The Evolution of Brand Storytelling
Over the past 15 years, we’ve seen brand storytelling shift dramatically. Once, brands invested in one cinematic film to carry a campaign. Then came the digital storytelling era, where stories expanded into hundreds of short-form videos, each tailored for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Today, content is everywhere. But the challenge for brands is standing out without losing meaning. Audiences can tell when a video is made for clicks but has little substance, nothing of worth to connect to.
That’s why the films that last are the ones that say something real.
Take South Beach Weligama, for example, a trilogy of films we produced for a luxury development on Sri Lanka’s South Coast. Told through the eyes of a carpenter, a fisherman, and a surfer, the series captures the spirit of place and craft, celebrating the people who make the destination what it is. Paired with an investor edit featuring John Belmond’s vision, it became a powerful blend of human storytelling and brand ambition.
Or Iceland Captured, a mini-series for Luxury Iceland that journeys through some of the country’s most awe-inspiring landscapes, seen through the eyes of locals who embody the raw spirit of the land. The first episode features “Rax” Ragnar Axelsson, an award-winning photographer who has dedicated his life to documenting the world’s diminishing Arctic communities. Through his lens, we gained a deeply personal insight into isolated lives and the escalating effects of climate change on all of our futures.
We’ve also seen how impactful storytelling becomes when innovation and purpose collide. In the WILD x RED challenge, a collaboration between RED Digital Cinema and National Geographic, seven filmmakers were selected to “reinvent wildlife filmmaking” using the 8K RED Weapon. Our co-founder Jack Wylson’s film, The Call of the Sky, was a finalist and screened at Jackson WILD in Wyoming, celebrating the intersection of creativity, conservation, and cutting-edge filmmaking.
Similarly, WaterBear x Nikon and The Missing Lynx spotlight conservationists, scientists, and communities fighting for the natural world, stories driven not by trends, but by urgency and humanity.
These aren’t just films, they’re stories that stay with people.