whom I did a lot of work in the early/mid 2010s. These aired in, I think, 2014 or so. iRock was a music festival in South Africa,
A Youtube preroll ad campaign (and a supporting TV ad), which I conceptualised, wrote and directed for Sportingbet, picked up an award for “Innovative Use of Media” at the 2017 Bookmarks. The campaign, executed in 2016 during my tenure as Executive Creative Strategist at HoneyKome, picked up a Bronze Award at the 2017 Bookmarks. The
This month, Sportingbet South Africa released a series of TV commercials to be flighted across the Supersport channels. I’m very proud to have conceptualised and written the ads, the campaign line and the strategy for HoneyKome, the agency for whom I work(ed) as Executive Creative Strategist (at the time of writing). The campaign has been in
I’m really glad to have recently rediscovered some of this work on an old hard drive, even though I would love to have more of it on file. It was an account I worked on for three years, between 2011 and 2014, during my time at OwenKessel (later merged with LeoBurnett). In 2011, Amstel Lager
A project that I conceptualised and creative-directed for Converse, whilst working at HoneyKome in 2015. Converse SA wanted an interesting way to showcase their ad-spend for the year, and the variety of ATL and BTL channels they’d used. Our idea was to show the transformation of a pair of new shoes, into a pair with
Meet “Braaian Webber”; a “schweet South African boytjie” of a braai, longing for the spark to be put back into his life. I had the pleasure of providing the voice of Braaian (who happens to sound a great deal like my youtube comedy character, Hard Eddy). It was a really fun voice-over, which allowed a bit
To wish the Springbok Sevens Team good luck as they embarked on the final few legs of the 2014/2015 HSBC World Sevens Series, SARU tasked HoneyKome with creating a good-luck message for the team. At the time, the Cricket World Cup was underway, and the build-up for the Rugby World Cup was beginning to generate
I was recently invited by UK-based freelance hub, Regus Connect, to write a guest article for their industry-related blog. They’d seen my recent “How To Rule at Freelancing: 34 Hard-earned Tips” feature on this site, and found it really helpful to their users. I was thrilled to lend a hand (or, keyboard, as the case
To hell with clickbait. This, right here, is an old-school, comprehensive, in-depth feature article, based on a whole bunch of hard-earned experience. SEO be damned. This is actually intended to benefit mankind. Going solo in the Creative Industries (advertising, editorial, TV production, web design, video editing, whatever) is a dream for many of us “creatives*”. Freedom from office hours, status
This proud announcement is actually five months overdue. But, in my defence, we have been busy. Which is a good thing. Despite the belated announcement on this, my own personal platform, I feel it’s certainly worth celebrating… Hailstorm is up and running. We’re officially open for business! At the end of 2014, my good friend, long-time
When budget is limited and you need to make a TV ad for a beloved national team, there’s only one thing for it… Do everything! With the awesome team at Love Digital, I conceptualised, pitched, scripted, voiced, and then starred in this Supersport TV ad for the Sevens Tournament in Nelson Mandela Bay, which took place
I’m very chuffed to report that the “Understand Your Country” three-TV-ad campaign that I wrote for Business Day during 2013 has been awarded a Silver Loerie at the 2014 Awards this weekend. The project was an (intensive) labour of love and I’m very fond of the ads. And, of the teams at Owen Kessel and Velocity Films that
When I lost more than 65kg in 14 months during 2009/10, the process was as intense emotionally as it was physically. When you’re talking about losing more than what many people weigh, you’re talking big changes. Men’s Health wanted the story from the perspective of what a (then) 28-year life is like in one body, and how
There are several good stories that have their origins in the night of Coke Fest, 2008. This Q&A that I conducted in Korn’s dressing room after the show – with me at least a sheet or two to the wind – is but one of them. After the show, there were many delays before the
This was an incredibly rad interview, and definitely one of my most memorable ever. I got to interview Corey Taylor (author, and vocalist of slipknot and Stone Sour) who is not only one of my all-time favourite singers and lyricists, but also a personality whom I greatly admire. What was even radder was the fact that he
I suppose we all knew the day would come sooner or later. And by “we”, I don’t only mean the public, but also the staff at South Africa’s original and best-loved men’s entertainment magazine. Especially the ones who served long tenures there. Still, getting the call from my homeboy, FHM Editor Louis Raubenheimer, on Monday
This is a really exciting piece of work for me. As you may know, or have read in the About Gord section, I spent a lot of years at FHM, where I am still very involved. It’s a great love of mine. So, facilitating the acquisition of the FHM ad account at OwenKessel and overseeing
The annual Pica Awards (referred to, somewhat optimistically, by some, as “the Oscars of the SA Magazine Industry”) were held on November 14, 2013. I was very pleased to learn that I won first place in the “Best Health & Wellness feature” category for the “King of the Fat Guys” feature I wrote for Men’s
