Case Study: Commercials About Real People, Not Products
As a commercial director and branded documentary filmmaker, I’m always looking for projects that go beyond the expected. The kind of work that doesn’t just say something — it shows it. Not with flashy production tricks or perfectly scripted soundbites, but with real places, real people, and a message that actually matters.
That’s what drew me to these two commercial spots for Elevations Credit Union.
I had the opportunity to act as the production partner with Elevations to direct and produce a pair of commercials that would eventually run on Hulu, regional broadcast TV, and across digital platforms. Both spots were part of their larger campaign to reposition banking as something more community-driven - less about profit, more about people.
The hope was that we could make some ads that can make you stop and think: Yeah, that’s the kind of place I’d want to bank with.
Starting with the Why
When Elevations approached me, their in-house team already had a clear vision: they wanted this campaign to ask “what if” to challenge assumptions about what a bank is supposed to be.
The core message was simple: your financial wellbeing is connected to your community’s wellbeing. And when you choose a credit union like Elevations, you’re not just managing your money, you’re investing in your neighbors, your local businesses, your town.
As someone who’s spent my career telling outdoor and lifestyle stories that revolve around place, purpose, and connection, this hit home. It wasn’t about a product they were selling. It was about values.
They asked me to help bring that vision to life in two different ways: one commercial that would serve as a kind of manifesto for the brand, and another that zoomed in on a beloved local business in the Boulder area to make the message feel tangible.
Spot One: “River Love”
The first commercial in the campaign was built around a series of questions — soft, reflective prompts delivered in a gentle voiceover.
“What if your bank put the health of the community over their own profit?
What if it understood your financial wellbeing is directly connected to the health of your community?”
It’s a bold opening. Not in a loud or provocative way, but in the quiet way that good questions often are.
From a direction standpoint, I knew this piece needed to feel calm and grounded. It had to create space — visually and emotionally — for the viewer to actually feel the difference that Elevations was talking about.
We filmed on location in Boulder and surrounding areas, keeping the visuals wide and natural. We used the backdrop of an actual river clean up that the Elevations staff were doing. Real people and only slightly staged to bring the visual to life.
I worked closely with the Elevations team to make sure the tone matched the brand’s heart. We didn’t want a high-gloss, corporate-feeling ad. We wanted it to feel like a quiet invitation. An offer to join something more meaningful.
The final line of the spot — “Care to join us?” — sums it up their call to community perfectly.
Spot Two: Marco’s - Community Happens at Lunch
The second commercial took a more tactile approach. Instead of speaking in broad ideas, this one showed what Elevations’ values look like in the wild.
We built the entire spot around Marco’s Hot Dogs & Tacos — a local food stand that’s been a staple in Longmont for years. It’s not just a place to grab a bite. It’s a gathering point. A lunchtime ritual. A reminder of how much community can happen over something as simple as a hot dog.
Elevations had the idea to shoot there as a way to highlight their commitment to small businesses. But the challenge was making it feel authentic — like you just happened to catch a moment of real life, not a commercial trying to be cute.
So that’s what we did. We shot documentary-style, handheld, during real business hours. Marco’s stayed open throughout the day, and we worked around the actual lunch rush, which brought in a mix of regulars, new faces, and even a few ECU employees who came out to support.
A Production Process Built on Trust
Both commercials came together through a collaborative process with the internal team at Elevations and their creative agency, Cultivator. I came on as a production partner, which meant I wasn’t just directing — I was helping shape the entire approach.
From pre-production logistics to talent release forms to adapting the script on shoot day when light or timing changed, we worked like a tight-knit team. The Marco’s shoot especially required flexibility. We were filming in a real public setting, with drone shots, ambient noise, and customers who didn’t always want to be on camera. But that’s where experience shooting in live environments really came into play. We rolled with it, adapted in real time, and came away with something that felt honest and alive.
There’s always a balance in this kind of work, between creating something polished enough for broadcast and keeping it grounded enough to feel true. That’s the line I love walking as a commercial director and where I believe the magic is.
The Strategy Behind the Ad
One of the things that made this campaign so rewarding was how aligned the messaging was with the execution. So often, I get brought into projects where the story sounds good on paper, but the production process ends up undercutting it. This wasn’t that.
Elevations knew what they stood for, and they trusted the filmmaking process enough to let that story unfold naturally. We weren’t just telling people that this credit union cared about community, we were showing it. Through slow pans across a local business, a real river cleanup that happened and genuine interactions we could communicate visually what Elevations stood for.
