Trevor Gourley: A Few Of My Favourite Things

When I look around my office for inspiration, there really is no shortage of things that get my creative juices flowing. 

Flattened Amazon boxes, unfolded laundry and a noxious hockey bag being aired out in the corner — one can’t help but think that this must be how Kerouac or Keats worked. 

But if you can sort through the hoarder-esque clutter, there are a few things in here worth noting.

The Dog

The most stalwart fixture in my office is my dog, Charlie. 

He sits on the futon all day while I’m working. 

He’s a great writing partner. 

I’ll read him a portion of my treatment and then he’ll say something like, “it’s a bit of Harold Einstein rip off, no?” and then I realise that this is another one of those melatonin dreams and I need to wake up.

The First Ad

Before I became a director, I was an agency copywriter and creative director. 

Despite the yellowing of this newspaper ad, I promise this was less than forty years ago. 

I could be too cool for school and talk about how this is a shit ad (it is) but as an intern, seeing something in a national newspaper that I had written only a few days prior blew my supple, still-forming 20-year-old brain. 

I bought copies of it like was my first byline in the New York Times. 

Still makes me happy to think about it.

The (Indispensable) Books

The four most important books, when it comes to my work. 

I’ve never actually read them but I stack them up to use as a laptop stand so people aren’t looking up my nose on Zoom. 

Absolutely vital for the job.

The Bobblehead Bearing Zero Resemblance To Its Purported Real World Counterpart

Sort of like my first ad as a copywriter, this bobblehead is a little tchotchke from my very first directing gig after I left agency life. 

The very first board I ever pitched on was a loosely scripted idea that encouraged improv and would feature Mitch Marner, a star player from the sports team that I’ve worshipped since I was a child. 

I didn’t allow myself to even daydream about getting the job but somehow it hit and I got to spend the next few weeks writing hockey jokes and capped it off by spending a day with one of my favourite athletes. 

I’m convinced that they just repurposed a bunch of Mats Sundin bobbleheads because they look nothing like Mitch (for anyone that’s actually following along with this, shoutout to the real hockey heads).

The Pocket Viewfinder

This is super useful. 

If you leave it lying round your house, when people come over they’ll ask “What’s this for?”. 

Then you tell them it’s for “lining up shots” and that you’re a “director”. 

Then when they ask what you direct, and you drop your voice to a whisper and say “commercials” and quickly change the subject.