Bye bye Blackdog, hello Pocket54

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Twenty years is a long time to carry a name. Now I think about it I've been using the moniker since I was a teenager.

Blackdog Media served me well. Originally it grew from the idea of being multi facetted business providing media services, web design, audio recording, technical support. Over recent years I've started to focus on web as the main business. It is my joy. I love seeing businesses I partner with doing well as a result of how I've helped them. Me and my network have developed strategies that provide incredible results we're really proud of.

The name was originally just a bit of fun. It launched my career, landed some clients I'm genuinely proud of, and kept the lights on through every twist the web industry threw at us. But somewhere along the way, the name stopped fitting.

Blackdog Media always felt like it could be anything: an agency, a production house, a ten-person team. The ambiguity was unintentional - clients weren't always clear on what I provided, and clarity is essential to a solid business (if you've worked with us, you'll know that).

Goodbye Blackdog, Hello Pocket54

So on with the new. Pocket54 reflects how I actually work: a one-person studio that punches well above its weight. No account managers, no junior handoffs, no layers between you and the person doing the work. Just over two decades of craft, distilled into something leaner. We also are now working alongside a network of some of the best in the industry:

What's actually changed?

The rebrand isn't actually just cosmetic. It's come alongside a genuine shift in how I build things.

I've moved away from page-builder-heavy WordPress setups toward modern stacks - Astro, Next.js, performant databases, infrastructure I control. That means sites that are faster, more performant, and built on foundations that are more robust and less reliant on plugins or open source platforms. I still support WordPress clients, and I'll build in it when it's the right tool. But it's no longer my default.

I've also got clearer about who I work best with. Small businesses and organisations that want a partner, not a vendor. Clients who care about the quality of what gets built, not just the cheapest route to something that technically works.

Same clients, better work

If you've worked with me under the Blackdog banner, nothing changes on your end. The same person picks up the phone. The same person pushes the code. You just get a bit more of the clarity I should have led with years ago.

And if you're new here, welcome! Have a look around. I have some new projects coming up which I'm very excited to share with you.

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