Nowadays / Waiting List
Writer & Director / Phoebe Brooks
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Charles Mori
HMU Artist / Raphael Arcadios & Saint Maretto
Editor / Ben Harding
Colour / CHEAT & Karol Cybulski
Sound Design & Mix / Matt Valentine
Casting Director / Tom Payne Casting
Exec. Producers / Thom Wood & Guy Saville
The wait to see a gender specialist can be up to 7 years. In that time, tens of thousands of people are being denied the opportunity to live their lives authentically. It’s time to end the wait.
Created amidst heightened political vilification of trans people, ‘Waiting List’ is a passion project from Nowadays, written and directed by Phoebe Brooks. Our film follows a young trans woman taking the first steps in seeking gender-affirming healthcare, only to find the future she could have had slipping through her fingers, as she faces rejection from the system.
Collaborating with trans-led charity Gendered Intelligence for the release, the film was widely shared online and honoured with multiple awards, including a Shiny Award, a Gold Dolphin for Best Fundraising/Non-Profit Film at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, and the prestigious Grand Prix White Dolphin. A powerful testament to the importance of raising awareness and the urgent need for change.
Dementia UK / Story Tellers
Gail’s Story
Client / Dementia UK
Director / Mike Forshaw
Producer / Jacob Penketh
Director of Photography / Stephen Roe
Sound Recordist / Adam Davies
Production Assistant / Ruby Davis
Dementia isn't just a diagnosis; for countless people worldwide it's a daily battle.
While the race for a cure is crucial, these films show Dementia UK and their Admiral nurses on the frontline - navigating the pain, the loss, the warmth, the enduring love, the everything that encompasses a life of living with dementia.
Capturing the essence of these intensely human stories demanded a delicate balance of flexibility and respect, prioritising our participants' dignity over everything. Using high frame rates, we extended fleeting moments - revealing the beauty in the smallest details, from flickers of frustration to sparks of recognition - all the time allowing space for unique individual experiences to shape each narrative.
Mahersh’s Story
Released during World Alzheimer’s Month, the films exceeded all expectations, engaging audiences on a meaningful level and amplifying awareness of the vital work Dementia UK does. Beyond the output, the true measure of success came in the reaction of our participating families, expressing gratitude that their experiences had been depicted in such an honest but dignified manner.
BaByliss / Airwand
Client / BaByliss Airwand
Agency / PH Collective
Director / Guy Saville
Producer / Tom Lonergan
Director of Photography / Charles H. Mori
Editor / Robin Doelly
Hair Stylist / Syd Hayes
Props Stylist / Hannah Deacon
Dreaming of salon-worthy blowouts but short on time? BaByliss Airwand makes that dream a reality. This innovative styler dries, straightens and volumizes in one go, leaving you with effortlessly styled, healthy hair, in a fraction of the time.
Armed with a whole bunch of Airwands and their many attachments, we took eight incredible models to a lush London location for three days, determined to showcase the full potential of this singular styling solution on a diverse range of hair types. And we weren’t just shooting for one 20 second spot for the UK, the footage needed broad audience appeal as it would feature in 70 edits across 13 different markets globally.
The Airwand’s success speaks volumes (literally!). Reaching over 450 million people and with 20,000 units sold in EMEA alone, it's clearly convincing audiences to trade their old, time-consuming routines for the Airwand’s one-stop shop.
NSPCC / Together For Childhood
Client / NSPCC
Director / Guy Saville
Animation Director / Claire Pinegar
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Editor / Ben Seeley & Ben Harding
‘Together for Childhood’ is a groundbreaking NSPCC initiative that exemplifies the adage: “It takes a village to raise a child” - bringing together families, community services and NSPCC partners, to prevent abuse and tackle the problems that cause it, head on.
With the emphasis on a local rather than national collaboration, we developed creatives inspired by the towns and cities where Together for Childhood has already been rolled out. Alongside animation director Claire Pinegar, we designed four unique town “maps”, featuring recognisable local landmarks, bespoke soundscapes, and representing the different shape of community participation.
