Brand film for Ellinghams, a relationship-first investment firm framing wealth management as life planning rather than financial planning. Built around a six-pillar investment process and the tagline “Building Trust, Crafting Futures” — delivered as a warm, narrative-driven piece for web and prospect outreach. Written, produced, directed, and edited by Chris Villarin.
The challenge
Ellinghams positions itself differently from most wealth managers in the slate: their organizing claim is that wealth management should be considered life planning, not financial planning. The brief was to make a film that would land that distinction with an audience that has heard 'we're different' from every firm they've evaluated.
It's not just about financial planning. It's about life planning.
From the film
The film
We anchored the film in relationship — diverse clients in thoughtful moments with their advisors, scenes of casual outdoor conversation, a montage of communication channels across formats. The pacing is unhurried. The voiceover walks through the firm's six-pillar investment process while keeping the emotional layer dominant. The 2:24 runtime is balanced for the dual claim.
The audience
Ellinghams uses the film at the front of its web presence and in introductions to clients who are evaluating firms on the basis of relationship style, not just methodology. The closing tagline — Building Trust, Crafting Futures — captures the duality.
Engagement details
- Client
- Ellinghams
- Sector
- Investment management · Relationship-led
- Specialization
- Individuals & families across life stages
- Positioning
- Life planning · Six-pillar process · Trust-first
- Format
- 16:9 cinematic · 1080p · Single-narrator voiceover
- Runtime
- 2:23
- Year
- 2024
- Production
- MANBOLD — Chris Villarin (writer, producer, director, editor)