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.
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
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.
Nowadays / Wigmakers
A Film by Nowadays
Director / Jon Beagley
Producers / Georgia Hussey & Sophie Christophersen
Director of Photography / Joe Gainsborough
Editor / Becca Human
Colourist / Ben Harding
Composers / Ed Whitman, Josiah Steinbrick
Welcome to the little known world of the wig making workshop, where two individuals’ experience of loss has led to an unexpected change in career direction.
Determined to capture the intimate, unnerving quality of the wigmaking process, we enlisted cinematographer Joe Gainsborough, whose beautifully textured documentary work we’d long been fans of. The finished edit combines 16mm film and 4k footage with immersive sound design to create a uniquely mesmeric viewing experience.
Premiering at our Nowadays brand relaunch in the summer of 2022, the film has received an overwhelmingly positive response. It continues to encourage conversation around insecurity, loss and the power hair has on our lives.