HOW TO PLAN AN EMPLOYEE STORY SERIES
Who to feature, how many to make, and where the films should run.
Mike Habschmidt · Head of Creative · Updated November 2026
THE SHORT ANSWER
Start with three people. Pick them for the story, not the job title. Give each one a day or two on the job with a small crew, and decide where every cut will run before the camera comes out.
Start with three.
Three stories is enough to show range and small enough to get approved. It also tells you what to make next: which roles people respond to, which channels the films work in, and who belongs in the second round.
Pick people, not titles.
The best subject is rarely the first name leadership offers. Look for someone the rest of the floor already respects, with a way into the job a candidate could see themselves in. We spend time on site before the shoot for this reason. Mix roles, tenures and locations so the series looks like the company.
Skip the media training.
Nobody needs talking points. We ask real questions, listen, and keep rolling. The nervous ones are often the best on camera by the end of the day.
Film the job, on the job.
One or two days per story, during real shifts, with a crew small enough to stay out of the way. The interview gives the film its voice. The work gives it everything else.
Decide where it runs before you shoot.
A three to five minute film is the centerpiece. From the same shoot, plan the shorter cuts for social, a cut for the careers page, a cut for the town hall, and stills. Deciding this first changes what gets filmed.
Bring HR, safety and communications in early.
Safety sets the rules on site. HR and communications shape the message. Agree on who reviews each film, and get releases signed before the shoot day.
What a first series looks like.
For Exelon, three employees: one who was often the only woman in the room, one with 36 years in storm response who now works beside his son, and one who became a role model in her Baltimore community. For Constellation, four employees and four films. For KONE, two people and the craft they are handing down.
QUESTIONS
No. The person tells it in their own words. What we plan is the structure: who, where, what they do, and what the film should leave people with.
Someone whose coworkers would nod when they see the film. Role and seniority matter less than whether the story is true and the person is respected.
Careers pages, social, internal channels, town halls and hiring events. The same story often works for candidates, current employees and customers.