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.
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).
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.
EDELMAN / MARTIN KEMP P&O FERRIES
Client / Edelman
Director / Phoebe Brookes
Producer / Jenny Garrett
Director of Photography / Paolo Bischi
Editor / Tim Lewis
Creative Director / Guy Saville
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.