In the last 50 years, the world has made progress in almost every aspect of life. But 64% of the world still thinks we’re heading in the wrong direction. Fueled by constant bad news and polarization, a crisis of “doomerism” is threatening to erode our belief that a healthier, more equitable world is possible.

So, we tasked ourselves with a bold objective: to increase essential optimism in the UK by championing the people working together to make the world better. With the optimistic spirit asserting that all problems CAN be solved, and lives and communities can be transformed. The proof lies in these very partnerships that allow the ripple effect of potential to reverberate around the world. Because when you get the right partners together, the potential is endless.

When you remove the barriers that impact the potential of one person, there is a ripple effect of change that permeates far beyond the original individual.

One thing that struck us early on was the unexpected connections that resulted from these ripple effects.

How genetic research in UK cows led to improved grades in Kenyan kids.

How a recycling toilet lowered truancy rates.

How a local insight into kangaroo mothers is changing the world of maternal health.

The discovery of these unexpected benefits provided us with a compelling framework to narrate the partners’ stories in a more engaging and entertaining manner. This approach not only made the Foundation, which typically leans toward scientific and technical language, more relatable to the public but also established a fresh and entertaining connection with them.

To reignite hope, our strategy was to show the world how partnership makes the incredible happen. Because the true power of the Foundation is its convening power. It's the ability to connect the right partners together and be a springboard for their agency, ambition, and action.

Critically, our work had to strike a fresh tone. Not only would blithely happy-clappy optimism be dismissed as naïve, but also the nonprofit sector storytelling style was tired, and it wasn’t breaking through. We had a responsibility to our subjects to go beyond positioning them as victims inspiring sympathy, to inspiring our audience with a cast of heroes, working on true stories with genuine impact — never people in need of being saved.

So we made the focus our partners — the grantees, scientists, researchers, and real people all around the world — working in service of the world’s greatest resource: human potential.

The cinematography aimed for a handcrafted feel, humanizing the Gates Foundation’s impactful work. We used mostly 50D super 16mm film pulled two stops giving the image an almost “paperback” quality.

Bolex and Super 8 film provided warmth and flexibility, particularly in diverse settings. Film’s latitude and portability reduced crew size, maintaining agility. We embraced film imperfections for authenticity, retaining hairs and the film gate in the final edit. Digital elements like drone shots were printed to film for consistency. In remote areas, creative solutions were vital, like borrowing ladders or shooting from a pickup truck in Kenya. This nimble approach enabled spontaneous captures, adding depth and immediacy to the storytelling.

We shot in so many different types of light with different local crews from all over the world. Each country added their own level of expertise to the image and ultimately left their own unique fingerprint on the final product.

In the first two weeks of going live, our campaign has generated 33M impressions, 18.3M views, and 1.02M engagements, including shares and commentary from non-profit industry juggernauts attesting to the film’s impact, with the head of an international charity hailing it as “a new benchmark of excellence for our sector” and the Pew Research Center lauding the work as “a great antidote to doomscrolling.“

But the greatest result? Even in the short period of time since launching “Better Cows, Better Grades,” in-market content testing has revealed that audiences around the world are responding extremely positively to the Foundation’s shift in storytelling, with a 37% increase in audiences feeling optimistic and inspired after watching the film.

This is only the beginning. Turning the tide of global pessimism is no small task. But with the right partners, anything is possible.