Drive Capital wanted to attract ambitious startup founders to the Midwest. But instead of creating another promotional video about why their venture capital firm was great, we found a much more interesting story to tell. One that was already hiding inside a podcast interview.
How do you get startup founders to reconsider everything they think they know about the Midwest? For many entrepreneurs, building a successful startup means heading to Silicon Valley, New York, or another established tech hub. Drive Capital saw things differently. As a venture capital firm investing in the Midwest, they believed some of the greatest opportunities for founders existed far from the coasts. They wanted to reach entrepreneurs already building in the region, along with those who might consider moving there.
But another video talking about how great Drive Capital was wouldn't be enough to change anyone's mind. They needed something people would actually want to watch.
The most interesting story wasn't about Drive Capital. It was about the Midwest. During our conversations with Drive, we were introduced to a podcast interview featuring co-founder Chris Olsen. In just six minutes, Chris made a compelling case for why the Midwest represented an enormous opportunity for entrepreneurs. The story was already there.
Rather than rewriting it into a traditional brand message, we decided to let Chris tell it himself. We took the original audio and built an animated short film around it, using humor, unexpected visuals, and a little absurdity to bring his argument to life. The result was a story designed to make founders see the Midwest differently.
Six minutes is a long time to hold someone's attention. So we made every second interesting. We approached the project more like an animated short film than a traditional brand video.
After exploring several visual directions, we landed on a collage style that combined cutout photography, graphic elements, typography, and animation. The approach allowed us to place real people in unexpected situations, introduce moments of comedy, and constantly shift the visual energy to complement Chris's narration.
We balanced humor with more serious moments, giving the audience a reason to stay engaged throughout the six-minute film. And because the goal was awareness rather than an immediate sale, we made one important decision. Drive Capital's logo wouldn't appear until the very end. The story came first. The brand came second.
and how the story was used in a story ecosystem
A six-minute animated documentary film built around an existing podcast recording from Drive Capital co-founder Chris Olsen.
A narrative and visual approach designed to make a longer-form story entertaining, memorable, and shareable.
A distinctive mix of photography, cutout imagery, typography, humor, and motion that brought the story to life while staying connected to Drive Capital's visual identity.
based on trust, not just metrics
The finished film gave Drive Capital a way to reach startup founders by offering something valuable before asking for anything in return. Instead of promoting its services, Drive shared an entertaining perspective on why the Midwest deserved more attention. The approach helped position Drive Capital as a firm with a compelling point of view about the region and its potential.
And according to the client, it worked.
"Working with Made by Things was a delight. Matt understood our business goals for the project and was able to develop a creative strategy that aligned perfectly with what we wanted to achieve. Our video from Made by Things was — and continues to be — a smashing success." - Nils Root, Partner at Drive Capital
We began by exploring two visual directions: a comic book-inspired illustration style and a collage approach combining photography with real-world environments. Both offered opportunities for humor and unexpected visual storytelling, but collage felt more connected to Drive Capital's existing brand.
We used the firm's colors, shapes, textures, and typography to create a recognizable visual language without turning the film into an advertisement. From there, we built the animation around the natural rhythm of Chris's narration, shifting between serious ideas and comedic moments.
Every creative decision served the same goal: keeping people engaged long enough to hear a story worth telling.
with us.A strong partnership between organization and studio is the crux of great creation. We listen. We ask questions. We seek out the story hiding beneath the surface. Then we bring it to life through creative documentation.
