I'm Phil Kurth, a senior web developer and consultant based in Geelong, Australia.

I started building websites in the mid-2000s, back when CSS was still finding its feet and PHP was the backbone of almost everything on the web. Those early days were a masterclass in fundamentals: hand-coding HTML, wrestling with cross-browser quirks, and learning to think in systems rather than just pages.

As WordPress matured from a blogging tool into a serious content management system, I grew with it. I spent years deep in theme development, custom plugin architecture, and the Advanced Custom Fields ecosystem that would eventually become central to my work. Along the way I picked up Laravel for more complex application work, React for modern front-end interfaces, and the full stack of server infrastructure that comes with managing production systems: Linux provisioning, Nginx, Cloudflare, automated deployments, and security hardening.

That breadth isn't accidental. When you work with businesses over nearly two decades, you quickly learn that a website is rarely just a website. It's connected to payment systems, booking engines, CRMs, email platforms, and internal workflows. Understanding the full picture, from the server your code runs on to the business problem it solves, is what lets me build things that actually last.

More recently, I've integrated AI extensively into my development practice. I use it daily across code generation, architecture planning, automated testing, documentation, and client communication. But I treat it as a precision tool steered by experience, not a replacement for engineering judgement. I know when it's helping and when it's hallucinating, and that distinction matters.

I founded Hookturn, a WordPress plugin brand that specialises in premium extensions for Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). The plugins I build are used by developers and agencies worldwide to solve real problems in their WordPress builds, from generating theme code and managing custom database tables to building front-end forms and syncing field groups between sites.

Not all of it is commercial. Advanced Forms for ACF is free on the WordPress.org plugin repository, where it holds a 100/100 rating from 41 reviews and has been downloaded more than 110,000 times. My WordPress Tailwind CSS theme boilerplate has been starred over 350 times and forked by developers building their own. The rest of my public code is on GitHub, and my plugin profile is on WordPress.org.

Building and maintaining commercial WordPress plugins is a different discipline to client work. It demands rigorous backwards compatibility, thorough documentation, and the kind of codebase architecture that can evolve over years without accumulating technical debt. Running Hookturn has sharpened my understanding of the WordPress ecosystem in ways that directly benefit every client project I take on.

Wolf Digital Pty Ltd is my company. Everything I do runs through it, so it is the name on proposals, contracts and invoices whether the work is a website, a plugin or a custom application. ABN 53 634 404 532.

A good part of that work is operational software: the behind-the-scenes systems that replace spreadsheets, disconnected SaaS platforms and manual processes. Businesses outgrow the tools they started on, and shoving everything into a website is not always the right course of action. I build those systems with Laravel, React and WordPress where it fits, then host and run them.

When you work with me, you work with me directly. There's no project manager relaying messages, no account executive translating your requirements. I'm the person you talk to and the person writing the code. That means faster decisions, fewer misunderstandings, and a level of ownership that's hard to get from larger teams.

I'm hands-on with every project, from the initial strategy conversations through to deployment and ongoing support. I run an AI-augmented workflow that significantly amplifies my output, but every decision, every architectural choice, and every line of code that ships has my judgement behind it. AI handles the repetitive and mechanical work so I can focus on the parts that require experience: understanding your business, making the right technical trade-offs, and building something that genuinely works.

I'm remote-first and have been for years. Most of my collaboration happens over video calls, email, and project management tools, and it works well. I'm based in Geelong, so I'm always available for local clients who prefer to meet in person, but geography has never been a barrier to doing great work together.

I'm based in Geelong on the Bellarine side of things. When I'm not building software, I'm usually spending time with my family, tinkering with side projects, or getting outside. Geelong's a great place to live and work. Close enough to Melbourne when you need it, far enough away that you don't.