Altrad x CALM
Campaign film to promote better mental health in the industrial sector
Created at
Future
Deliverables
Campaign / Film concept, art direction and production
Project
Let's make mental health more visible
Sector
Industry & Technology
Project information
Background
Global giants, Altrad, are the leading supplier of support services to the industrial sector. They keep our nation’s vital assets working, both onshore and offshore. You may know them for their sponsorship of the New Zealand and French rugby union national teams. CALM are a national suicide prevention charity on a mission to help people end their misery, not their lives. They partnered to help highlight the importance of mental health in the industrial sector.
The creative challenge
The industrial sector has an urgent mental-health problem. In a traditionally male-dominated environment, the pressure to appear strong can make it difficult to admit when things are not OK. Workers are four times more likely to die by suicide, yet mental health is too often afforded less visibility than physical safety. Altrad needed a film that could open up essential conversations, making change feel human, relatable and impossible to ignore.
Creativity with character
I began with a simple contradiction: on industrial sites, hi-vis PPE makes safety visible, yet the signs of poor mental health are much harder to spot. That insight became the campaign idea, ‘Let’s make mental health more visible’.
I followed an industrial worker wearing his hi-vis vest everywhere, in the shower, gym, pool and on the golf course, creating surreal moments that prompted bemused looks but no questions. Until a colleague simply asks, “Are you OK?”, giving him space to open up.
Using humour to draw people in, the film delivered a serious message, noticing someone is one thing, starting the conversation can make a difference. I took the project from concept through planning, art direction and production, with the film becoming the centrepiece of Altrad’s wider partnership with CALM, supported by a dedicated website, workshops and resources.
It was a project I cared deeply about, and one where creativity was designed to do more than get noticed, it was there to help people ask, listen and speak up. And yes, I even made a small cameo. Strictly to save on production costs, obviously.
Behind the scenes
