A two-day leadership event experience in Sandton for a short-term insurance business. We designed the narrative, built an immersive coffee-inspired networking space called The Exchange, produced all design and film assets, and introduced Ayanda — an AI character co-host — alongside Elana Afrika. The programme culminated in an awards evening celebrating teams who go beyond.
A short-term insurance client (name withheld) asked us to build a broker learning experience around Risk & Identification training (RIA). The goal wasn’t content for content’s sake — it was empowerment: helping brokers understand risk more deeply so they can give better advice and stronger mitigation recommendations to clients.
So we created Freedom City: a future-South Africa designed as an immersive training world — optimistic, culturally grounded, and built to make complex risk topics feel clear, practical and worth completing.
Freedom City isn’t a metaphor. It’s the UX.
Learners “enter” the city, progress through districts, unlock 12 modules, complete knowledge checks, and earn badges/certification along the way. Each module is anchored in a part of the city that reflects the learning — while the scenarios stay true-to-life and compliance-safe, even inside a fictional world.
We resisted the temptation to make it hyper-real.
Instead we embraced a world that feels slightly unreal — like a sketch of the future. A place with edges you can still see. Because Freedom City isn’t a set. It’s a story engine — designed to hold attention, carry learning, and leave space for imagination.
We used AI to generate the creative ecosystem — film, VO, environments and design assets — but the work only holds because of traditional craft: story architecture, film discipline, continuity systems, and quality control. AI accelerated the making; craft protected the experience.
The results (launched Sep 2025 → Jan 2026):
3,500+ active learners participating long-term and growing
60% rated the overall experience/content/visual style Exceptional
40% rated it Excellent
85%+ said the duration felt Just right
We can’t share in-platform visuals (IP), but we can share the journey — because this is what future-fit learning looks like when it’s designed like an experience, not a deck.
A “good morning” turns into a series chaotic events - fast — sparks, leaks, broken glass, lost keys. This AI-generated short film was created to demonstrate Santam’s More Than Insurance (MTI) proposition through one value-added service: SOS Home Assistance. The story shows how support can be accessed simply by logging an emergency on the Santam Client App or Santam Client Portal, any time of day, with SOS services available 24/7. It’s a practical example of how value-added services can deliver real help in real moments — including access to home emergency support such as plumbing, electrical, locksmith and glazier assistance. Built entirely in AI due to budget sensitivity and an aggressive turnaround, this project forms part of a wider MTI film series designed to simplify and make tangible what “value beyond insurance” really means — through simple, human stories.