The suite of animations live on the NSPCC’s learning platform as a resource and training tool for current and future Together for Childhood staff and key stakeholders, helping to garner understanding of the current scheme, and support for its wider implementation.
Scouts / volunteer stories
Client / Scouts
Director / Mike Forshaw
Director of Photography / Stephen Roe & Jacob Sacks Jones
Editor / Ben Harding
It’s easy to feel like we’re running on empty these days - with barely a second to spare, let alone whole evenings. So, why in the world would anyone choose to spend their precious free time volunteering as a Scout leader?
We’ve made loads of films about how brilliant it is to be a Scout. Now, we wanted to pull sharp focus on the people who make Scouting possible - the volunteers themselves. We went beyond the Scout hut, filming them at their homes and workplaces to give a broader sense of who they are, what motivates them and how volunteering has enriched their lives.
Anes’s film (which is part one of the series) went down a storm, within both the organisation and with our target audience of 25-40yo professionals. It smashed all expectations on social media, racking up 125,000 views on Instagram and generating 3500 engagements in just the first few days!
Victoria's Film
Anes' Film
Zahir's Film
Social Work England / Change The Script
Client / Social Work England
Agency / Kindred
Director / Mike Forshaw
Producer / Tom Lonergan
Director of Photography / Stephen Roe
Editor / Ben Seeley
When social workers appear on our screens they’re often unfairly demonised, which has a massive impact on attitudes towards the social care system. Together with Kindred and Social Work England, we wanted to tell a different story and showcase how transformative their support can be.
Our campaign featured two young people who had been supported by social care, with shoot days carefully tailored to capture our protagonist's heartfelt testimony. With essential kit only and minimal crew, we combined audio-only interviews with sensitively crafted recreations, to deliver two hero films as emotive as the stories powering them.
Released to target Social Care Week, our film spearheaded a multi-channel campaign urging the entertainment industry to ‘change the script’ and put an end to these harmful stereotypes once and for all.
NSPCC / Find Your Calm
Client / NSPCC
Director / Sandy Matta
Producer / Charlotte Maxwell
Director of Photography / Natalja Safronova & Jacob Sacks Jones
Editor / Ben Harding
Casting / Cassie Cornish
Creative Directors / Guy Saville & Thom Wood
Managing mental health is never a ‘one size fits all’ approach, especially when you’re busy growing up. Our film for Childline encourages teenagers across the nation to explore coping mechanisms that might work for them, to “find their calm”.
We wanted an authentic documentary-style feel to our footage. So across four weekends, our 3-person crew traversed the UK to hang out with four teenagers - following their lives from homes to hobbies, friends and more - creating a richly textured array of footage, depicting the true teenage experience.
The campaign was designed from the ground up to embrace a multi-channel approach, with over 50 edits customised for a broad range of outputs, including gaming platforms Twitch, Venatus and XBOX. We also collaborated with Grand Matter artist Kris Andrew Small to create collage-style stills used across the NSPCC website and throughout their social channels.
BaByliss / Hydro-Fusion Collection
Client / BaByliss
Agency / PH Collective
Director / Guy Saville
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Charles Mori
Hair Stylist / Syd Hayes
Makeup / Zoe Taylor
Wardrobe / Kate Sinclair
Props Stylist / Hannah Decon
Audio / No8 London
Looking for bouncy blow-dries, effortless curls, or frizz-free styling solutions from the comfort of your own home? Then welcome to our latest spot for BaByliss.
With 4 new products and an endless amount of styles, our job was to emphasise the product's versatility on a diverse range of hair types. Thankfully we had celebrity hairstylist and BaByliss ambassador, Syd Hayes, on set to lend his expertise and meticulous eye for detail - helping our models look as fabulous as possible for the camera.
This film debuted the HydroFusion Collection with a sleek 20-second TV ad and polished social media edits, unveiling BaByliss’s groundbreaking hair tools that truly do it all.
Schroders / Hidden Talent
Director / Mike Forshaw
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Charles H. Mori
1st AC / Darius Williams
Sound / Guy Dowsett
Editor / Ben Seeley
By his own admission, Brian Karoly, has been “honey mad” since he was a young boy. For our latest film in Schroders Hidden Talents series, he dons the apiarist’s unmistakable white suit and introduces us to the mesmerising world of beekeeping.
