Writer at Large: What Am I?...

Monday, September 19, 2011

What Am I?...

I am first and foremost a writer.

Apart from writing for Marketing and Corporate Communication projects, I have also written two children's books - one already published in the US and another due for publication as a series in South Africa this year.

Right now, I am in the middle of writing "The Great Israeli-South African" novel....a fictionalized version of my life as reporter in Apartheid South Africa and subsequent events leading up to the present day in the Middle East (any publishers out there?). Apart from that, just to keep me from getting bored, I am a professional actor and voice-over artist, write and produce documentary movies and will shortly commence presenting a course in Marketing and Corporate Communiction.

As an actor, I have appeared in numerous stage and film productions, my best

known role being that of the American Ambassador in the Israeli satire "Israeli Intelligence - Ha'Mosad Ha'Sagur" which took two prizes at the recent Houston Comedy Film festival. I also have a one-man show based on the works of one of South Africa's greatest writers, Herman Charles Bosman - for which I won Best Actor in the the 2000 English Drama Festival in Tel Aviv.

I emigrated from Durban, South Africa at the end of 1987, with my wife, three children and a dog: my wife and I share our lives in Kfar Saba with four cats...(children have finally moved out and the dog died a long time ago...)

On stage in the role of Schalk Lourens in HC Bosman's "A Bekkersdal Marathon" - a hilarious look at life in the South African "outback"

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Good Reasons…

Here are some good reasons why you probably wouldn't want to use me for your corporate and marketing communication projects: I’m small; I’m old; I’m slow; I don’t follow instructions; I’m pedantic; I’m argumentative; I’m annoying; I speak only one language; I’m arrogant; and I’m quite expensive. …oh, and I’m also a little crazy.

Now here are some excellent reasons why you should let me handle all your corporate and marketing communication work…

I’m small – so you get personal service, hands-on, dedicated and caring; I care for your reputation as much as I care for mine…and that’s an awful lot.

I’m old – I’ve been in this business a long time and around the block a few times; and I’ve handled all sorts of projects, programs and campaigns. I know what it takes to develop an idea and make it work. I know this business inside out, and I’ll use my vast experience to develop GREAT material for you…material that gives you the recognition – and the creative edge – you deserve.

I’m slow – but I’ve never missed a deadline; I’m thorough, taking my time to make sure that everything I do is absolutely perfect for you – whether it’s a design brief, carefully considered, refined and designed to burst off the page as it should, or whether it’s copy that I write and rewrite and bash about over and over, until it sparkles; or project plans that I check and re-check and rework and fine-tune until they’re perfect.

I don’t follow instructions…because I think out-of-the-box and don’t like to be limited by conventional ideas. Just following orders is boring…but delivering something exciting and different, is challenging and exhilarating and effective – for your target audience and for you,

I’m pedantic – I’m an uncompromising manager: crossing the “t’s” and dotting the “i’s” and ensuring that your project runs like clockwork, down to the very last detail – on time, on brief, on budget.

I’m argumentative…because when I believe in a concept I’ll fight for its right to be born, using all my persuasive skills and experience to prove my point. But, hey, sometimes I don’t succeed and then I’ll let you have your own way – you are the client after all.

I’m annoying – because I want to get into your head and find out what really makes you and your business tick; I ask a lot of dumb questions; I ferret about examining all the nooks and crannies of how your business runs and what your customers want from you: and then I create great material to give it to them.

I speak only one language – that’s the language of Marketing – and it’s mostly in English, the international language of business which I talk good/well/damn good/damn well/pretty good (?…what the hell!) – but I also work with an outstanding team of translators and multi-language marketing writers; so, if you need anything written in a foreign language, German or Japanese, Russian or Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi or Icelandic - I can handle that too…

I’m arrogant – because I don’t just take on any old work – I only seek quality clients, with a real appreciation of the value of creativity and the willingness to invest their time, effort and money in making it work, ultimately for their own benefit.

And I’m quite expensive (well, sort of...) – because when I’m well rewarded for excellent work, I’m motivated to continue producing it…for you - but I'll ALWAYS meet your budget and there are NEVER any hidden charges.

...oh, and I’m also a little crazy – but that’s what makes working with me so interesting and exciting: I’m always coming up with crazy ideas – and I have fun making them work.

Good enough reasons? Contact me...