Why Documentaries Hit Different: Turning the Camera on Ourselves
I co-founded Engage Care Talent last year - it's a podcast and community dedicated to solving the care talent crisis one conversation at a time. So we produced a mini documentary about it. Here's why.
I’ve produced thousands of pieces of content over the years. Social posts, podcast episodes, videos, brochures, websites.
But here’s what I’ve learned: it’s documentaries that really hit a chord for me.
There’s something about documentary storytelling that cuts through the noise in a way other content formats simply can’t.
Maybe it’s the intimacy. Maybe it’s the authenticity. Or maybe it’s just that people are getting a bit tired of polished, perfect content that feels like it was created by a marketing committee.
Practicing What We Preach
My business - Content Marketing Pod - has produced a number of documentaries so I was keen to do it for our Engage Care Talent.
When my co-founder Rowan Marriott and I sat down to figure out how to showcase our mission at Engage Care Talent we knew we couldn’t just create another standard marketing video.
We had to practice what we preach.
So I made a decision: I’d turn the cameras on us.
Building in Public, Documentary Style
The result was a three-part documentary series that follows Rowan and me across three very different settings, each revealing something unique about who we are and what we’re building:
Episode 1: The Meal
We sat down for a candid discussion about why we’re so passionate about healthcare recruitment. No script. Just two founders talking honestly about the problem they’re trying to solve and why it matters to them personally.
Episode 2: The Morning Run
There’s something about an early morning run that gets you thinking. We explored mindset, persistence, and what it really takes to build something meaningful in a challenging industry.
Episode 3: The Meeting
This was where strategy met reality. We filmed a planning session where we mapped out the future of our community, complete with the uncertainty, the big ideas, and the tough decisions that come with building something from scratch.
Why This Approach Works
Here’s the thing about “building in public”: it’s vulnerable. It’s messy. And that’s exactly why it works.
People don’t connect with perfection. They connect with reality.
By showing the unfiltered truth of entrepreneurship—the passion, the doubts, the planning, the persistence—we positioned Engage Care Talent not as some faceless corporate entity, but as real people solving real problems.
The Power of Documentary Storytelling
What makes documentary-style content so effective?
It shows rather than tells. Instead of saying “we’re passionate about healthcare,” we showed ourselves having real conversations about why it matters to us.
It creates emotional connection. Watching two people run together at dawn while discussing their business creates a different kind of bond with your audience than a polished promotional video ever could.
It’s memorable. People might forget your features and benefits, but they’ll remember how your story made them feel.
It builds trust. When you’re willing to show the unpolished reality of your work, people believe you in a way they never would with traditional marketing content.
Your Turn
If you’re considering documentary-style content for your brand, here’s my advice: stop overthinking it. You don’t need a massive production budget or a Hollywood crew. You need authenticity, a compelling story, and the courage to show the real you.
The content I’m most proud of isn’t the most polished. It’s the most real.
Check out some more of our documentary work here.