In my experience, that’s what makes people pay attention. Not flashy graphics. Just truth, told well.
That was the underlying strategy here: use brand storytelling that feels more like documenting reality. Tap into what’s already there, the real people, the places that matter, the values that drive the company and let the story emerge from that.
And while both commercials were only 30 seconds long, we thought about them the same way I’d approach a branded short documentary: with intention.
Visual Storytelling Tactics We Used
This part is important - especially for other filmmakers or marketing teams thinking about taking a similar approach.
1. Natural Light and Real Environments
Both commercials were shot entirely on location. We didn’t use studio lighting or build sets. This created a look that was instantly more relatable. You can feel when something’s been filmed in a real space - the small imperfections, the textures, the shifting light.
At Marco’s, for example, we shot during their actual lunch hour and used their real customers as extras. That genuine laughter between real friends wasn’t something we could fake.
2. Candid Performance Over Staged Action
We used real Elevations employees as talent. We didn’t over-rehearse them. We just asked them to show up and be themselves. The most engaging moments came when they weren’t even aware of the camera — just enjoying lunch, chatting, or stepping into the shot naturally.
3. Sound Design that Doesn’t Try Too Hard
No swelling strings. No dramatic cues. Just a clean, quiet voiceover and subtle ambient audio. At Marco’s, you can hear the sizzle of food and the soft murmur of a crowd which gives the piece atmosphere without pulling focus from the core message.
This kind of sound work makes a huge difference. It invites the viewer in instead of pushing them to feel something.
What It Took Behind the Scenes
Every shoot has its chaos, even the smooth ones. What made this campaign successful wasn’t just the planning or the execution. It was the mindset: open, collaborative, and community-first.
On the Marco’s shoot, for example, we had to juggle a full lunch rush while capturing controlled visuals. We blocked off areas for shooting, coordinated with the kitchen staff so we weren’t in the way, and communicated clearly with customers who didn’t want to be filmed. Our team printed signs in both English and Spanish to make sure everyone felt comfortable and included.
And during post-production, we kept the pacing of each commercial slow enough to breathe but tight enough to work within broadcast constraints. The trick with 30-second spots is to pack them with meaning without making them feel rushed. I think we struck that balance.
What These Spots Say About Brand + Filmmaker Collaboration
There’s a lot of talk in the advertising world about “authenticity” but rarely does the process behind the scenes actually reflect that. What made working with Elevations different was that they weren’t just saying they valued the community. They were willing to make creative decisions that proved it.
They trusted the process. They trusted me as a director. And they gave the story room to be what it needed to be.
I think that’s why the campaign worked because we weren’t trying to sell something that didn’t exist. We were just documenting it.
Final Thoughts (and a Quiet CTA)
If you’re a creative director, brand manager, or marketing team looking to build commercials that feel more like stories, not just scripts with product shots, I’d love to collaborate. Whether it’s a lifestyle brand, a nonprofit, or something completely different, I’m always looking to work with people who care about the why as much as the what.
These Elevations Credit Union spots were a reminder that you don’t need big budgets or elaborate sets to make people feel something. You just need a clear message, a grounded approach, and the right team to help bring it to life.
Thanks to everyone at Elevations and the team at Cultivator for making this one of the most creatively fulfilling commercial projects I’ve worked on.
Why We Should Work Together…
When I’m not on this website rambling on about filmmaking, I’m actually out there making films. From crafting memorable branded documentaries to capturing stories and products that move people, I’ve got you covered. Need a filmmaker who can scale mountains, brave the surf, or just tell a dang good story? Let’s chat!
In case I haven’t convinced you, here are three reasons why it might be fun to work together…
I believe in stories that stick with you - like campfire smoke on your clothes. The kind that makes you laugh, cry, or immediately want to call your mom.
I’m just as comfortable at 14,000ft as I am in front of a timeline. You get me in the mountains, in the ocean and in the editing room, making sure the magic out there really shines in the final cut.
I’ve filmed in some pretty wild places, but the best stories are the ones that bring people together. It’s those shared moments -big or small - that remind me why I love what I do.
Let’s Connect
Roo is an Emmy nominated commercial/documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado but travels all around the world for his filmmaking career. He has directed documentaries for Patagonia in California, produced films for Outside Magazine throughout Europe and Africa, camera operated for Netflix in the Rocky Mountain West, photographed among indigenous communities in South America, and has received notable recognition in his hometown of Orcas Island in Washington State for his work telling uplifting stories in the outdoor space.