EMILY VERDOUW
FILMMAKER. JOURNALIST. COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIST
FILMS FOR ORGANISATIONS
Documentary
films built around people
I make documentary-led films for organisations with something meaningful to communicate.
I find the human story inside the bigger idea, whether it’s about purpose, research, culture, leadership, impact or change, then shape it into a film that feels truthful, engaging and human.
The subject can be complex. The film shouldn’t feel corporate.
What I make
Different stories need different shapes
I direct and produce each project from the first conversation through to the finished film, bringing in the right collaborators for the story.
My background in senior communications helps me shape films that are clear, purposeful and connected to the wider communications strategy.
01 Signature documentary film A flagship film built around a strong human story.
For organisations with something bigger to say about their work, their people or the change they’re trying to create.
02 Story series A collection of short documentary films told through different people, perspectives or experiences.
Useful when one story can’t carry the whole picture, or when you want to build a body of work over time.
03 Executive & interview films Films built around people speaking naturally and credibly, rather than delivering lines.
Using journalistic instinct to ask the right questions, move beyond rehearsed answers and bring out people’s real voices.
04 Ongoing story partnerships For organisations with stories worth telling throughout the year.
I work with your communications or marketing team to find stories, direct films and build a consistent body of work over time.
The process
Start with the story
02
Develop it
Find the people, questions, tension and moments that can carry the bigger idea.
04
Shape it
Shape the interviews, observations and details into a clear, emotionally true story.
I can lead the edit or bring in the right post-production team.
01
Find it
What are you trying to communicate? Who needs to care?
And where is the human story inside it?
03
Capture it
I direct the shoot with a cinematographer, helping people feel
comfortable and speak naturally. I can also direct and conduct interviews
remotely while a cinematographer films on location,
a model I’ve used extensively in television.
05
Make it useful
Think about the life of the story beyond one film, and how it can work
across the wider communications around it.
Strategic communications
Not every organisation arrives with a finished brief, and you don’t need one.
My background in senior communications means I can come in earlier, work through what you’re trying to communicate, who you need to reach and where the strongest story might be.
That can mean helping clarify the narrative, shape the messaging, find the right people or work out what kind of film would best serve the communications goal.
Then we make the film.
Sometimes the story needs work before the camera comes out
Start a project
Got something you want to make?
Tell me what you’re trying to communicate, who you want to reach and why it matters now.
You don’t need to have the story figured out yet.