Rebuilt. Refined. Self-contained.
Will Mercer
Context
Will Mercer is an actor and singer based in Kingston, working across theatre, film and music. He needed one place that could hold all of it: credits, production photos, recordings, video and a press kit, with a clear route for casting and bookings to reach him. We designed and built a single scrolling page that lets the work speak first, set in one typeface on a warm, quiet palette.
Challenge
The first build lived inside WordPress and BeTheme. The theme pushed its own styles into every section, from link colours to list bullets, so each custom block had to fight for control. The media library carried its own problems. Several audio files used names the LiteSpeed server refused to serve, so tracks failed to load. The site needed to keep its look and lose the friction.
Approach
We rebuilt the site as flat PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript, an exact replica of the approved design with WordPress, the theme and its plugins removed. Every section became a self-contained module. Credits link straight into production galleries with hover previews. Music sits in collapsible groups with a custom player. Video, press kit and a contact modal round out the page. The existing media folder stayed in place, and the audio library was renamed and restructured so every track plays.
Outcome
Will now has a site that looks exactly as intended and runs without a CMS to maintain. No core updates, no theme conflicts, no plugin patches. Enquiries go straight to his inbox, and every photo, song and clip is where it should be.
Ink
#1A1918
Paper
#E7E3DA
In Image
Deliverables
Theatre and Film
Full-row clickable credits with hover image previews that link straight into the matching gallery, plus a dedicated mobile layout.
Galleries
A hero image with a 2x2 lightbox grid for each production, with its own mobile version.
Songs and Music
Collapsible track groups with a custom HTML5 audio player and progress tracking.
Video
An HTML5 player with a simple switcher between two self-hosted clips.
Press Kit
Hero image, one-click download and a direct contact trigger.
Contact Modal
Opens from any button on the page and delivers enquiries straight to Will's inbox via the Resend API.
Typography
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