Case study
Nevis × Focus
The announcement film for an AI partnership in wealth management.
Focus Financial Partners chose Nevis as the AI platform for its whole business, and Nevis asked us for the film that would tell the industry. Two chief executives and a chief operating officer, one afternoon in a panelled library on the Upper East Side, and three minutes on why the decision mattered.
- 12Days to the shootFrom Mark Swan’s first email.
- 1AfternoonThree interviews and a three-way conversation.
- 5Cuts in eight daysReviewed by both firms.
- 22Days to the final filmFrom the shoot to delivery.
The film
Nevis × Focus · 3:03 · Released October 2026
How it was made
Credits
- ClientNevis
- PartnershipFocus Financial Partners
- On cameraMark Swan, CEO and Co-Founder, Nevis
- On cameraAdam Birenbaum, CEO, Focus
- On cameraJustin Ferri, COO, Focus
- ProductionHere Now Films
- Executive producerEd Smit
- Creative directorOllie Couch
- Head of productionMorgan Cartlidge
- Edit and gradeAlexander Webb
- Sound design and mixJamie Thomas, Make Noise
- Motion graphicsPaddy Wright
- Crew, New YorkEmployed and insured for the job
Introduction
Nevis builds AI for wealth managers. In October 2026 it announced Focus Financial Partners as a customer, with this film alongside the news. Mark Swan, its chief executive, first worked with us in April, as a guest in AlTi’s fireside chat.
Brief
A film for the people who run large advisory firms, who see a new AI product every week and have to decide which one to trust. Pace, with the weight of the establishment. The testimonial comes later, once there are results to show.
Approach
We turned Nevis’s messaging into three acts and wrote each speaker’s questions before the shoot, with no lines to read. Afterwards we rebuilt the script from the transcripts, which is how the film came to open on Justin Ferri’s line about technology decisions.
The day
One afternoon, scheduled to the minute: three interviews of half an hour each, then the room reset for a three-way conversation on five cameras. The library came empty, so everything on screen was brought in, down to the chairs Mark chose. Shot with a New York crew.
The edit
Five cuts in eight days. The second added pace and lost some of its confidence; the cuts after it let the conversation lead and kept the city for where it earns its place. Graded warm in the room and black and white on the streets.
“10 or 20 years ago, making a mistake with a technology decision was not crippling for your business. Today, that’s no longer the case.”
Justin Ferri, Chief Operating Officer, Focus Financial Partners · the film’s first line
Questions
Who made the Nevis × Focus announcement film?
Here Now Films made it for Nevis, the AI platform for wealth management, to announce its partnership with Focus Financial Partners. We wrote the story and the questions, set the creative direction, planned the shoot and finished the film, from the edit to the grade, sound and graphics. It was shot in New York in September 2026, with a New York crew booked and run by our producers.
What’s the difference between an announcement film and a customer story?
Timing. An announcement film goes out on the day the news breaks, before there are results, so it rests on the decision and the people who made it. A customer story comes once the work has run long enough to show what changed.
How do you film senior executives who only have an hour?
The story is planned before the shoot and the schedule to the minute. Each speaker here had about half an hour on camera, with their questions written in advance, and portraits were taken while the room was reset.
Do you make films in New York?
Yes. Nevis × Focus and the AlTi × Nevis fireside chat were both filmed in New York and finished by our own post team. More on our video production in New York.
What does a film like this cost?
Our productions start at £9,500 in the UK and $20,000 in New York. The number moves with the crew, the location, what has to be brought in and how many films come out of the day.
Got news to announce?
Tell us the news, who’s speaking and the date it has to land. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
