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 a Shiny Award, serving as 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.
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.
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.
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).
Impetus / Lost Time
Client / Impetus
Director / Becca Human
Producer / Amy Saunders
Director of Photography / Howard Mills
Editor / Ben Harding
Creative Director / Guy Saville
Studying, sitting exams, finding jobs, these are hard things to do without world events conspiring against you. Watch how young people are overcoming the adverse effects of the pandemic, making up for lost time with the help of Impetus.
Using sound design to show the passing of time conveyed the pervading sense of frustration and eventual hope experienced by our contributors, bringing the audience along on their journey and leaving them rooting for their success.
The film was presented at Impetus’ flagship fundraising event, the gala ‘Transforming Lives Dinner’, inspiring an impressive response from donors. The film has since been shared by Impetus’ many charity partners to further drive awareness.
Girlguiding / Volunteer With Us
Client / Girlguiding
Director / Phoebe Brooks
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Charles Mori
Editor / Ben Harding
Creative Director / Guy Saville
During the pandemic, the number of Girlguiding volunteers fell dramatically. When things opened up, the demand from girls was high, but there was still a severe shortage of volunteers.
Our campaign to address this focused on the emotional rewards of volunteering, the small moments that kept people coming back week after week. We cast real volunteers and girls, and used games and improvisation to help our contributors deliver natural performances.
The success of the campaign was in large part thanks to our use of target demographic insights. Our suite of social-optimised, bite-sized films allowed us to effectively engage with Girlguiding’s existing audience, as well as converting new volunteer sign-ups.
Samaritans / Stephanie's Story
Client / Samaritans
Director / Becca Human
Producer / Amy Saunders
Director of Photography / Charles H. Mori
Editor / Ben Harding
Christmas means so many different things to different people - for some it’s all merriment and mince pies, for others it’s a moment of self-reflective crisis. For the Samaritans it’s when they do some of their most important, transformative work.
With an intensely personal story to tell, we prioritised our contributor Stephanie’s comfort and confidence on set. This underpinned every decision - from filming in her home to having minimal crew - ensuring she felt in a safe space to share.
This film was made for Samaritans’ Christmas Star campaign, encouraging sign up for a cause that provides a literal lifeline to people like Stephanie when they have nobody else to turn to.
NSPCC / Every Day
Client / NSPCC
Director / Danny Baldwin
Producer / Kezia Clark
Director of Photography / Sebastian Cort
Editor / Jon Beagley
Writing / Thom Wood & Laura Scrivano
Beyond the headlines and behind the national campaigns, we take a look at 24 hours of NSPCC services - witnessing the charity’s efforts in protecting children, preventing abuse and transforming lives.
Distilling the enormous range and scope of NSPCC services into a single bitesize, emotionally engaging film was the primary challenge. Our response was to develop a script built around the sort of conversations that real practitioners were having with the public, to explain what they do, every day.
The campaign exceeded expectations, initially launched online before being adapted for national TV due to its success. It not only won multiple prestigious awards, including for Brand Communication and Fundraising, but also set a creative benchmark for future NSPCC adverts, underlining the significant impact of our storytelling and production capabilities.
NSPCC / Here For Children
Client / NSPCC
Director / Phoebe Brooks
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Joe Gainsborough
Creative Director / Thom Wood
Editor & Colourist / Jon Beagley
Children are life’s great adaptors. They show remarkable resilience in the face of adversity, despite having so little control over their environments, and the NSPCC has always embraced this in the way they offer their unending support.
To do justice to this key message, we wanted our film to bring the viewer into a child-centric perspective. We kept the cinematography loose, kinetic and unstaged, which gave our cast of young actors the space to improvise, helping them to relax and act naturally.
The film spearheaded the NSPCC’s ‘Here for Children’ campaign across TV and social channels. It primed target audiences for their Winter fundraising campaign and garnered 100,000s views, increasing brand awareness.
Scouts / Good For You
Client / Scouts
Director / Phoebe Brooks
Producer / Amy Saunders
Illustrator / Joanna Muñoz
Animator / Geth Vaughan
Editor / Jon Beagley
Ever wondered how you might meaningfully give back to your community? These volunteers from all four corners of the UK demonstrate how working with young people at Scouts can brighten and enrich your own life.
Scouts’ brief was simple - a talking heads with volunteers from all over the UK. Never ones to take the easy route, we decided to push the interview format to be more fun, combining playful framing with vibrant animation.
The film spearheaded a nationwide appeal to recruit 5000 volunteers and received 80,000 views on Facebook alone. It has been continually shared by local groups, inspiring volunteers to reflect on their time at the organisation.
Scouts / Ambassadors
Client / Scouts
Director / Greg Davenport
Producer / Sophie Christophersen
Director of Photography / Tim Fok
Editor / Becca Human
Creative Director / Guy Saville
What skills might you need to walk the length of the Amazon, climb Everest, or become an Olympian? Scouts rounded up 7 of their Ambassadors to chat us through the very skills that have taken them on to do just that.
Unsurprisingly, adventurers, Olympians, & explorers have pretty tight schedules, so it was a small miracle that we got them in a room together for this project. Our mission was to capture all the footage needed in under 12 minutes. Fortunately we work particularly well under pressure.
“What Made Me” went on to win a Smiley Charity Film Award, and was part of the #ScoutsMadeMe Campaign where it was viewed over 170,000 times on Facebook alone.
NSPCC / Frontline
Client / NSPCC
Director / Danny Baldwin
Producer / Amy Saunders
Director of Photography / Charles Harrison Mori
Editor / Becca Human
Colourist / Jon Beagley
Creative Director / Guy Saville
With the country caught in the grip of a pandemic, children across the UK have become significantly more vulnerable to neglect and cruelty. The NSPCC’s message is clear: they’re still here, fighting for no child to be left behind.
Our relationship with the NSPCC has been built on more than a decade of working together - they trust us to create impactful films, that often feature young casts, regardless of difficult extenuating circumstances.
The film has spearheaded the NSPCC’s ‘We’re Still Here’ campaign across their social channels, garnering over 1.25 million views on Youtube alone by the end of 2020.
NSPCC / Still Here
Client / NSPCC
Director / Danny Baldwin
Director Of Photography / Sebastian Court
Producer / Amy Saunders
Editor & Colourist / Jon Beagley