ITVS and Independent Lens

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Sizzle Reel

Each year, ITVS and Independent Lens present their new season of documentary films to PBS stations across the country. But their internal reels had historically leaned conservative—reliable, but not especially memorable. Our challenge: create a sizzle reel that distilled eight feature-length docs into emotionally compelling moments that actually got PBS stakeholders excited to air them.

We reimagined the reel from the ground up—writing custom copy, designing a fresh graphic system, and building a clean, modern aesthetic that stood hella far apart from the usual “look.” The pacing was tight, and the storytelling framed to intrigue, not just inform.

Rather than segment by film, we wove it all into a continuous narrative arc—balancing emotional hooks with visual energy. From typography to transitions, every detail was crafted to spark curiosity and reflect the urgency and relevance of the season.

The five-minute reel? Oh, it worked. It went from “Hi, we’re public media” to “Hello, here’s a season lineup that’ll melt your face off.” It wasn’t tied to air dates, but it sure made stations sit up and say, “Okay ITVS, we see you.”

Each year, ITVS and Independent Lens present their new season of documentary films to PBS stations across the country. But their internal reels had historically leaned conservative—reliable, but not especially memorable. Our challenge: create a sizzle reel that distilled eight feature-length docs into emotionally compelling moments that actually got PBS stakeholders excited to air them.

We reimagined the reel from the ground up—writing custom copy, designing a fresh graphic system, and building a clean, modern aesthetic that stood hella far apart from the usual “look.” The pacing was tight, and the storytelling framed to intrigue, not just inform.

Rather than segment by film, we wove it all into a continuous narrative arc—balancing emotional hooks with visual energy. From typography to transitions, every detail was crafted to spark curiosity and reflect the urgency and relevance of the season.

The five-minute reel? Oh, it worked. It went from “Hi, we’re public media” to “Hello, here’s a season lineup that’ll melt your face off.” It wasn’t tied to air dates, but it sure made stations sit up and say, “Okay ITVS, we see you.”