I write ads for startups, and software for myself.

I'm the maker of Petflair, Decka and Creative Director at Koala.

As webmaster of this page, I share war stories from projects and think aloud about marketing, advertising and software. I like to mix business with pleasure.

📍 Sydney, Australia
Mega Guide

How we built an in-house creative agency

In just a few months, we started producing the best work we ever had, and lots of it. Read why this model is the future of advertising, and how to do it yourself.

Blog

Why client-side is no longer French Rugby

Going client-side used to be like leaving the National Rugby League, and signing a contract with French Rugby Union. But those days are over (at least in our experience at Koala).

Marketing

Lessons learnt from going viral

Our product, Petflair, went viral on Facebook. Now that the dust is settled, here's what we did right (and what we did wrong).

Koala

How we do creative marketing at Koala

We apply software principles to marketing and take creative risks. This has helped us create a brand that is well-loved and growing crazy.

Van Diemens Land

Creating an Australian lifestyle brand

Van Diemen's Land is my vision for an Australian lifestyle brand, creating premium luggage and bedding from heavy canvas.

Mega Guide

Learning programming for advertising people

As a creative person, you should learn programming. Here's a step-by-step guide to getting into code, with all the relevant learning resources that I used.

Harris Farm Markets

Rebranding a supermarket

During my time at Special Group in Sydney, I worked on rebranding an iconic green grocer to take them closer to the farm.

Blog

Computer science 101

99% of people think computers are magic and haven't pulled back the curtain on the mystery. So here's 5 things worth knowing.

Blog

Will robots replace the advertising creative?

The truck driver's days are numbered, but what about the art director and copywriter? Is the sky falling in yet?

Worldwide Med

Building a search engine for med schools

Worldwide Med is the first back-end system I coded from scratch. The result was a simple CMS that upgraded my skills from beginner to intermediate.

Advertising

Big Bash Cricket

Disclaimer: I love cricket. So to get to work on a campaign for the game's new professional competition was a dream result.

Advertising

TV ads I made

These are a couple of the TVCs I was lucky enough to make in my three years working in advertising agencies.

R.M. Williams

Rebooting an icon

This project was a real pleasure to work on, given my love for the R.M. Williams brand, which has been taken seriously as a clothing outfitter for country-based Australians for decades.

Blog

My story (so far)

You don't really know what you like doing (or what you're good at) until you try a bunch of things. And I've tried more than my fair share in the last decade.

Charlie Gearside
© 2018 Charlie Gearside
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