Ancient + Brave on set: The making of our first TV Ad

From casting the perfect actress to carefully selecting the props, wardrobe, and background scenes, our cinematic TV advert was a milestone moment for our UK wellness brand.

Join us on-set as we reveal the story, styling, and filming methods we used to beam our B-Corp wellbeing products onto TV screens for the very first time.

What motivated Ancient + Brave to create its first TV advert?

The advert came about after we entered a competition run by Channel 4 and B Corp, which was designed to give scaling B-Corp businesses the opportunity to win free advertising airtime and demonstrate the transformative impact TV can have on growing businesses. This was an incredible opportunity for us at this stage in our journey. 

The theme of the advert was female empowerment. Why was it so important to Ancient + Brave to champion that?

We are a female-founded and female-led business, that’s a key part of our DNA.

With Generations of Bravery, we’ve created a film that celebrates the relentless bravery of women through history - from healers and herbalists to suffragettes, nurses and scientists. Their strength, resilience and impact are too often overlooked, yet they continue to inspire our mission, and we hope it inspires more women today to live powerful and brave lives.

The advert introduces us to brave women who have paved the way over time. How did you bring this to life?

Filming took just two days. We gathered a small but brilliant team of like-minded creatives to take on a technically challenging idea and bring it to life in a way that feels brave, fresh and innovative.

We merged in-studio scene setting, a real actor, special effects and props with AI technology in a method called virtual production; a hybrid of traditional methods and the latest cutting-edge technology, to create a story that allowed us to travel through time. 

What were the challenges of making the advert?

As a small business, in the scale-up stage, we can't spend the money that larger brands spend on TV advertising. So while we wanted to create something really immersive, creative, and brave, we didn't really have the budget and had to think in a really lateral way.

Every prop, costume and scene was researched and designed with care, while virtual production allowed us to bring ambitious creativity to life.

“Some of the backgrounds that we needed for this shoot would have blown any budget. We’re going through time and using dramatic landscapes, so AI was the answer”, Leo Neelands, Creative Collaborator:

Ancient + Brave is known for combining ancient wisdom with modern science. How was this reflected in the making of the advert?

The script honours women’s bravery and innovation across centuries: from ancient healers to nurses, suffragettes and scientists. These characters not only shaped history but continue to inspire healthier bodies, holistic wellness and the longevity of people and planet. Combining this script with innovative production techniques is a great example of bringing these two worlds together.

As Ian Murray, Director of Photography, explains in our behind-the-scenes film, “virtual production is actually a sweet spot between traditional filming methods and the latest technology”. 

The way we’ve approached virtual production is really exciting. The way that we’ve managed to get the most amazing costumes and make-up has all been a testament to the incredible people who have worked together to make this come to life.

What do you hope that the legacy of the advert will be?

This is a milestone moment for us: a bold and ambitious step beyond digital to cement Ancient + Brave as one of the world’s leading wellness brands. 

Moving into TV gives us the chance to not just talk about our products, but share our founding mission of blending ancient wisdom with modern innovation to nourish a brave life, bringing this to life through a story that honours women’s bravery and innovation across centuries. 

We’re hugely grateful to Channel 4 for giving us the opportunity to bring our brand to the big screen for the very first time, and for their visionary support of B Corp businesses across the UK.

Will we be back on TV in the future?

Yes! The dream is to build a brand that reshapes what wellness can be in today’s world.  Beyond our debut TV ad, we want to keep scaling our impact. Growing a truly global community, pioneering innovations at the forefront of female wellness and continuing to raise the bar as one of the world’s highest-scoring B Corps.

We hope that you enjoyed our behind-the-scenes look at our first-ever TV advert. Watch the final production here, and please share your thoughts by messaging us at (@)ancientandbrave. We’d love to know what you think!