Living Proof — cinematic opening visual for the series pitch.
Pitch · Original Series · Google DeepMind

Living Proof.

The story of AI, told from the front line.

In this series, AI isn't the hero; it is the invisible scaffolding elevating humanity.

Showing the impact of AI is a challenge. It can feel distant or scary when we see robots in a lab or hear how it is impacting jobs.

Enter Living Proof. A premium documentary series that brings DeepMind's breakthroughs into the trenches of human experience.

We're filming the exhausted meteorologist using GraphCast to outsmart a super typhoon and save a community. It's emotive, awe‑inspiring, and tangible.

Aerial footage of crop fields, raw and unedited.
The same crop fields overlaid with the DeepMind Lens — yield metrics and tracked data projected onto the scene.
Raw Footage DeepMind Lens

⟵ Drag to reveal · visual reference

01 — Human Momentum

Filmed on the move.

Contributors filmed in the field, travelling through their environments, explaining as they go. No sterile talking-head interviews.

02 — Visual Scale & Mixed Media

Cinematic scale meets lofi media.

Cinematic footage of our contributors in the wild, cut with raw mixed media — field photos, phone footage, notes — for a premium but intimate docu feel.

03 — Balanced Optimism

Hopeful, never naive.

Anchored in problems DeepMind is solving. We don't shy from challenges, costs, or skepticism, but look positively to the future, leaving audiences inspired and curious, rather than anxious.

Visual Signature

Painting data on the real world.

The DeepMind Lens visual style — minimalist 2D motion-tracked data layered onto cinematic footage.

Cutting to 3D graphics dampens the emotional momentum, takes us away from the people, and can be expensive. So, we don't cut away.

Using simple 2D motion tracking, we project sleek, minimalist data directly onto our footage. The science lives natively in the human environment.

The production in action — cinematic opening visual for the Episodes section.

Let the impact makers do the talking, no celebrity host needed. This also helps keep the show cost effective and operationally scalable. We drive every episode with a character duality:

Portrait reference — The DeepMind Expert archetype.
Internal · Owns the "How"

The DeepMind Expert

The voice of the science. They translate complex models into relatable concepts.

Portrait reference — The Field Pioneer archetype.
External · Owns the "Why"

The Field Pioneer

The real-world practitioner. They provide the emotional weight, the human stakes, and urgency.

Representation — behind & in front of the lens

Science and AI have a historical representation gap. If Living Proof is going to truly resonate with a global audience, the people telling the story must reflect that audience. This philosophy extends behind the camera. Hiring diverse local crews enables other voices in shaping the narrative of the future.

Sample episodes
GraphCast — cyclone forecasting visualisation. Episode 1 production reference.
Episode 01

Predicting a Super Typhoon with AI — Before It Forms

GraphCast
Tech

GraphCast

Duality

A DeepMind researcher predicting cyclones on a laptop meets a meteorologist relying on that data to save thousands of families on the coast.

Look

Cinematic drone shots of coastlines overlaid with a bold, 2D-tracked pressure grid showing exactly how the AI models weather movements over the ocean.

Narrative structure — cinematic title visual for the format section.

The repeatable format structure

Act 1 // Opening montage or cinematic footage

We hook people in with a question or "what if" scenario. Voice over combined with images of what we're about to uncover.

Act 2 // Intro w/ Google DeepMind

Introduce the AI breakthrough from inside DeepMind using a simple, human-centered metaphor to translate it for the curious masses.

Act 3 // Impact: Expert in the Field

Introduce the "Maker" on location. We ground the technology by showing a real person using it to solve a genuine problem.

Act 4 // Honest Discussion

Cut between DeepMind and the Maker to address the hard truths of the tech. We look directly at the material, societal, or environmental trade-offs, building trust through honesty.

Act 5 // Conclusion: Positive Inflection

A forward-facing, inspiring conclusion. We frame AI not as a silver bullet, but as a tool for people to harness thoughtfully and change the world.

Strategy hero — cinematic opening visual for the channel strategy section.
Target audience · Channel strategy

Architecting an ecosystem, not just a show.

