Our Work.

research | write | DIRECT | PRODUCE | SHOOT | post

Hartwick Creative x Dropbox

Our campaign for Dropbox (shot at our place in Canada and around the world) shares our version of work-life balance, made possible through innovation and technology.

CONNECTEDNESS AND THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY

We wrote, directed, and co-produced a series of 24 short films for the global launch of World Expo 2020. We filmed stories of technology, connectedness, and sustainability around the world. Many of the stories were based on projects we had already been involved with for several years.

Our 2022 series of 11 shorts for Rockefeller Philanthropies highlighted tactical urbanism and street transformations in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

THE STATUS OF WOMEN

Years of living in the Middle East and South Asia brought this topic into focus. We've collaborated on several projects aimed at providing opportunities for girls, promoting gender equality, and the empowerment of women.

We wrote + directed + shot + produced a manifesto video for Uber/Careem Egypt, Jordan and the UAE, featuring a woman driver with male passengers - a groundbreaking concept in the region. For World Expo 2020, our video series was based on stories of women around the world.

AGRICULTURE AND POPULATION DENSITY

Feeding a growing population while dealing with the growing environmental crisis on our planet is perhaps the most complex set of challenges facing humanity. We have covered this subject from a CSR angle with Nestlé and from a crisis response perspective with the UN World Food Programme.

Our newest personal and commercial projects have looked at leading technology applied to sustainable food systems. The One Acre Project is our proposal for a large scale, global Branded Partnership documentary series on the subject.

EDUCATION AND LEARNING

Connectivity has created a world of opportunities in education, and the potential is life-changing for billions of people.

We have spearheaded education projects across a broad spectrum, from working with a boat school in South Asia to provide solar electricity, to creating a lecture series at Harvard University on Cultures of Protest and the social uprisings of 1968.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY IN THE GULF

The pace and scale of urban transformation and economic growth in the Arabian Gulf has changed the world's geo-political power structure. 

During our many years based in Dubai, we witnessed the transformation of a local culture and landscape as the city became a symbol of wealth and grew from approximately 500k to nearly 3 million inhabitants. Our assignments took us throughout the Middle East, from Saudi to Yemen to Syria and beyond, allowing us to gain insight on a rapidly changing region.

TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME

Transnational organized crime networks are ever more powerful and sophisticated global enterprises. We worked with The New York Times on the movement of contraband across the Straight of Hormuz, and with Legatum on a comprehensive report on human trafficking in India. A longterm personal project on the trafficking of Philippine domestic workers in Dubai led to interviews with the BBC and CBC.

CLIMATE CHANGE IN TEMPERATE FORESTS

Our forests face significant challenges due to climate change, industry, and fire suppression. The long life cycle of evergreens makes it difficult for them to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. We've worked on the front line of the wildlfire crisis in western Canada, creating photostories and gathering reports to document change from a grassroots level.

TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY

Population growth and urban migration have placed immense strain on urban systems and created a need for constant improvement and implementation of new technology. Our work with General Electric (GE) has taken us to Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey to document multiple business streams - Aviation, Renewable Energy, Power, Healthcare, Lighting, and Transportation.

As part of our work with Expo 2020, we told the story of breakthrough container farming technology and looked at the global shipping industry through one of the world’s largest cargo ships, loading up at Dubai port heading out to sea in the Arabian Gulf.