radical place leadership

Brent Council were shifting the way they deliver services for residents. A big shift. Away from siloed teams responding to crises, towards multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams working alongside communities to address root causes earlier.

Brent needed staff across the council to actually feel why this change mattered, not just understand it intellectually.

That meant moving the message out of policy language and into something human.

An internal change film for one of London's most diverse boroughs, helping council staff understand a new, resident-led approach to delivering services.

Watch the video:

The brief

The film needed to do three things, in this order:

Open with a human story that made the case for change emotionally
Introduce the strategic vision for Radical Place Leadership clearly
Leave staff with a sense of purpose and a memorable framing they could carry into their own work

The primary audience was internal: council staff being introduced to a new way of working. The tone had to respect their expertise and avoid feeling like a corporate lecture, while still galvanising them around a shared direction..

our strategy

Hodan at the centre

The script opens with Hodan, a mother and carer whose life pulls together housing, employment, health, family and community in one recognisable story. We kept her visible throughout the film, not just in the opening, so by the time the script reaches "joined-up neighbourhood teams" or "co-production", the viewer already knows exactly who that work is for.
Handmade textures and materials

We built the film in a hand-drawn illustration style, with textured shading, soft edges and a tactile, paper-like feel running through every frame. It's a deliberate counterpoint to the clean, corporate aesthetic council communications often default to, and it gives Hodan's story the warmth and humanity it deserves.
A tonal shift held in the design

The script moves from a softer, more serious opening into a warmer, more hopeful second half. We mirrored that shift through the design itself. The palette, lighting, pacing and music all evolve as the film moves from Hodan's challenges into Brent's vision. The change is felt rather than announced, which is what gives the second half its lift.