BRAND STORYTELLING

Pushing a brand narrative forward to new audiences is both a science and an art form. It requires strategic thinking, creative vision, and a strong editorial perspective on how the world is changing.

Travel, to many, is not only about adventure, but about tapping into a core universal human need for freedom.
Through a series of candid, intimately documented short-form videos, The New Nomads captured a powerful and growing lifestyle trend that resonated with the very audiences Travel + Escape wanted to reach.

As well (and this is where the science comes in), the story aligned seamlessly with the brand ethos DNA of one of the world’s most prestigious credit cards: Scotiabank Gold American Express Card™ who won title sponsorship for the series across digital, social and broadcast channels, on Canada’s most watched travel channel at the time.

The series, conceived and executed end-to-end by Gariné Tcholakian, won Blue Ant Media its first industry award ⏤ a Rockie ⏤ at the coveted Banff World Media Festival that year.

With the unprecedented growth of location-independent living over the past few years, I wanted to take a closer look at the lives of travel bloggers who were quickly becoming cultural trendsetters, and explore what I felt was slowly becoming a worldwide phenomenon--long before "remote-work" was the norm.

This is the preliminary show trailer that was presented to agency executives.

Long before “remote work” gained the popularity it has today, a trend was brewing.

The New Nomads, a 9-part short-form documentary video series I created, produced and directed for Blue Ant Media, went on to win the company its first industry award: the coveted international Rockie Award for Best Web Series at the Banff World Media Festival, as well as a Webby later that year.

The series also caught the eye of notable brand agency executives and clients looking for deeper audience engagement across multiple platforms through a powerful brand narrative.

Not only did The New Nomads series draw unprecedented organic traffic to the site, but it won Blue Ant Media its first content award, and helped secure the company a much-coveted sponsorship deal with American Express.

The 15 sec teaser sent to the Banff World Media Festival before it won the prestigious industry-coveted Rockie in 2014.

The series ultimately served as a springboard for deeper community engagement, audience growth and sponsorship revenue.

Not only did the series spark a larger conversation around a deep passion point, but many of the “New Nomads” from the series shared the series on their channels and helped fuel the conversation online.