The Ask
Client: Lima One Capital
Project Type: Branded Documentary
Location: Atlanta, GA
Lima One Capital, a premier lender for real estate investors across the U.S., wanted something bold: a Netflix-style documentary that could showcase their growing presence in Atlanta, GA — one of their key target markets. The goal? To tell the real stories of three local real estate developers whose projects were made possible through Lima One’s support, while also creating a marketing tool to attract new investors and developer partners.
Objectives
Capture the rich, evolving story of Atlanta’s real estate market
Highlight the unique journeys of three different developers
Illustrate how Lima One’s lending partnership helped these developers bring their visions to life
Inspire future investors and developers to work with Lima One
The Challenges
Tight Schedules: Coordinating busy developers during active builds — often in flux due to seasonal and logistical constraints
Evergreen Delivery: Shooting around holiday-themed events and décor to avoid dating the footage
Story Cohesion: Differentiating each developer while weaving a single, compelling narrative that tied back to Lima One’s brand and purpose.
MY APPROACH
We anchored the process in one core value: collaboration. Lima One was stepping into unfamiliar territory with this style of storytelling, so transparency and alignment were key.
Development:
Before a single frame was shot, we built a narrative blueprint — story beats, interview questions, visual structure — and secured buy-in from Lima One’s team. That gave them confidence in both the creative direction and the business utility of the piece.
Pre-Production:
We prioritized developer scheduling early, knowing their stories would shape the backbone of the edit. With most construction paused over the holidays, we pivoted to indoor and interview setups to stay on schedule.
Production + Paper Edit:
Once interviews were wrapped, we used transcripts to craft a “paper edit” — a rough story outline Lima One could review before we entered post. That early feedback loop ensured the story hit their brand goals and let us fine-tune voice, tone, and messaging in a way that made post smooth and efficient.
THE CURVEBALL
Midway through, Lima One asked to feature one of their own employees. Rather than wedge him in, we embraced the change — turning him into a narrative host. His presence helped ground the story, guide the viewer, and bridge the individual developer journeys into one cohesive brand narrative.
The Result
The final product blended traditional sit-down interviews with candid, street-level moments that made the viewer feel immersed in the heartbeat of Atlanta’s development scene.
While we don’t have hard metrics on performance, we delivered on time, on budget, and with full satisfaction from the client — including a set of social-first cutdowns for expanded reach. Lima One was ecstatic with the results, and the project became a standout example of branded content that doesn't sacrifice story for sales — it does both.