The relentless runner's pursuit of challenge and adventure is embodied in bold, ambitious fashion in this spot directed by Chris Sargent of Somesuch & Co., with visual effects from MPC London. Runners are seen in motion across all kinds of rugged terrain to answer a call from the wild.
Visual Effects/Animation: MPC London Hannah Ruddleston, Gwenn Hardouin, VFX producers; Franck Lambertz, VFX supervsor; Tom Carrick, 3D supervisor; Tom Van Dop, Giles Hicks, Emeric Larochette, Ingo Putze, Gian-Luigi Granieri, Kasper Larsson, Luca Maccarelli, VFX team; James Tillett, colorist. (Toolbox: Maya, Miarmy, Hiero, Nuke, Photoshop) Agency: 180 Amsterdam Production: Somesuch & Co., London
Chris Sargent, director
Top Spot of the Week: Pearson Student Advises Younger Self In AI-Enabled Encounter From VaynerMedia, Hummingbird and Tool
Pearson has launched its first global brand campaign in more than five years as the 182-year-old company continues its evolution into an AI-enabled education and reskilling leader.
The campaign centers on a series of cinematic films featuring real learners in conversation with their younger selves. Using AI to recreate earlier versions of each participant, the films allow individuals to reflect on pivotal decisions, moments of doubt, and turning points that shaped their futures. The creative approach blends emerging technology with documentary storytelling grounded in lived experience.
At a time when AI’s role in both education and creativity is under intense scrutiny, Pearson has taken a deliberate and considered approach. The technology is used not as spectacle, but as a reflective storytelling device, built around consent, authenticity, and human agency. It reflects Pearson’s strong support for AI in augmenting human potential with learning at the core.
The first learner stories spotlight U.S.-based individuals, with additional international profiles launching later this spring as part of an ongoing global series that Pearson produced with VaynerMedia for creative, and Hummingbird and Tool of North America for production. Aqsa Altaf and John X. Carey via Hummingbird teamed to direct the “Impact Stories” films.
This film introduces us to Jasmine who meets her younger 27-year-old self. The younger Jasmine has two kids and is pregnant with a third. She and her two children are living in a domestic violence shelter, sleeping on an inflatable mattress with a slow air leak. Now getting a Pearson education and on her way to realizing her dreams seven years later, Jasmine gets to impart a message of inspiration to her younger self.
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