Discovery Changed My Life
Can a TV channel change your life? For these people, it did.
Discovery Changed My Life is a collection of vignettes exploring real stories of people whose lives were genuinely shaped by watching Discovery growing up. Each short gives us a glimpse into how a spark, fired up by a show they loved, grew into a lifelong passion or career. With each segment, we could demonstrate how powerful storytelling can be when it resonates with you and guides your path in the real world.
The challenge
Discovery approached us following our previous work on The Ocean Race, drawn to the way we tell stories in the world of sport and adventure, capturing not just the action, but the emotion and human truths behind it.
For the channel’s 40th anniversary, they wanted to channel that same spirit. Our challenge was to deliver a campaign that wasn’t just a look back, but a proper celebration of the brand’s legacy and emotional connection with its global audience. Our goal was to evoke a sense of nostalgia, curiosity, and wonder by sharing genuine stories of people who were inspired by Discovery’s programming over the years.
The insight
The human truth at the heart of this campaign was clear: the right story, experienced at the right moment, can fundamentally change how we see ourselves and the possibilities around us. People are most deeply inspired not just by what they see, but by understanding what drives others to pursue their passions. Often, seeing someone else do it is the first step to believing you can, too.
The idea
For each of our protagonists, we would set out to tell a full-circle story—meeting these individuals where they are now, what set them on their path, and how they inspire others today. Our creative strategy combined archival Discovery footage with contemporary, candid interviews and evocative on-location filming to create something relatable that audiences didn’t just see, but felt.
Bringing it to life
Leading initial outreach and casting, we collaborated with Discovery to finalise our four characters, considering both their diverse backgrounds and the logistical realities of filming across multiple locations (and hemispheres). Early pre-interviews via Zoom helped us build rapport, refine our narratives, and prepare efficiently for production.
Embarking on an ambitious production journey, we traveled and filmed across several countries—from Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands to Edinburgh, then onwards to Lisbon, swiftly on to Geneva, across Switzerland into Doubs, France, and finally to the South African bush, complete with warthogs and baboons greeting us at the tiny Hoedspruit airport.
Seven days travelling. Seven days of shooting. Four inspiring tales.
Story 1, Josh Adeyemi: Inspired by Everest: Beyond the Limit, Josh now leads Black Scottish Adventurers, making the outdoors accessible to people who might not otherwise imagine themselves there.
Story 2, João Kopke: Drawn to Discovery’s embrace of curiosity and “nerdy” personalities, João became a filmmaker and environmental storyteller, spreading his passion and quirky enthusiasm with the world.
Story 3, Eléonore Lluna: Motivated by Discovery’s survivalist programming, Eléonore transitioned from spectator to survival skills teacher, guiding others in reconnecting deeply with nature.
Story 4, Darren Britz: Captivated by the world of Deadliest Catch, Darren pursued a career as a wildlife filmmaker, capturing extraordinary scenes in the wild landscapes of Africa.
Whenever our protagonists spoke about how a Discovery programme influenced them, we seamlessly integrated archival clips of the shows they referred to. To visually distinguish the footage, we styled it to mimic an old CRT television monitor in a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Additionally, we incorporated authentic user-generated content provided by our contributors, proving their genuine passion and celebrating their real-life experience. This approach was crucial in bringing out the human truths behind each story and aligned naturally with the Discovery way of presenting the world.
Check back soon for the full project impact.
“Discovery Changed My Life gave us the chance to honour the incredible impact this brand has had on real lives—something many of us on the team feel ourselves. Bringing these stories to life with our in-house team and Cut Media has been an incredibly creatively fulfilling experience.”
MATT BROWN
Creative Director at WBD
