HigherIN built the strategy. We brought it to life on set and in the edit. Here’s how an agency and its production partner made sixty social-first reels for the Big Four.
HigherIN were running Choose Audit, a joint campaign from Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC to get Gen Z to rethink a career in audit. They knew their audience lived on TikTok and Instagram, and that anything resembling a corporate careers ad would get swiped straight past.
So they came to us with a clear plan: fifteen native, vertical-first reels per firm, fronted by the trainees and grads who work there. Sixty reels in total. Our job was to make it happen across four firms’ offices, without losing what made the idea work.
Here’s how that split worked, and why I think it’s the best way for agencies and production companies to work together.
What is social-first video?
Social-first video is made for the feed from the very start. It’s shot vertical, built around formats people already watch, and edited so the first couple of seconds earn the rest.
It’s not a TV ad cut down to fit a phone. Cut-downs have their place, but they rarely feel native, and on TikTok and Instagram that’s usually the difference between a view and a swipe.
Who did what
Good collaboration starts with clear roles. On Choose Audit, it looked like this.
HigherIN, the agency:
- The campaign strategy and audience insight
- The format slate
- The relationship with all four firms
Thin Reel, the production partner:
- Planning the shoot days
- Lean crews in each firm’s office
- Directing first-timers on camera
- The edit, cut around the hook
That split meant nobody was treading on anyone’s toes. HigherIN could focus on the firms and the message, and we could focus on making sixty reels that looked and felt right.
How we made sixty reels without sixty shoots
Turning formats into a shot list
HigherIN’s slate was built on formats Gen Z already binges: Guess the Job, Top 5 Signs You’re Secretly an Auditor, True or False, the 5 Second Rule, quick-fire quizzes and podcast clips. Formats repeat, so we planned each shoot day so every format could be filmed with lots of different people in one session. That’s where the volume comes from.
Keep the crew lean
We rolled into each office with a small crew. Working offices don’t have room for a full film unit, and a smaller crew is far less intimidating for people who’ve never been filmed before. It also keeps the budget on the content, where it belongs. There’s more on running calm, lean shoots in our guide to stress-free shoots.
Let real people be real
Most of the talent had never been on camera, so we kept it lo-fi and let their personalities carry it. Polished scripts would have killed it. The formats gave everyone something to react to, which is a lot easier than performing lines.
Cut every reel around the hook
In the edit, everything was built around the hook. The first two seconds do the heavy lifting, and the pacing is cut for watch time rather than to tell the whole story. If a reel doesn’t land in the first beat, nothing after it matters.
One production team from shoot to edit
The same team planned the shoots and cut the reels, so we knew exactly how each format would come together in the edit. That’s what kept sixty reels feeling like one campaign.
Why the agency and production split works
I’ve worked alongside agencies for nearly a decade, and the best projects look a lot like this one. The agency owns the idea, the strategy and the client. The production partner owns making it, and making it well.
When those roles are clear, everyone moves faster. The agency isn’t stuck managing crews and kit lists, and we’re not second-guessing a strategy that’s already been signed off. We work as an extension of their team, under their brief, and they get the credit for the thinking.
What happened next
The reels dropped across all four firms’ channels, and HigherIN told us they were “hugely championed as a great success”. That opened the door to more of their clients, including Freshfields, Macfarlanes and RICS.
This summer HigherIN brought us back for round two of Choose Audit at the same scale, with the new series dropping this autumn. Across the campaign we’ve filmed in offices in London, Birmingham and Leeds. It’s the kind of partnership where every drop leads to the next.
What agencies can take from it
- Bring your production partner in early. The sooner we see the strategy, the better we can plan the shoot days around it.
- Formats beat one-offs. A few strong, repeatable formats give you volume and consistency.
- Plan for volume from day one. Sixty reels came from planning the formats and the shoot days together, not from adding more shoots.
- Vertical first, not reframed. Frame for 9:16 on the day and the content feels native.
- Real people win for employer brand. Trainees talking about their own job are more believable than any actor.
Social-first video: FAQs
What is social-first video production?
It’s content planned, shot and edited for social platforms from the start, rather than adapted from a longer film. That usually means vertical framing, native formats and an edit built around the opening hook.
What does a production partner do for an agency?
A production partner turns the agency’s idea into finished content. That covers planning, crew, kit, the shoot and usually the edit, while the agency keeps the strategy and the client relationship.
How many social videos can you get from one shoot day?
It depends on the formats and the talent. Planning repeatable formats is how you get dozens of assets from a shoot rather than a handful. Lock the full list of deliverables before the shoot, not after.
Should employer brand videos use real employees?
For social, usually yes. Real staff are more believable to the people you’re trying to hire, and a light-touch, lo-fi approach helps first-timers relax on camera.
Can you shoot for vertical and horizontal at the same time?
Yes, but one has to lead. For social-first work we frame for 9:16 first and protect a wider frame where it’s needed, rather than cropping a widescreen shot afterwards.
Final thoughts
Social-first content at scale isn’t about shooting more. It takes a strong strategy, the right formats and a production team that can deliver them. HigherIN brought the first two, and we were proud to bring the third.
Got a social campaign that needs a production partner? Get in touch and we’ll show you how much one shoot can deliver, or read the full Choose Audit case study.