FROM DATA TO DOCUMENTARY.

VP, Branded Content & Entertainment · Ogilvy

Documentary · B2B · Branded Content · Experiential

OVERVIEW

Between 20–40% of crops are destroyed by pests annually — $70 billion in losses for farmers around the world. Corteva had the technology and the experts to fight back. The story deserved a cinematic platform.

Battle of the Bugs is a feature documentary following three of the world's most destructive pests — Corn Root Worm in the US, Mediterranean Fruit Fly in Italy, and Brown Planthopper in Asia — and the farmers, scientists, and Corteva specialists fighting to stay one step ahead. The film secured placement on Amazon Prime and premiered at the World Food Prize to standing-room-only audiences.

WHAT I OWNED

Story Development & Insight: Identified the narrative angle and led initial client discussions. Coordinated multiple conversations with scientists and commercial teams to understand the micro and macro impact of each pest — determining which three bugs to feature based on both story potential and commercial priorities.

3D Animation Production: Oversaw all 3D animation development — briefing, prototype reviews, stakeholder alignment, and deadline management — running in parallel with pre-production planning.

GTM & Channel Strategy: Led go-to-market planning from audience insights through KPIs, comms planning, and channel mix. Managed an integrated launch including earned media, paid media, social, influencer, and OOH — with targeted efforts in Iowa and Indiana to reach farmers and key stakeholders.

World Food Prize Premier: Traveled to the World Food Prize to provide hands-on support for the film premieres, overseeing audience engagement with 60 Global Guides & GOALS Fellows and 250+ Global Youth Institute students.

THE CHALLENGE

Agricultural science is complex, and the audience for this film ranged from seasoned farmers to policymakers to students with no ag background. The film needed to work across all of them — technically credible enough for experts, emotionally compelling enough for a general audience, and visually arresting enough to earn placement on a major streaming platform.