Unleash the Power of Story.
Accelerate Collective Impact
What is the Story Hackathon?
Part Production Sprint. Part Innovation Lab. Fully Story-Powered.
The Story Hackathon is a one-day immersive experience where cross functional teams turn insight into impact by creating real short term films.
You'll form a creative production team, adopt roles, and move through zones that mirror the filmmaking journey: from concept to camera, editing suite to launch.
Whether you're telling a story about change, engineering, innovation or leadership, this experience equips your team with the tools, confidence and storytelling skills to move hearts and minds.
1. Teaming Zone
Form your crew, align your vision.
Build your team, choose roles, and set your mission.
3. Pre-Production
Script it. Shape it. Storyboard it.
Design your narrative, script and set plan.
5. Post-Production
Edit for impact.
Design your narrative, script and set plan.
2. Preparation Briefing
Learn what makes stories stick.
Explore audience, structure, and genre.
4. Production Zone
Lights, camera, action.
Film in studio with pro crew and your on-screen talent
6. Marketing & Release
Plan the premiere.
Film in studio with pro crew and your on-screen talent
What Happens on the Day?
Why It Matters?
This Isn't Just About Film. It's About Influence
Aligning diverse perspectives
Aligning diverse perspectives
Storytelling is a powerful way to surface and share different viewpoints on complex challenges.
Generates clarity, shared ownership, and alignment.
High engagement and collaboration
High engagement and collaboration
Moves participants from passive listening to full immersion.
Energising team-building designed to spark fresh thinking across key relationships and interfaces.
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Tangible, lasting outputs
Tangible, lasting outputs
Each team will produce a 3-4 minute film with professional production support.
Helps communicate strategy, engage wider teams, and inspire follow-up actions.
Who's It For?
Perfect For...
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Innovation, Technical or Transformation teams
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Leadership groups wanting to strengthen storytelling skills
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New teams forming around a big mission
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Change and comms professionals looking for fresh engagement tools
What You'll Need
We Provide the Gear. You Bring the Verve.
Everything you need: cameras, studios, props, coaching
Clear roles so everyone contributes
On-the-day guidance at every stage
All levels welcome - no film experience required
Hackathon Roles
Each player will take a key role in the storytelling creation team
The Writer crafts the film's narrative backbone. They distill the core message into a simple three act outline, develop interview questions or talking points to draw out genuine responses, and create any scripted introductions, voiceovers, or on-screen text
WRITER
The Producer keeps the whole operation running smoothly and makes sure everyone is working efficiently and knows what they are doing. They will usually confirm timings and locations, organise call sheets and equipment, manage the days schedule and troubleshoot any issues; so that the team an focus on making great content.
PRODUCER
The Marketeer defines who the film is for and how it will engage them. They advise on tone, calls to action and branding elements, suggest on-screen graphics or text, and sketch out a simple plan for how the finished film will be shared or presented.
MARKETEER
The Actor or Narrator brings the words and characters to life. They learn the talking points or script, work with the Director on delivery and body language, record multiple takes for choice in the edit. For voiceovers they will need to capture clear, consistent audio in a quiet setting.
ACTOR & NARRATOR
The Director acts as the project's creative lead, ensuring everyone works together to bring the story to life. They interpret the brief, plan each shot's look and feel, and guide on-camera talent on performance, tone and pacing to keep the film on message.
DIRECTOR
The Camera Operator (or Director of Photography) captures the vision in frame. They select lenses and settings, compose shots, oversee basic lighting and ensure clean audio, logging takes as they go so the edit suite has everything it needs.
CAMERA OPERATOR / DOP
The Lead Editor turns raw footage into a polished story. They ingest and organise clips, build a rough cut in line with the Writer's outline and the Director's notes, weave in B-roll, graphics and music, and manage the edit through feedback rounds to deliver the final export.
LEAD EDITOR
The Runner keeps the day's logistics running smoothly, handling quick errands and on-set support so the core team can stay focused on creative tasks. They will stay close to the Director and Producer, to ensure they have everything they need to complete their tasks. Runners are great for sending on tasks when either the Director or Producer have their hands full.
RUNNER
And Finally...
Share the Stories. Feel the Impact.
Commit to finalising the edit.
Reflect together on what you've learned, what you've made, and what it could mean for your work tomorrow.
Engineering Leaders - Preparation for Hackathon
Story Hackathon - Story Selection Brief - Stories that Influence and Inspire
For the Engineering Director and Leadership Team
As we prepare for the upcoming Story Hackathon, we need your help identifying a shortlist of 10 powerful story ideas. These stories will be crafted and shared by teams during the event to inspire, influence and connect with key audiences.
What We're Looking For
We're seeking real, resonant stories rooted in the work and world of engineering - stories that reflect the challenges we face and the impact we can make. Stories that influence how people feel, think and act. Each story should feature a real protagonist:
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An engineer tackling a tough challenge
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Or someone in the wider enterprise who is relying on engineers to solve or improve something critical.
These stories should be shaped around one of three working themes:
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Working Together - Engineering working collaboratively with other parts of the business and integrating elements to make the right decisions.
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Engineering Moments - Significant points of challenge, change, insight, or breakthrough in the engineering journey.
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Engineering Influence - Engineering up productivity and pace, and engineering down price - stories of innovation, trade-offs, and progress against business-critical constraints.
These stories will be developed with a target audience in mind - this will be part of the hackathon - but common audiences are likely to include:
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Other engineers (to engage, inspire, provoke change or learn)
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Potential future engineers (to attract, excite, or orient them)
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Stakeholders across the enterprise (to build understanding, empathy, and collaboration)
Engineering Context and Priorities
1. Engineering's Role in Business Unit Success
How are engineers helping BUs (and other stakeholders like Capital, E&L, Science, P3M) to succeeed? What's working - or needs to change - in how Engineering meets their needs?
2. Digitisation
Are there stories about building or using a digital backbone across the lifecycle? Smart use of data, modelling, simulation, or digital twins?
3. Complex Problem Solving
Examples where teaming across boundaries helped solve (or is helping solve) multi-faceted engineering problems. How were the interfaces between silos managed?
4. Productivity, Pace & Price
Stories that speak to engineering at pace, at quality, and at the right cost. This could include trade-off judgements, make/buy decisions, smart re-use, simplification, or innovation under constraint.
5. Empowering Front Line Teams
Where has decision-making been pushed to the point of need? Where have teams found new freedom, capability, or clarity - and what difference did it make?
The best stories will be grounded in real engineering challenges and successes that reflect our current priorities. Use the following lenses to help shape or filter your story suggestions:
What Makes a Good Candidate Story
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It has a relatable protagonist with a challenge to solve
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It reflects a real and relevant engineering priority
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It includes moments of learning, breakthrough, tension, or trade-off
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It can help shift mindsets or behaviours in others
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It opens up empathy, insight and possibility
Please submit up to three candidate story ideas by Thursday 28th August, using the simple format below.
We'll review the submissions and select a final list of 10 stories to shape the Hackathon. Thank you for helping bring the engineering story to life.