Josh . Specialist Writer
Senior
Specialties -
Editorial, Blog, Publication, PR, Social Media.
I left New Zealand in 2001, with a ticket to Australia and a BA in Anthropology under my arm. After surfing through Sydney for a year I decided (in typical antipodean fashion) to leave for London. This was where my writing career began; with an editorial assistant post at Dazed & Confused Magazine, under one of my generation’s most visionary publishers, Jefferson Hack.
I moved to Melbourne in 2004, where I’ve since written for lifestyle/pop-culture publications Dazed & Confused, Russh, VICE, Oyster, Black (NZ), The Big Issue, Pop Manifesto (New York), and more. I’ve banged the keys for Australian web giants The Thousands, Lifelounge and Yen, too.
As a copywriter for print, radio and web, I’ve had clients in publishing, music, fashion, design, art, business, and photography. I’ve also delivered for agencies Supermarkart and Virtue; and their clients, 81 Hours and adidas Originals, respectively.
Until recently, I was the PR & Marketing Manager at Speak n Spell Music. Beyond guiding the brand’s artists and releases through innovative marketing strategies, I was responsible for crafting the reams of copy needed across print, web and direct. I now freelance as a publicist and music consultant - specialising in digital - with a number of music and agency clients on the hop.
I’m also writing a book with a local design guru and co-founder of Is Not Magazine. It’s a ‘How Not To’ book for aspiring creatives, to be filled with hilarious, cautionary anecdotes from established creatives – detailing the mistakes they made on their way to the top.
music / fashion / youth branding / arts / food + beverages
web: copy / marketing concepts / custodianship / social media
media liaison / PR: pressers / biographies / newsletters
"Prose is words in their best order; Poetry is the best words in their best order."
OK, so he was blotto on opiates. But don’t you think poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was onto something?
I’ve included this quote because a mentor once told me that poetry is the closest thing to copywriting in that Every. Word. Counts. Each syllable has its own, important job in holding up the metre and rhyme of a sentence. Each word works its magic to jump off the page and sing.
Ergo, I pick my words with care.
Conversational, colourful, concise and objective – I like to think that my copy talks to the everyman.
I draw my bow on empathy, information, and resonance. If you want long, evocative stories; short, sharp paragraphs; compelling headlines; or simply one word - I do it all.
I’m flexible with tone, too. I can play the comic, the cynic, and the straight man.
(And did I mention I’m as fast as an armour-piercing bullet?)
I also subscribe to the school of three Rs:
Research,
Research,
Research.
I get to know you, your history, and your audience, and then the crafting begins - the fun bit.
After all, you’ve got to enjoy what you’re writing. Because if you don’t, you can be sure no one’s going to enjoy reading it.
adidas Originals – ‘If The Shoe Fits, Keep Them’
To increase visits to their flagship retail outlets in NZ we created a modern day twist on the Cinderella story. Fans had the opportunity to win a pair of brand new sneakers by being the first to arrive with the matching foot size to the shoes on offer. I was responsible for the line, the concept, and the copy (for social media). I also headed the digital PR campaign.
City Of Melbourne - ‘Hot Spots’ Guide Winter 2010
Visiting Melbourne this winter? Want to be in the right place at the right time? You’ll need a copy of this guide. Send me your details and I’ll sling you one.
ebay – Super Social Media Strategy Solution Machine
I’m not above making a commodity of myself to get the right people to pay attention. I tried to sell myself on ebay. Slavery, of course, is illegal - so I disguised myself as a robot.