Afterlife: How to make media that is Doing Good

Last week Aiden Heugh (musical artist) and Noah Kahn (DGP head creative) sat down with CapeTalk to talk about Afterlife.
A song that was created in a bedroom studio in the Cape Flats, and a short film about the young man who made it, was discussed on one of Cape Town's biggest radio stations.

It's a moment worth pausing on.
Not because of the airtime, but because of how it got there.

The Idea, Then Action

Aiden was raised by his grandparents and introduced to music by his late grandfather, Charles. He stayed after school in the music programme to be around the sound.
After matriculating, he worked hard and bought secondhand equipment, built a studio in his bedroom, and recorded for local artists while quietly making his own music.

Afterlife is his first official release.

When we heard his music, we enjoyed it, but his story stopped us in our tracks, and the idea to create a short film for Aiden was born. So we picked up the camera and made a short film about him, and a music video for Afterlife. No brief, no client, no budget line. Just a good story and our decision to act on it.

Ideas are cheap.

Action is what turns them into something real.

A Story That Grows

Once the film was complete, the work wasn't. We shared Aiden's story with radio, press and media, hoping someone would carry it further. CapeTalk did.

Now more people know his name. More people have heard his music.
And every new listener may be "the one" that need's to hear it to take it further.

The honest truth is that none of this needed us. Aiden's talent was always there. But without someone choosing to tell his story, and funding it, it may have stayed in that bedroom studio, known to a handful of people. That's the gap we help to to close.

Doing What We Were Built to Do

Doing Good Projects started with a simple model. We make media for brands, and 5% of that revenue funds films for stories no one else would tell. Then we get those stories in front of people who can help them grow.

Afterlife is the first time that model has run from start to finish, exactly as it was designed. Client work funded the film. The film told Aiden's story. The story found an audience.

It's one project, and a small start. But it's proof that our idea works!
And we are more driven than ever to continue shining light on good stories.

A Final Thought: Thank You

To every client who has trusted us with their brand, their product or their story: thank you.

Every shoot we do together makes the next good project possible. Your work with us is what lets us show up for people like Aiden, and over time, take on bigger stories that help more people.

You may not have been in the room for Afterlife, but you're part of it. We're grateful, and we're only getting started.