Our film opens on a series of still shots (squares not filling up the entire screen) displaying stereotypical masculinity we see in advertising and media. Supers animate in throughout to call out the problem and build tension.

A black screen with a single super marks the transition into a filled screen of photos and b-roll with supers. These visuals reveal an intimate glimpse into the lives of confident, relatable men.

The core of our film shows our definition of what real success looks like (vs. the stereotype). It includes three major points: living authentically, keeping loved ones close, and being vulnerable.

We end on a wholesome series of a Gen Z man scooping his friend up with the question, “How else can we build men up to succeed?” followed by the final black frame and CTA directing viewers to the Unstereotype Alliance website.

The Unstereotype Alliance has identified that men have a skewed idea of success due to harmful stereotypes in advertising. The stereotypes suggest you have to embrace an alpha persona with extravagant wealth and a ripped body to be masculine.

This is a problem because it is an unattainable reality with detrimental effects. Research shows that 66 percent of millennial men feel that advertising negatively impacts their sense of success. Furthermore, we’re seeing a rapid decline in young men’s mental health.

Our challenge is to create a compelling film that redefines what it means to be a successful man in today’s world. Our goal is to present Gen Z men with an empowering narrative about masculinity that feels authentic and real.

We want people and the media to join us in driving a cultural shift toward positive masculinity. But first, they need to be inspired.

With such an emphasis on this rigid idea of masculinity, we believe young men struggle with being vulnerable and being masculine because being both hasn’t been an option. Plus, there’s an immense societal pressure to choose the latter.

Diving deeper, we found that men are scared to openly present other versions of masculinity because they won’t be considered “man enough.”

This fear, rooted in advertising and the media, has trapped men in a box where masculinity is not only monolithic but also suffocating.

The conversation around masculinity is shifting online. The stereotypical hot, rich man isn’t cutting it anymore. Gen Z men want success to be associated with values such as confidence, emotional intelligence, and physical and mental well-being.

It’s time for men to break out of this box they didn’t sign up for, so we’re expanding what it means to be a successful man.

We achieve this by applying a deeply intimate, human lens. We shot real men on the street who evoke the authentic masculinity we don’t widely see on billboards, pages, and screens. They are not gym rats, playboys, or finance bros; they are fathers, life partners, and creatives. They are also a glimpse into the infinite versions of what men can be in today’s world.

The outdated masculine era is out. What’s in? Men who aren’t afraid to embrace who they are and put their emotions and stories on full display. Here are just a few. Not yet pictured: you.