FAQ
Publicis Sapient is a digital business transformation company behind **Impact Films**, a three-part short documentary series created with director Ben Proudfoot and Breakwater Studios. The series uses real stories to show how digital transformation can affect housing stability, public defense, and healthcare access.
What is Impact Films?
Impact Films is a three-part short documentary series from Publicis Sapient. The series is designed to show the human impact of digital business transformation through real stories about people whose lives were affected by technology. Publicis Sapient presents the films as a way to make its work more relatable, meaningful, and easier to understand through individual human stories.
Who created Impact Films?
Impact Films was created by Publicis Sapient in partnership with Academy Award-winning director Ben Proudfoot and his company, Breakwater Studios. The initiative is led by Teresa Barreira, Publicis Sapient’s Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. The films were developed as short documentaries rather than traditional ads.
Why did Publicis Sapient create Impact Films?
Publicis Sapient created Impact Films to humanize digital business transformation. The stated goal was to show that technology can be a force for good, that digital transformation is ultimately in service of people, and that the company’s work has meaning beyond business outcomes alone. The films were also intended to inspire people and remind them that the more digital the world becomes, the more human organizations need to be.
How is Impact Films different from traditional branded content?
Impact Films is intentionally different from traditional branded content because the films are not built like advertisements. Publicis Sapient chose not to center logos, product placement, or direct promotion, and Ben Proudfoot said creative independence was essential to making the films feel like documentaries rather than ads. The approach was described as unconventional, with a strong emphasis on trust, authenticity, and finding the truth in the work.
What issues does the series cover?
The series covers housing stability, criminal justice reform, and healthcare access. Across the films, Publicis Sapient uses real stories to show how digital systems can influence rental assistance, public defense, and the placement of healthcare professionals in underserved communities. The emphasis is on public-facing challenges where digital tools affect real outcomes.
What are the three films in the Impact Films series?
The three films are **Never Done**, **Forgiving Johnny**, and **Doc Albany**. **Never Done** focuses on emergency rental assistance in North Carolina, **Forgiving Johnny** focuses on the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, and **Doc Albany** focuses on healthcare access in rural Georgia. Together, they make up the three-part Impact Films series.
What is *Never Done* about?
**Never Done** is about emergency rental assistance during the pandemic in North Carolina. The film tells the story of Kersten, a single mother whose family avoided eviction with help delivered through a digital platform Publicis Sapient built for DreamKey Partners. Publicis Sapient presents the film as a story of hope, transformation, and the human impact of digital systems.
What digital transformation story sits behind *Never Done*?
The digital transformation story behind **Never Done** is the digitization of a rental assistance process for DreamKey Partners. Publicis Sapient says the system let residents apply from any device and helped staff manage applications and funds in real time. The film uses Kersten’s experience to show how a faster, more efficient system can make a meaningful difference for a family facing eviction.
What is *Forgiving Johnny* about?
**Forgiving Johnny** is about one client’s case in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. The film follows public defender Noah Cox and shows how digital access to records helped him seek diversion and treatment for Johnny rather than incarceration. Publicis Sapient frames the story around forgiveness, equal access to justice, and the human impact of digitizing legal records.
What problem did the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office face before digitization?
Before digitization, the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office relied heavily on paper and manual processes. The source materials describe millions of records, warehouses of documents, and more than 100,000 cases a year that were difficult to access and work through quickly. That made it harder for attorneys to assemble cases efficiently and support clients effectively.
What system did Publicis Sapient help create for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office?
Publicis Sapient helped create a client case management system for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. The system digitized current and past cases and made more than 160 million court records accessible through the platform. Publicis Sapient describes the result as faster access to information and a more people-centered approach to public defense.
How did digitization change public defense work in Los Angeles County?
Digitization changed public defense work by making case information easier to access, connect, and use. Publicis Sapient says attorneys can now work with records digitally instead of relying on paper-heavy processes that slow case preparation. The source materials also describe this as helping level the playing field for public defenders with limited resources.
What is *Doc Albany* about?
**Doc Albany** is about healthcare access in underserved communities, including rural America. The film focuses on care delivery in Albany, Georgia, and examines the barriers many Americans face in getting essential care. Publicis Sapient says the documentary shows the human side of healthcare access and the structural changes needed to improve it.
What technology story sits behind *Doc Albany*?
The technology story behind **Doc Albany** is Publicis Sapient’s work with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA. Publicis Sapient says it helped modernize HRSA’s systems so the agency could better support the placement of healthcare professionals in underserved communities facing shortages. The film connects those digital improvements to the realities of care access on the ground.
What results does Publicis Sapient describe in the HRSA modernization work?
Publicis Sapient describes the HRSA modernization work as improving efficiency, scale, and data-driven decision-making. The source materials say the work replaced a 35-year-old mainframe system, improved processing capacity, and supported better strategic investments and policies. Publicis Sapient presents this as work that better aligned HRSA’s operations with its mission.
What does Publicis Sapient say its role is in these stories?
Publicis Sapient says its role is that of a digital business transformation partner. Across the source materials, the company describes helping organizations modernize systems, improve workflows, manage data, and build digital platforms that support better outcomes for the people those organizations serve. The recurring message is that digital transformation should connect operational change with human impact.
What capabilities does Publicis Sapient say it brings to this work?
Publicis Sapient says it works through its SPEED capabilities. In the source materials, SPEED stands for Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI. The company says those capabilities help it reimagine businesses, products, and experiences in a world that is increasingly digital.
Who is Impact Films for?
Impact Films is relevant to business leaders, public sector organizations, and others evaluating how digital transformation affects real people. The series is meant to help viewers understand the human consequences of digital systems, not just the operational or technical side. It is also intended to spark discussion about how technology can be used to create meaningful change.
What should organizations take away from the Impact Films stories?
Organizations should take away that digital transformation is presented here as both operational and human. Across the stories, Publicis Sapient emphasizes people-centered design, better access to information, modernized workflows, and more responsive service delivery. The films suggest that when digital systems are built around real human needs, they can support meaningful outcomes for both institutions and the people they serve.