87. Putting more FUN in your fundamentals with Kalyl Kadri

This week’s chat with Kal is basically two brand nerds getting properly excited about themed offers, world-building, and why most brands still sound like they’ve been through a corporate blender. Kal came from 15 years in theatre, made the switch to branding and copy, and now runs Words Hurt, where he helps businesses put more FUN in their fundamentals and get booked out while causing a scene. We get into how theatre still shapes everything he does, why a theme without purpose is just decoration, and where play sits in his whole approach to creative direction.What we get into:* How Words Hurt started as an experiment to see how far Kal could push his own creativity (spoiler: nobody hated it)* Why themes need an actual purpose, and the ice cream cone analogy that explains what a working theme really does* Where “play” fits into running a business, and why it’s the difference between having an imagination well full or bone dryAbout Kalyl:A former theatre-maker turned creative director, Kalyl writes brands with bite, identities that feel alive under the skin, messaging with vertebrae, and stories that refuse to sit quietly in the corner.He has a decade and a half of experience directing performers onstage and nearly as long directing founders and creators on the page. He runs Words Hurt, where he helps businesses put more FUN in their fundamentals, and get booked out while causing a scene.Links from this episode:* Website: words-hurt.com* Instagram: @words-hurt.copy* Newsletter: Once More, With FEELING — the most dramatic newsletter on the internet ======================🍞 Want your offer to stop getting overlooked? Brand your signature offer in 7 days. Stick it in the Offer Oven 👉 studiocoya.com/offeroven💌 Want this podcast, more design nuggets as well as a nosey at what’s cooking behind the scene delivered straight to your inbox? studiocoya.com/newsletter📱 Let’s be friends on Instagram: instagram.com/studiocoya This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit studiocoya.substack.com