Most Brand Videos Have Too Many People In Them

One of the most common conversations we have during pre-production goes something like this:

"We should probably interview the founder."

"And maybe someone from marketing."

"Oh, and somebody from operations."

"Definitely someone from our New York office."

"We should probably get one customer in there too."

Before long, a two-minute brand video has somehow turned into a list of ten interviews, and everybody has a perfectly reasonable explanation for why their person should be included.

Honestly, I understand where this comes from. People want everyone to feel represented. They want to make sure important voices are heard. Nobody wants to leave anybody out. And on paper, having more perspectives sounds like a great idea.

But storytelling and politics are two very different things.

A great brand video isn't a yearbook. It isn't an organizational chart. And it certainly isn't a participation trophy where everybody gets fifteen seconds because they deserve it. The audience doesn't know who runs what department. They don't know who has been with the company for twenty years. They don't know that someone from each office was promised screen time. They simply want to watch something interesting.

Over the years, we've found that one of the easiest ways to weaken a brand video is by trying to include too many people. In fact, some of our favorite projects only had one or two interviews. Not because there weren't more people who deserved to be featured, but because giving a few people enough room to tell a great story almost always creates something stronger than asking ten people to tell pieces of one.

And honestly, I don't think enough people talk about that.

More Interviews Don't Automatically Create Better Stories

Start by talking about how clients often assume more perspectives equal more depth. Explain why that's a reasonable assumption, but how every additional interview introduces a new voice, personality, pace, and perspective. Talk about how viewers only have so much bandwidth, and after a certain point they stop connecting with individuals and start trying to remember who's who. Introduce your rough philosophy of one person per minute—not as a hard rule, but as a good sanity check. Explain that if you're making a two-minute video, you probably don't need eight interviews.

Then talk about your own experience. Some of your favorite projects only had one or two people on camera. Nobody ever complained that there weren't enough talking heads. In fact, audiences usually connect more deeply when they spend more time with fewer people.

The Story Comes Before “The Important People”

Here’s the deal - rank isn’t more important than a good storyteller. Talk about how this is where things get difficult. Everybody has a perfectly reasonable argument for why they should be represented. Leadership wants one thing, departments want another, and before long the conversation becomes less about storytelling and more about fairness. Explain that while those desires are understandable, audiences don't know or care about the organizational chart.

Talk about how brand videos shouldn't become vanity projects or participation trophies. The goal isn't to make sure everyone gets fifteen seconds on camera. The goal is to make something people actually want to watch. Explain that one of the questions you ask isn't "Who deserves to be in this video?" but rather, "Who helps tell this story?" Those are completely different questions.

The Best Storyteller Isn't Always The CEO

Talk about how people naturally assume the founder or CEO should be the face of the video. Sometimes they're right. You've interviewed founders who are incredible storytellers. But you've also interviewed employees, customers, donors, and alumni who delivered moments no executive could have manufactured.

Explain that titles and storytelling ability are two different things. Being a great leader doesn't automatically make somebody a great interview subject. Talk about how some people simply communicate emotion and authenticity better than others. Explain that you try to let the story determine who should be on camera, not the org chart.

Great Videos Need Space To Breathe

Talk about pacing and how exhausting it is for audiences to constantly adjust to new people. Every time you cut to somebody new, the audience has to learn a new face, a new voice, and a new energy. Explain that staying with one person for thirty or forty-five seconds allows viewers to settle in and actually begin to care.

Talk about emotional connection. Explain that viewers don't fall in love with organizations—they connect with people. But connection takes time. If you're switching every fifteen seconds because you're trying to fit in ten interviews, nobody gets enough room to tell a meaningful story.

Talk about some of your favorite films and documentaries and how they aren't built around constant change. They give people space to tell stories.

Sometimes Less Really Is More

Talk about how some of your strongest videos had one interview. Others had two. Maybe three. Explain that you've never had somebody watch a finished video and say, "I wish there were five more people in this."

Discuss how viewers remember moments, not interview counts. They remember a story. A laugh. A line that made them emotional. They don't remember how many talking heads there were. Explain that simplifying isn't about excluding people. It's about creating clarity.

Talk about how fewer voices often create stronger voices.

Final Thoughts

Bring it home with your philosophy - that is what’s important. Explain that during pre-production, you're not trying to figure out who deserves screen time. You're trying to figure out who can best tell the story. Those are two entirely different goals.

Talk about how audiences don't reward fairness—they reward authenticity. They reward stories that feel genuine and people who communicate something real. Explain that great brand videos aren't yearbooks, and they're not participation trophies. They're stories.

And in your experience, stories are usually stronger when you give a few people enough room to tell them well rather than asking ten people to tell pieces of one.