Essent
Domain-Driven Design Documentary
Challenge
Essent has been going through a major transformation, evolving from a traditional energy company into a modern tech-driven organisation. With more than 4,500 employees and complex development processes, this shift required a completely new way of working. Together with Domain-Driven Design expert Marijn Huizendveld, Essent has been implementing new structures, teams and ways of thinking over the past years.
The challenge was to capture this transformation in an honest and accessible way. Instead of creating a corporate video, the goal was to make a documentary that would show the real story behind the change, told by the people involved at different levels within the organisation.We were asked to develop the full concept and manage the production from start to finish.
Concept & Story Development
Together with Essent and DDD expert Marijn Huizendveld, we developed the concept for the documentary. The goal was to explain a complex organisational transformation in a way that would be understandable and interesting for both technical and non-technical audiences.
We wrote the full script and all interview questions, carefully building a narrative that would show the different perspectives within the company. By speaking with people from multiple teams and levels, the story became more personal and realistic, showing not only the successes but also the challenges of changing an organisation of this size.
The focus was on authenticity. Instead of a promotional video, the documentary needed to feel honest, open and recognisable.
Result / Impact
The documentary gives a clear and honest view of Essent’s transformation into a tech-driven organisation and shows how Domain-Driven Design can help large companies change the way they work. By telling the story through real experiences, the film became valuable not only for Essent, but also for others interested in organisational change and software development.
The project resulted in a strong piece of content that supports thought leadership, employer branding and internal communication, while also documenting an important moment in the company’s history.
Production & Project Management
We managed the full production process, from planning to final edit. This included creating the production schedule, scouting locations, coordinating the production crew and guiding the interviews on set.
Working together with Brave Media, we went through multiple editing rounds to shape the story in the right way. Every detail, from pacing to the order of interviews was carefully adjusted to make sure the documentary felt natural and engaging.
In addition to the production itself, we developed the launch strategy and organised a premiere event where the documentary was shown for the first time to the people involved in the project.