CHALLENGE

EY use stories and case studies to demonstrate what they stand for and their commitment to equity within different communities. One of their senior D&I leaders wanted to use Virtual Reality to bring to life a series of immersive experiences documenting the journeys of different people going through the recruitment process at EY.

aPPROACH

Working with a production company called VIVIDA, Matt Castle initiated a project designed to give senior leaders an insight into the lives and lived experiences of specific underrepresented groups. Many of the experiences we create are designed to support wider initiatives, increasing the impact of how learning and training are delivered. A first-of-its-kind experience, we created a character based on a young black man going through EY’s recruitment process. Those who went through the 6-minute experience could see, hear and almost ‘feel’ what it was like to be in his situation. Created in Unreal Engine, we wanted to ensure the environments were as realistic as possible.

ResuLTS

Defining a character with an interesting backstory helped to create empathy and an even deeper emotional connection than we thought possible. Many senior leaders were brought to tears. This case study video documents our process and the impact of our work. From the top down, this experience created a ripple effect of change throughout the organisation. Following the success of this campaign we are now focused bring to life immersive stories that can be been rolled out internally and externally, to change perceptions around D&I and make the conversation more accessible and progressive. Powered By Stories work with different teams and consultants to conceptualise themes and ideas and bring to life fully immersive and interactive stories.