Small Business Stories
A reimagined video series celebrating the real people behind independent businesses — florists, wine shop owners, puppeteers, content creators, and beyond.
The series had previously leaned heavily on brand messaging, leaving little room for the subjects themselves. Following a strategic creative repositioning and an agency transition, I was brought in to completely rethink the format, resulting in a collection of short-form documentary portraits that feel intimate, unhurried, and genuinely human.
Each film follows someone who made the decision to bet on themselves. The subjects span wildly different industries, but the thread running through every story is the same: the quiet courage it takes to build something from scratch.
Finding the right subjects was one of the most intentional parts of the process. Every potential subject went through a pre-interview to gauge not just their story, but their ability to tell it — balancing passion, personality, and where they were in their entrepreneurial journey. Getting that mix right took months of outreach, but it's what gives each film its authenticity.