Creative Brief

• Project Title: Employer Brand Video Series for Lumbermen’s

• Client: Lumbermen’s Inc. — Grand Rapids, MI

• Creative Director / Producer: Nic Dampier

• Date: 2022

• Scope: Employer Brand Film | B-Roll Library | Short Promo Video

• Objective: Support Lumbermen’s recruiting and employer branding efforts by creating emotionally resonant, story-driven videos that highlight company culture, employee experience, and growth opportunities.

Project Overview

• Lumbermen’s is a 100% employee-owned company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, known for its strong culture, values-driven leadership, and commitment to teamwork. In 2023, I partnered with Lumbermen’s to create a recruiting-focused video suite that captured the human side of their work. By highlighting authentic employee voices and everyday moments across their facilities, the content was designed to serve as a powerful tool for attracting new talent, celebrating current team members, and reinforcing their unique employer value proposition.

• This video series was built for multi-use—career page content, social recruiting, onboarding, and internal communications—with modular assets and a custom b-roll archive for future marketing needs.

Purpose & Goals

• Attract top talent by showcasing real employee stories and what makes Lumbermen’s a great place to work

• Enhance the employer brand through storytelling that highlights purpose, teamwork, and ownership culture

• Support HR and recruiting teams with high-quality, evergreen video assets to be used across multiple platforms

• Provide a comprehensive visual archive that Lumbermen’s can repurpose for future campaigns and internal media

Target Audience

• Job seekers across Michigan and surrounding regions

• Career changers looking for meaningful work in a team-based environment

• Passive candidates exploring employer culture

• Current employees and leadership seeking to reinforce shared values and belonging

Deliverables

• Employer Brand Story Film (5–6 minutes):
  A people-centered short documentary highlighting the experience of working at Lumbermen’s, featuring interviews with employees across departments. The story emphasizes growth, team camaraderie, leadership support, and the benefits of employee ownership.

• Short Promo Video (30–45 seconds):
  A fast-paced, visually compelling piece cut for use on LinkedIn, job boards, and internal communications. Designed to quickly capture attention and direct viewers to learn more or apply.

• Custom B-Roll Archive:
  Professionally captured footage of operations, team interactions, warehouse logistics, office culture, and branded environments—organized for internal use in marketing, recruiting, and leadership messaging.

Creative Strategy

• Authentic Voices:
  Interviews were unscripted, allowing real employees to speak honestly about their experience. This created a tone of trust and relatability that connects deeply with viewers.

• Workplace-as-Hero Framing:
  Instead of marketing a job, the video positioned Lumbermen’s as a place where people grow, belong, and make a difference.

• Balanced Visual Style:
  Combined cinematic production techniques with gritty, boots-on-the-ground energy to match the Lumbermen’s brand—professional, hardworking, and grounded in purpose.

• Modular Format:
  Footage was shot and organized to allow future repurposing for location-specific recruiting, internal culture videos, and more.

Tone & Voice

• Genuine and warm

• Purposeful and community-oriented

• Proud but humble—focused on people, not polish

• Empowering and inclusive

Impact Metrics

• Used by HR and leadership teams for recruiting across multiple roles and locations

• Positive internal feedback from employees who felt “seen” and celebrated in the video series

• Strengthened external employer brand perception across career site and social media

• B-roll reused for internal campaigns and onboarding messages

• Sparked new internal interest in storytelling as a culture-building tool

Why It Matters

• People don’t just want a job—they want to belong. This project gave Lumbermen’s the voice and visuals to say, "Here, you matter.” By capturing the lived experience of team members and showcasing a culture of ownership, growth, and integrity, we didn’t just produce a recruiting video—we created a brand story that inspires and endures.