Greene King

The brief...

Opening the conversation on diversity and inclusion with the intention of removing the fear of difference and inspiring change.

In the workplace, it’s important that everyone feels valued for being themselves. Unfortunately, though, it’s not always easy for people who have faced a lifetime of being judged for their difference.

There is a way, however, that employers can open the conversation to challenge thinking, remove the fear of difference and inspire change, and that’s through film.

Aptly named “I’m not prejudiced but…”, we worked closely with Greene King’s Head of Inclusion & Diversity, Garry Clarke-Strange, to create a film that invites employees to reveal the challenges they’ve faced throughout their lives.

Touching on inclusion and belonging, the production speaks to two audiences; those who feel affected or judged for their difference and those who often unknowingly hold views or assumptions about other people.  

Talking passionately about the project, Creative Director at SGA, Simon Greene, says:

“Our brief was to create a film that invites conversation on diversity and makes people stop and think, whether they’re passively interested or in a minority. I’m proud to say that we delivered on both objectives.”

The Project

To create a connection with the viewer and give people the confidence to speak up, it was essential that we captured the experiences of real employees. To select people for filming, a company-wide invite was sent out to encourage people to share their stories, to which a variety of responses were received to enable us to create a balanced film.

There was no watering-down stories or using actors. We delved into the lives of people who have experienced prejudice throughout to reveal what it feels and looks like.

As creators of the film, we were conscious of making each interviewee feel comfortable and able to tell their story.

To make the film as relatable as possible to the viewer, we cast ourselves and local extras to ask prejudiced questions that people often ask without thinking. In total, we had 40 questions that we had drafted with the help of Greene King’s Diversity & Inclusion team and used those that best suited the answers given by the people in the film.

We met several contributors the evening before filming to get to know each other and put people at ease. On the day of filming at the Tollgate pub in Bury St Edmunds, we used a clever little device that attaches to the camera during filming. This enabled the interviewees to look into the eyes of the interviewer rather than down the camera lens!

We listened, empathised, chatted, and, most importantly, cared. We cared for each person’s story to capture what Greene King wanted to achieve.

The Results

We’re delighted to say that the film has already had a hugely positive impact and is part of Greene King’s journey to be fully inclusive of all its team members, where people are embraced and valued for who they are.

Achieving Everyday Inclusion is an ongoing “journey”; one of commitment to creating an inclusive workplace and culture. All change starts with a conversation or action, and the film does just this.

“Working with SGA was a creative and productive experience. They helped us realise the potential of our idea, challenged our thinking when needed while also sticking to our core brief. They were engaged and committed throughout and worked really hard to build rapport with the cast on the day, enabling us to capture quality contact in an organic and credible way. The result is a film that is thought-provoking, real and something we are proud of.”

garry CLARKE-strange, Head of inclusion & Diversity, GREENE KING