The Nowadays team combined slow motion, macro photography and immersive sound design to help us understand the calm and serenity that Brian feels amongst his hives.
The response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive and is another example of how we help our business-focused clients surprise their audience with cinematic storytelling led by personal testimony.
NSPCC / Better Safe
Client / NSPCC
Director / Mike Forshaw
Producer / Tom Lonergan
Director of Photography / Tasha Back
1st AC / Alexandra Voikou
Production Assistant / Jacob Penketh
Editor / Ben Harding
Assistant Editor / Ben Seeley
When it comes to child sexual abuse, the fear of getting it wrong often stops us from doing what is right. Working in partnership with the Home Office, the NSPCC’s latest Helpline crusade turns concerned adults into the heroes of this life-changing campaign.
As dedicated specialists with sensitive subject matter, Nowadays were trusted to craft two emotionally deft narratives in under a month, inspired by our research calls with real Helpline specialists.
The campaign comprised over 70 deliverables, including TV and radio spots, custom cut-downs targeting professional and general audiences, social media clips and out of home advertising. The two primary films garnered in excess of 4 million views in under a week from release.
Impetus / 21 years of Impact
Director / Sandy Matta
Producer / Charlotte Maxwell
Director of Photography / Tom McCagherty
Production Assistant / Jacob Penketh
BTS / Guy Saville
Editor / Ben Harding
NSPCC / Ending Online Abuse
Client / NSPCC
Director / Danny Baldwin
Producer / Sophie Christophersen
DoP / Charles Harrison Mori
Editor & Colourist / Ben Harding
Creative Director / Guy Saville
With tech entrepreneurs prioritising profit over people and social engagement over safety, being online means being on-guard. It’s especially treacherous for children - with slippery slopes, suspicious characters and unintended consequences. Thus, the NSPCC tirelessly fighting for greater online protection.
Bringing the internet into reality isn’t easy - especially when you’re not working with a blockbuster budget. Using simple graphics and sound design, coupled with first-rate performances from our talented young cast, audiences get an insight into how it feels to navigate online life as a child.
Originally produced in 2020, we updated the film in 2022, featuring newly shot scenes and versions redesigned for better engagement across social media. The film has been awarded Gold and Silver Telly awards in Cause Marketing and Public Interest.
Schroders / This is Schroders
Client / Schroders
Director / Phoebe Brooks
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Producers (Remote): Ilja Neuenschwander & Patrick Mader
Director of Photography / Charles Mori
DoP (Remote): Damien Larrain & Sebastian Klinger & Brandon Yoon
Production Manager / Kelvin Fred-Horsfall
Editor / Ben Harding & Sophie Farrell
Creative Director / Guy Saville
How do you tell the story of a global company that employs thousands of people? This was the challenge brought to us by Schroders, one of our longest-served clients, for their new recruitment campaign.
Our creative solution was to zoom all the way in and start with the story of an endangered bird that nests in the rooftop garden of Schroders HQ. This allowed us to tie together interviews with dozens of employees across six countries, all united by Schroders’ unique culture of care and responsibility.
The resulting campaign was shared across Schroders’ website and social channels, and included a suite of bitesize Instagram and Linkedin films on topics from mental health to sustainability, making full use of the 20+ hours of interview content.
DFN Project Search / Rewrite their Futures
Client / DFN Project SEARCH
Director / Tom Eagar
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Animator / Eleanor Ngai
Editor / Ben Harding
Creative Director / Guy Saville
Having a learning disability shouldn’t mean you’re out of opportunities. In this film, DFN Project SEARCH lets the numbers speak for themselves - revealing what many young people face each day.
When it comes to the stories we tell, we’re no strangers to dealing with some hard-hitting realities. Thanks to our network of trusted freelance animators, we were able to find just the right person to create this dynamic, collage-style animation, helping to visualise and emphasise our key points.
With DFN delighted by the result, this film sits front and centre on their website, providing a concise insight into the issues they tackle through their work.
