On 1 April 2026, Twisted Toast Digital turns 15. It’s hard for me to believe.

I’m not sure why but lately both our history and future have been on my mind. We’re lucky to be busy with work from a wide and diverse client roster across many different industries. This made me think about all our various clients with whom we’re sharing our journey, as well as our agency’s ebb and flow.

Our aerospace client from Texas, USA is one example of a valued, long-standing client that has been with us from December 2019, marking a six-year relationship across the Atlantic. Another international client based in Norway, a leader in research auditing, started with us in February 2015 and we’ve just completed an innovative new business intelligence data visualisation project for them.

Several other clients from different business sectors, including public benefit, property development, agriculture, media and architecture have been with us for over a decade each.

Then a week or so ago, we were approached by a leading brand in logistics for urgent assistance that may lead to a long-term partnership if all goes well.

Amazingly for me, we may even go right back to our media roots. An exciting development is currently shaping up that could land us back in (now digital only) magazine publishing. We’re keeping fingers crossed, because it will be great fun to go back to our history in media creation and publishing. We’ve even started toying with the idea of a Twisted Toast Media Division, if the right stars are aligned.

A hardcover printed book project we’ve just completed for a special client was a labour of love and reminded us of the power of the (carefully edited) written word. Actually, we find ourselves writing more than ever before! For another new client we are providing media relations and PR services.

In this vein, we were recently successful in placing a long-standing New York-based client in the entertainment industry on the jury panel of a local film and television awards programme, which took some doing as things at these awards were in flux for the better part of the year. But now it’s over the line and everything is in motion.

During pitch prep for another possible client engagement, we had enormous fun toying around with Sora 2, the AI-only 10-second social media video app from OpenAI. We stitched together a 30-second commercial from three separate 10 seconders, making up an almost-real commercial.

While playing with Sora 2 was amazing at first, we soon realised that while it’s a great process to go through to get us thinking about the creation of a commercial in a practical way, it’s just such a gimmicky thing that we wouldn’t show it to anyone else!

The good old, tried-and-tested “theatre of the mind” storyboard process works so much better for clients to imagine, themselves, what could be done for a campaign, rather than delving too much into soulless, unnecessary production noise. Clients are adept at understanding ideas on their own merit. There is thus no need to pre-produce commercials at the ideation stage. This insight is a great relief for us.

It’s been a productive learning curve though, figuring out when and more importantly, when not to call on AI for help. In addition, it’s great to know that while AI can be incredible in adding to our thinking, we’re way ahead of it when it comes to practising our own human, emotive creative craft.

The publicity work we’re doing, coupled with our possible re-entry into the world of media publishing, means we could find ourselves on both ends of the media spectrum, creating and pitching media releases, stories and exclusives, as well as receiving these from other practitioners on behalf of their clients. Quite a unique spot for us to be in as not many media relations agencies also publish their own media!

This helps us understand both sides of the media equation, that the practice of media relations is, not to put too fine a point on it, all about relationships. And personality, of course, which I humbly propose we’re not too short of.

As December approaches it feels good to be in a creative agency in Mzansi. Our work is varied, partnerships long, momentum real. Long may it last.