Most travel shows have a host who is an outsider, visiting a new location for a short, given amount of time. Then the host bestows the viewers with their opinions on the food, culture, and people. We wanted a more intimate approach, where an insider tells their personal story and how it connects to the land in which they live.

We challenged ourselves to create a film about Cuba that would educate and inspire people by giving them an unexpected insider look at the local culture.

Our end goal was to break misconception of the Caribbean being one homogenous region by celebrating the uniqueness of each distinct destination and its people.

The modern vacationer is looking for an authentic experience while traveling. They don’t want to be a tourist; they want to truly experience their chosen destination.

To help travelers accomplish this, we created a film series that introduces people to the culture of the destination through the individuals to whom it truly belongs: the locals.

In this film, we wanted to introduce people to Cuba through Gabriela’s inspiring story that touches on the intricacies of Cuban society from its maturing relationship with race equality and the Cuban people’s national pride in its ballet pedigree.

The Caribbean has been marred by stereotypes unwittingly perpetuated by most travel brands. Rather than showcasing the dozens of unique Caribbean countries, each with its own culture and personality, our competitors continue to promote a one-dimensional perspective of the region. The resulting pervasive belief is that the Caribbean is only good for lazy, beach-going vacations.

Therefore, our challenge was to break through preconceptions and deepen traveler’s understanding of the Caribbean with unexpected, emotion-evoking stories of people, places, and cultures they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.

From brief to the launch date the team had nearly three months to identify three stories, prep, film, edit, and finalize post production. The series was shot over 6 days in Cuba, with 2 days dedicated to each film. The Ballerina film was posted on Facebook and YouTube with paid support.

Through social media placements on YouTube and Facebook, the film received over 5 million views with an additional 126,000 organic impressions.