AKA “Boet Fighter: The Game: The Movie!” Boet Fighter was (well, technically still is) a video game, first and foremost. It also became a social media phenomenon in South Africa, and an often-imitated comedy brand unto itself. But mainly, it was a game (one that even broke an iStore record and won a Loerie and
After more than a year and a half in planning and production, I’m very pleased to announce the official launch of my newly founded children’s book publishing company, Turtlebird Books. Our website is live at www.turtlebirdbooks.com, our first book – A Penguin Called Dave (and How the Day Was Saved), by Gord Laws, illustrated by
In 2020, I was contracted by McCann Frankfurt to write a TVC for the new Opel Grandland X Plug-in Hybrid, alongside Donovan Bryan and the McCann/Opel Team in Germany. My first time writing in English intended to be translated into German, this was an interesting and enjoyable challenge. Once various script-angle options had been approved
Early in 2020, I conceptualised and wrote this new campaign for the Mazda CX-5, alongside Marais Janse van Rensburg, and the wonderful team at Grey South Africa… After my contracted period had ended, the Grey Team went on to produce these TVCs and OOH executions for two of the proposed story routes, in my absence.
You’d kinda expect it would be the opposite, right? While many of us are self-isolating – either out of choice or by mandate – you’d think the internet connecting us to friends, family and acquaintances near and far, would be just what the psychiatrist ordered. If ever there was a moment for the internet (and
I love to see my friends each day,And tell them all hello.I love to give them lots of hugs,I’m sad to see them go.I’m happy each and every time,There’s something new to share!I love to greet most everyone…But that guy, over there. I only want the best for folks,My friends and family.I want to see
I headed up last year’s 7s campaign for the fifth time in seven* years, and it was bigger, better and more effective than ever! SARU are an ongoing – and favourite – client of mine. Each year (just about*) I have the honour of heading up the marketing campaign for the HSBC Cape Town Sevens
A poem I wrote because people on the Internet make me sad sometimes. UPDATE: This will soon be published as an illustrated children’s book, under my new publishing company, Turtlebird Books. Keep an eye out for that. Thanks to everyone who demanded I finally get around to it! There once were some people, Who were
It’s a question I get asked all the time. How did I get started as a VO artist? And, how can others do the same? Well, let’s get you started, shall we… The voice-over industry. It’s one of those catch-22 vibes, where the more work you’ve done, the more work you tend to get. Which
During 2020, I was brought on board by the good people at Tutuka, to help them plan and then execute the copy for a brand-new website redesign, rebuild, rebrand and relaunch. The site is no longer live, as of December 2021, since the merging and rebranding of the company to Paymentology. I was brought on
This week (Nov 28, 2019), we successfully launched the first mobile port of the original PC version of Boet Fighter for iOS on the iStore. And it went brilliantly! We quickly shot to number one on the SA downloads chart, and would remain there for some weeks to come. The iOs mobile version, at the
After more than a year in development, Boet Fighter for PC finally launched this week on Steam. Priced at ZAR199, it’s on sale and, so far, selling well! We launched our officially teaser trailer (below) a few weeks ago, as well as put on an excellent launch event at The Nexus Hub in Randburg. Thanks
I’m so happy was able to find this old poem of mine. I wrote it in 2012 for an entertainment website I used to co-author with my buddy Dale. A few years ago, though, the hosting lapsed and the backups were lost, along with a bunch of my favourite poems. I managed to find this
A “new” video of an SA Boytjie narrating a game drive has been doing the rounds again. It’s actually Part Two in a 2016 series where my alter ego, Hard Eddy, jols some schweet, kak-informative descriptions over a wildlife video shot by my charnas at PVR films… Sadly, these videos, which seem to go viral
First of all… Don’t be sorry. It’s okay to want to earn a decent living. You’re worth it. If you didn’t think you were, you would never have had the ovaries to make the daunting (and sometimes, frankly, terrifying) decision to leave the comfort of a cushy (if, possibly exploitative) job to begin with. And
This was a really enjoyable project to work on. I was asked by Marketing Exec Angie Daniel at footwear distributor Dangee|Carken to write the concept and voice-over script for a TVC, featuring South African hip hop icon, Kwesta, to announce the launch of his new signature sneaker. The brief allowed me to write in slam-poetry-meets-hip-hop
I’m exceedingly proud to have conceptualised and written this campaign, including three TV ads, for Business Day in 2013. Together with my partner at OwenKessel (now Leo Burnett), Beth Hughes (now Dessington), my ECD Don Bryan, Account Exec Kate Jager (now Hawkins), CD Mike Cook and the champs at Velocity Films, we made some work
A campaign that I conceptualised, creative-directed, and wrote for Cipla’s CSI division – The Cipla Foundation – during 2016, whilst working as Executive Creative Strategist at HoneyKome. Cipla is brand that really walk the walk when it comes to dedication to doing good. Their Foundation has several divisions, focusing on primary healthcare, distribution of medicine
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
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 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,
In a land knowns as Florida, Far, far away,There lived beasts of pleasure,Who chilled out the whole day.No one could begrudge them,Their natural way,“For manatees are manatees”,The old folk did say. They’d lie in the sun,And get righteously blazed,From sunup to sunset,For days and for days.Then when the sun,Had receded its rays,They’d go under water,And
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
“It’s MY profile”, you say? “I’ll say what I want”, you say? No, it’s not. And no, you won’t. Because you’re in public. So have some bloody manners. By Gord Laws. Imagine you arrive at a giant house party. It’s full of all your friends and even more of your acquaintances. Literally hundreds (if not
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
I’m spreading Butro onto a corn cracker in rushed, trembling panic. It’s a finely poised balancing act. I have to achieve a relatively even coverage as quickly as humanly possible, but not so quickly that I break the fragile, compressed disc. If that happens, it will break my stride, preventing me from getting the cracker
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
Hi, I’m Gord. In 2009/10, I lost 67kg (147lb). These ten articles are my favourites from a period in my life (2011 mostly) when, having just lost all that weight, I was learning and experiencing a great deal every day. Writing was (and still is) my outlet for understanding, learning and trying to help others.
