About
About PuzPuz Media
PuzPuz Media grew from a family puzzle business started in 2009. Incorporated in 2026, it carries on two generations of work creating puzzles for Canadian publications.
- Publications
- 35
- Canadian publications running PuzPuz content as of September 2026
- Canadian references
- At least 10%
- Of clues in every BIG Canadian Crossword
- Planned for November 1, 2026
- 15 × 15
- The Canadian Crossword · six days a week
A family business
Greg McLaughlin was an entrepreneur with a fondness for puzzles and an interest in the growing popularity of sudoku. He taught himself to use Photoshop and other Adobe tools, then brought his interests in puzzles, design and learning together as PuzPuz Puzzles in 2009.
With a small client base and a weekly production schedule, Greg hired his children, Daniel and Reiko, to help. The work gave them their first experience in the family business and helped them pay their way through university.
Greg passed away unexpectedly in September 2019. Another publishing deadline was approaching, and his son Daniel had to decide whether PuzPuz would continue.
A note from Daniel
Hi, I’m Daniel Taro McLaughlin, or simply Daniel Taro.
In 2019, I returned to Canada after spending nearly five years abroad, including time in Bangkok, Thailand. I lived and worked there, and it was where I met my partner.
I feel fortunate that my father was present for several important milestones during those years. He visited me in Thailand, met my partner and attended our wedding in Toronto. We also celebrated my birthday together in person for the first time in a long time.
A few weeks after I returned home, he passed away unexpectedly.
His death left me with an immediate choice. Another publishing deadline was approaching. I could meet it, or I could allow the business to end. I chose to meet the deadline.
I am proud that I made that choice. It changed the direction of my life.
I re-established the business as PuzPuz Pagination, a sole proprietorship under a new name, and continued producing content for its clients. There were periods when the business moved forward and periods when it simply held its ground. I often wondered whether the effort was worth the return, but I kept it running.
Over time, I discovered how well the work suited me. I am a poet, rapper and lifelong wordsmith, and I fell in love with crossword construction. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, puzzles became a creative practice and helped me work through the isolation and uncertainty of that period.
Building the next PuzPuz
In 2022, I put out a call for a Canadian crossword constructor who could take on some of my production responsibilities. Will Nediger, one of Canada’s leading crossword constructors, answered.
Working with Will strengthened our crossword offering and showed us what else PuzPuz could become. The next series, The Canadian Crossword, is a themed 15 × 15 planned for six days a week, with a rotating roster of Canadian constructors on Saturdays.
The business became PuzPuz Media in 2026, with plans to expand its puzzle catalogue, technology and publishing partnerships.
PuzPuz Postcard, a puzzle app for iOS and Android, is planned for November 1, 2026. It will bring crosswords, sudoku and Word Snoop together in a digital experience built around Canadian places and culture.
Puzzles for Canadian publishers
Publisher syndication remains central to our work as we develop PuzPuz Postcard. We continue to supply content to newspapers, magazines and digital publications.
Our puzzles are created and edited by Canadians for Canadian readers. We help publishers choose content, prepare puzzle pages and adapt the work to their format and schedule.
Interested in running PuzPuz content in your publication? Email us.
Get in touch