DOCUMENTARY CONTENT STORYTELLING

Situation: One of my strongest passions in content creation is long-form content. While some may think it simply means having more time to showcase information, it’s much more than that. Long-form content presents both a remarkable opportunity and a significant challenge: the need to craft a story that is rich in meaning and narrative depth. Below, I share some of my favorite examples of achieving two distinct goals. When we launch new products, our focus inevitably shifts to advertising and creating high-quality marketing materials. However, that often limits our ability to share the fascinating background stories behind how and why we developed these compelling products for our consumers.

Action: I utilized long-form content to immerse myself in storytelling fully. I’m motivated by the challenges people face and really getting to know them—whether they are clients, fitness models, or influencers, each with a unique background and journey. Traveling to meet and film our Obstacle Course Racing influencers was one of my best experiences on the job. Much work went into the pre-production phase, where I focused on learning their stories and planning the questions I would ask during our filming interviews.

Results: These “how it was made” videos set the standard for our business, offering customers a compelling behind-the-scenes look that surpassed our traditional TV advertisements. We led the way, and others in the industry quickly followed suit. Content has evolved dramatically in recent years, reaching levels of creativity and engagement far exceeding anything we explored when budgets allowed.