Last week, we found ourselves shooting just under the London Eye — in County Hall, one of the London’s most iconic buildings — for a very different kind of corporate video.
Together with the team at AimHi Earth, we were commissioned to produce a testimonial-led case study film exploring their partnership with global sustainability giant PepsiCo. The focus? The Champions Programme — a bold internal training initiative designed to embed climate literacy across PepsiCo’s teams worldwide.
This wasn’t just a box-ticking CSR video for PepsiCo. It was a film that had to walk the line between global corporate storytelling, internal comms, and telling the story of a tea, aiming for a genuine corporate cultural impact.
The Setup
- Location: Etc. Venues, County Hall, Westminster
- Backdrop: Views across the Thames, right beneath the London Eye
- Crew:
- Dan Simpkins – Director of Photography
- Olaf Laurence – 1st AC
- Ed Smit – Director & Producer
- Kit:
- 3 x Sony FX6s
- Full set of cine primes
- Aputure lighting rig + an amran panel light for a hair light.
- Natural daylight-filled space, minimal footprint
Despite a last-minute venue switch from Sustainable Ventures to County Hall, the production stayed tight and on schedule. Interviews were conducted with two PepsiCo stakeholders, exploring themes like climate action, internal culture change, and the value of co-creation over top-down training. We also spoke with Sarah Humphrys, co-founder and Managing Director of AimHi to get their teams insight into the project and process.
Format & Approach
We opted for a co-produced, micro-documentary feel. Rather than a classic testimonial with prompt-and-praise soundbites, the film lets PepsiCo’s story lead, with AimHi positioned as the expert partner in the wings — the guide, not the hero.
This approach allowed for a more narrative arc, structured around questions like:
- What pushed PepsiCo to act now on sustainability?
- What challenges did they face in rolling out climate training globally?
- How did AimHi Earth design a live, interactive experience that actually shifted behaviour?
The full interview structure and scripting process was a true collaboration between our teams, informed by a shared document outlining the beats, tone and questions.
How Here Now Films Helped
From day one, Here Now Films led the creative development, helping AimHi shape their story for both impact and clarity.
Our work included:
- Creative Workshops & Narrative Strategy: We worked closely with AimHi’s leadership team to define the film’s purpose and narrative tone — balancing documentary-style authenticity with clear messaging.
- Scriptwriting & Interview Development: We built a full pre-interview framework and mapped speaker-specific story beats to ensure each voice added something distinct.
- Crew & Kit: We brought in a lean, high-end crew using FX6s and cine glass, led by DOP Dan Simpkins, with a lighting approach designed to give the interviews a premium, natural feel in a tight time window.
- Production Logistics: Managing a last-minute venue shift, load-ins at a busy Westminster location, and timing around key PepsiCo executive availability.
- Post-Production & Motion: We’re currently cutting the first version of the film, including animation overlays, subtitles, and short social cutdowns — all fully cleared for internal and external use.
The result: a film that doesn’t just showcase a partnership, but helps PepsiCo and AimHi Earth tell a story that resonates far beyond the corporate context.
What’s Next
We’re now deep in post-production — stitching together the interviews, visual breaks, and internal content, before layering in a visual identity that feels distinctly AimHi.
We’ll be sharing the finished film soon. But for now, it’s safe to say — this one already feels like something special.
Want to tell a better brand story — without losing the nuance, humanity, or ambition?
Get in touch — we’d love to help you bring it to life.