Impetus / Hidden Opportunity
Client / Impetus
Director / Phoebe Brooks
Producer / Charlotte Maxwell
Director of Photography / Jack Worrall
Editor / Ben Harding
The right start in life can boil down to a simple question of opportunity - it can be the difference between graduating with top grades and getting left behind. Impetus strives to provide young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with opportunities to help realise their potential.
For our second project with the charity, we focussed on creating a truly collaborative process for our lead contributors. We worked closely with both Elliot and Paige to ensure their experiences and ambitions were showcased faithfully.
First screened at the Natural History Museum, the film helped raise £1.3 million, smashing past Impetus’ fundraising target. It is now used as a key marketing asset by Impetus and the partner charities (Football Beyond Borders and The MAMA Youth Project).
BaByliss / Wave Secret Air
Client / BaByliss
Agency / The PH Collective
Director / Guy Saville
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Ailsa Aikoa
Editor / Robin Doelly
Photographer / Cleo Glover
Props Stylist / Hannah Deacon
Glamorous, natural, effortless - whatever the look, we've got it covered in our glossy commercial for BaByliss Secret Wave Air.
As part of the campaign, we worked with fashion & lifestyle influencers to demonstrate the product, seeing up close how BaByliss works with multiple hair types. Keeping it relevant to their social media roots, we used observational and handheld cinematography, bridging the worlds of online and traditional commercials together for one fun, light and energetic 20s advert.
This commercial launched Wave Secret Air to the public, being shared globally across both social media channels and prime time TV spots, driving sales on the latest piece of BaByliss technology.
Nowadays / Chasing Circles
A Film by Nowadays
Director / Georgia Hussey
Director of Photography / Jack Dixon
Sound / Guy Dowsett
Editor / Jon Beagley
Colour / Ben Harding
Executive Producers / Guy Saville & Thom Wood
Travel down quiet country lanes and across golden corn fields to discover a man with an obsession as mysterious as the patterns that inspire it. A Nowadays passion-project, Chasing Circles is a film about belief and the strange places where we find meaning.
Shot over a single sweltering summer in the English countryside, this short documentary follows Paul, a crop circle researcher dedicated to the study and promotion of crop circle phenomena, as he faces derision and ridicule from some, but warmth and community from others.
Chasing Circles was first screened at our 15th Anniversary / rebranding event. It is currently under consideration for entry into several documentary film festivals.
Thames Water / Every Drop Counts
Client / Thames Water
Agency / M&C Saatchi
Director / Phoebe Brooks
Producer / Rob Tavernier
Director of Photography / Charles Mori
Editor / Ben Harding
Whether you’re watering your lilies or washing your whites, every drop counts. Our campaign for Thames Water lays out handy efficiency tips so we can all save water to help the environment.
Shooting in showers, ponds, kitchens and reservoirs, we worked closely with agency M&C Saatchi to go from creative to delivery in a tidy three weeks. We paid careful attention to casting, ultimately selecting five talented humans and one very cheeky otter.
The campaign went out on TV channels nationwide, as well as on social channels, sparking a conversation about how we can all work together to save hundreds of thousands of litres of water every year.
Cuisinart / Campaign Films
Cuisinart Cordless Blender / PH Collective
Client / Cuisinart
Agency / The PH Collective
Director / Guy Saville
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Paolo Bischi & Tom Wright
Editor / Robin Doelly
Props Stylist / Laura Hart
Home Economist / Marina Filippelli
You know what they say about too many chefs in the kitchen? Well the same does not apply to appliances - it turns out the more the merrier when it comes to culinary contraptions designed for grilling, whizzing, shaking and stirring.
This set of campaign films for Cuisinart features several devices, each of which needed specially designed productions - from extra-flexible kitchen locations and brilliant food stylists, to specialist camera kit that let us shoot from inside the machines themselves.
Produced and released as separate broadcast TVCs over the period of a year across markets in the UK and Europe, each reaching hundreds of thousands of users.
Cuisinart Icecream / PH Collective
Cuisinart 5 Grills / PH Collective