behind their stories: branded films

Client
Wiley

Year
2024

Role
Creative Director

Creative direction for a branded content series

Wiley wanted to spotlight the people behind the brand—real researchers, educators, and innovators shaping the future. I led creative direction for a branded content series that framed them not as spokespeople, but as the story.

From pitch to post, I shaped the look, tone, and rhythm across every element: set design, title system, photography, and motion. We built a world that felt editorial, intimate, and human—reframing Wiley as a humble champion of those doing meaningful work.

The guiding principle? Make the brand invisible—until it feels like a trusted presence.

My role:

  • Concept development and visual treatment plan

  • Visual tone, title system, and motion graphics

  • Art direction for interviews + portraits

  • Social cutdown strategy

Visual Treatment Guidelines

Slide with the Wiley logo, an aesthetic-themed image in the middle, a cartoon illustration of two people on skateboards on the right, and the text "BRAND STORIES TREATMENT" in bold orange letters.
A presentation slide titled 'Brand Stories Treatment' with the subtitle 'Type and Color'. The slide displays a grid of six colored boxes, organized in two columns and three rows. The boxes contain the text 'Champions of Kids' in green, 'Champions of Change' in pink, and 'Champions of Kids' in orange, repeating in each column. To the right of the grid, there is a graphic of three overlapping circles in green, pink, and orange. The left side of the slide has a paragraph explaining the use of color and font choices for the series.
Presentation slide titled 'Set Design' with images of a company booth with greenery wall, shelving with books, globe, and educational materials, showing a modern, vibrant setup for brand storytelling and learning.
Presentation slide with text and images about cinematography lighting and camera angles. The slide includes two example videos; one showing a woman with a colorful background and subtitles, and another of a woman sitting on a couch with pink flowers nearby. The text discusses natural, warm lighting, and camera techniques.

opening title sequence design

Wiley presents logo in white text on an orange background.
A man with glasses and a beard, standing with arms crossed in a library, looking upwards.
Three people with colorful overlays: a man with glasses on the left, a young woman holding books in the center, and another young woman smiling on the right.
A composite image with a central, smaller photo of a smiling female scientist with glasses in a laboratory with a microscope, along with larger, semi-transparent background images of two women, one wearing glasses and the other holding a book, in warm orange and pink tones.
Book cover with blue background, white text that reads 'Wiley Behind Their Stories'.
Blue cover with white text reading 'Behind Their Stories' with Kimberly Oriard and Callie Christensen, featuring a photo of two smiling women holding plush toys.

title cards

Pink graphic with the word 'Wiley' at the top left. Large, bold text in the center reads 'We Are All Math People'. Background features a woman smiling, with long hair, on the right side.
Quote from Wiley stating "Mistakes are part of learning" with an orange background and a woman smiling in the background.
Green background with the phrase 'Wiley Keep Learning and Evolving' in large white letters and a partial photo of a smiling woman with long hair.

on-screen visual direction

Cinematography, set styling, and graphic overlays

Alison Stanley, a woman with long brown hair, wearing a purple sweater with a cowl neck, speaking in an office space with large windows showing a brick building outside. There is a bookshelf filled with books and a plant in the background, and a green-cushioned chair with a pillow on it, with a small round table holding a bouquet of flowers nearby.
Two women sitting at a table, smiling at the camera. The woman on the left has dark hair and is wearing a blue sweater. The woman on the right has blonde hair and is wearing a light denim jacket over a white shirt. They are in a decorated room with white shelves, stuffed animals, and paper cutouts of trees in the background. Text on the screen identifies them as Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen, co-founders and chief officers of a company, with captions visible.
Children's plush toys and books titled "Slumber King" and "Bigfoot" and "Alpaca" displayed on a store shelf.
Two women sitting in a living room, having a conversation. One woman has dark hair and is wearing a yellow sweater, while the other has blonde hair and is wearing a denim shirt. Subtitles read "caring, confident, resilient kids."
A woman with long blonde hair wearing a denim shirt seated in a cozy living room with wooden furniture and houseplants, with the quote 'connected moments' and her name and title displayed on the screen.
A woman with dark curly hair in a bright yellow knitted sweater sitting in a room with natural light, a basket of toys, and a sofa in the background.
Two children, a girl and a boy, playing a game called 'Slumberkins' with toy mountain-shaped structures on a table, with a blue background.
Two women and three children sharing a group hug and laughing in a decorated room, with Christmas trees on the wall and plush toys on a shelf in the background.

social media cuts

Advertisement for Wiley with the slogan 'Supercharge your teaching' and a website link to wiley.com.
A woman with brown hair and earrings sitting in front of a screen that says 'WILEY'. Text overlay says 'Thanks to all the brilliant teachers out there'.
A plush toy with a big nose and furry ears, sitting in front of a book titled 'Bigfoot' and some illustrated notes, with a red overlay reading 'characters that we created.'
A woman with dark hair, wearing a blue sweater, smiling and laughing during a conversation in an office setting.
Smiling woman with blonde hair talking to another person with dark hair in an indoor setting.
Two women smiling, holding a book titled 'All Feelings Welcome' by Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen, with additional text on the cover reading 'Parenting Practices for Raising Caring, Confident, and Resilient Kids.'