Case Study
First Bus Pride
Real stories, shared with care and authenticity
CLIENT
01
The Challenge
Creating Pride content that felt genuine, not performative.
In support of Pride and its wider commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, First Bus commissioned Paradigm to create content that celebrated LGBTQIA+ colleagues across the organisation.
The aim was to spotlight real people and real experiences — not as a campaign statement, but as an honest reflection of what inclusion means in practice at First Bus. This required a careful balance: the content needed to be celebratory and visible, while remaining respectful, accurate and true to the individuals involved.
Paradigm was asked to create a suite of films that could be shared both internally and externally, giving colleagues a platform to tell their own stories in their own words.
02
The Approach
Putting trust, collaboration and comfort at the centre of the process.
First Bus identified six colleagues who wished to take part, and we planned filming across two depots — Bristol and Leicester — capturing each contributor in a simple, considered setup. Each piece was filmed as a single piece to camera against a coloured backdrop, allowing the focus to remain firmly on the individual and their story.
Ahead of filming, we worked closely with each participant to build trust and confidence. We took time to get to know them, explained the structure of the filming day, shared the questions in advance, and ensured everyone felt comfortable and fully informed. As a small but meaningful gesture, each participant chose the colour of the backdrop they were filmed against.
Throughout the process, authenticity was the priority. No content was released without sign-off from the individuals featured, ensuring that the stories told were accurate, respectful and something each person felt proud to be part of.
03
The Outcome
Honest, human stories that resonated widely.
The final campaign included a 90-second highlight film bringing all six stories together, alongside individual 60-second profile films and cutdowns for social channels. Supporting design assets, including posters and digital collateral, helped extend the visibility of the campaign across First Bus platforms.
The response was overwhelmingly positive. The films were warmly received internally by colleagues and generated strong engagement externally across social media. More importantly, the campaign succeeded in doing exactly what it set out to do — celebrating real people, real stories and real lives, in a way that felt true to both the individuals involved and the values of First Bus.