DeepMind is founded on scientific rigour. If we dilute the science, we alienate our core audience. However, creators, business leaders, and people curious about AI are fascinated by its real-world impact. But they aren't reading technical whitepapers. We should translate the science to them to affect the cultural conversation. This is something Anthropic currently excels at.

How? We don't just launch a show, we create an ecosystem. We compliment each series with social content and practical tutorials whilst also leaning into pre-existing content across the wider Google video ecosystem (e.g., Google for Developers, the Google DeepMind podcast). This enables scalable video pipelines and audience journeys.

Scientific rigour — the editorial anchor of the Living Proof series.
Hero Strategy

Living Proof

FormatDocumentary Series · YouTube long-form. Social cut downs & static posts.
AudienceThe Curious Mass Market.
ContentPremium, emotive human storytelling.
GoalDemystify AI. Prove our models are tools for tangible human progress.
Hygiene Strategy

DeepMind Tutorials

FormatShort, tactical how-to videos
AudienceBuilders, developers, and professionals.
ContentSimple, tactical tutorials (e.g., "Building automated research workflows with Gemini").
GoalDrive hands-on adoption and practical utility.
Hub Strategy

Content Curation

FormatCurated sessions, vodcasts, talks
AudienceEngaged Audiences.
ContentStrategic curation of event sessions, vodcasts, and deep-dive technical talks.
GoalEncourage further learning and guide deeper into the Google ecosystem without creating a new production.
Mood Board

Visual style.

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Future horizon — cinematic visual separator for the Longevity section.
Longevity

A format for multiple seasons.

Living Proof is an evergreen format. The structure is standardised to ensure variety without creative ops needing to change.

This enables jumping from nuclear workshops to coastal landscapes. The visual world refreshes every episode without changing the format.

Season 01
The Elements

GraphCast, GNoME materials, energy.

Season 02
The Code of Life

AlphaFold, healthcare breakthroughs.

Roles · Budget · AI Pipeline

Scaling without
burning out.

Creative ops: hybrid staffing, budgeting, and AI workflows.

Producing a global documentary series in-house is a creative bottleneck & inefficient. But handing it to an agency removes creative control from Google DeepMind and a chance to develop its visual language and voice.

My approach is a hybrid production model. Agency logistics meet in-house soul. We outsource the heavy lifting — global logistics, crews — to nimble external partners while keeping creative ownership & format guardianship in-house.

Scaling — hybrid production model visual.

Team & Roles

Executive Producer (Me) Internal
Creative oversight, multi-platform strategy, format safeguarding, budget management, and workflow automation.
Producer FTE/Contractor
Brings each episode to life based on the strategy, format, and creative plan. Manages the budget per episode and produces the edit.
External Production Company Agency
Manages local fixers, global location permits, cinematography, crew, and initial offline editing (if needed).
Editor Freelance
Pulls together the edits alongside the producer.
Freelance Motion Designer Freelance
Builds the standardized templates for the graphics — the visual signature toolkit.
Scientific Liaison Internal
Ensures scientific truth, fact-checks scripts, and unblocks communication between researchers and producers.

Budget

~£30K – £50K
Per episode · Global location production
£30-35K covers approx 3 days on location internationally, crews, motion designer & editor. £50K covers the same with a freelance producer.
3 days
On-location shoot · per episode
Tight, journalistic shooting windows — designed to capture momentum without overstaying.
Hybrid
Production model
External agency owns global logistics and crew; in-house owns creative direction, editorial and brand voice.
Frontier workflows

AI in the production pipeline.

We can streamline & scale output by embedding AI workflows:

01 — Pre-Production
Gemini scripts & treatments.

Synthesise whitepapers into accessible visual metaphors, script outlines, interview questions, treatments outlines, and graphics ideas.

02 — Storyboarding
Atmospheric storyboards.

Video and image generation tools enable rapid storyboarding & visual ideation. It also has the potential to create prototype graphics.

03 — Localisation
AI dubbing at global scale.

Automated translation and transcription scale Living Proof across global languages without post-production friction.

04 — Operational Automation
Call sheets, logistics, upscaling.

AI models instantly produce call sheets and schedules, manage travel logistics, and upscale lower-resolution field assets.

Creative north stars · Pitch assistant

Creative
north stars.

Proven formats anchoring our production standards.