NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: ADAPTING THE MARS GLOBAL SCI-FI SHOW FOR NORDIC AUDIENCES
To launch National Geographic’s global television series MARS across Northern Europe, I led the concept development, scripting, and production for an original short-form video campaign. To make the international show feel relevant to local viewers, we built a campaign around one simple question: Which part of Nordic life would you take to Mars? From initial idea to final edit, we scripted, filmed across three countries, and produced 9 localised video assets for Finland, Denmark, and Norway in just ten days. The videos became a massive hit across National Geographic Nordics’ social media channels.
Editorial Lead | Concept Strategist | Scriptwriter | Production Lead
2019
Delivered via Spoon Finland, the creative & strategic communications agency
WHERE WE STARTED
Launching a global television series across three Nordic countries came with four main challenges:
- Standard trailers vs local interest
Generic TV trailers reached plenty of people, but they lacked the local humour and culture needed to get Nordic viewers talking.
- Grounding sci-fi topics
Making a global show about living on Mars feel relatable required down-to-earth human hooks linked to Nordic traditions.
- Multi-country rollout
Reaching audiences in Finland, Denmark, and Norway meant creating stories that felt native to each country while remaining fun for the whole region.
- Tight deadlines
Filming across three countries and post-producing 9 localised videos alongside the TV premiere meant running a fast, tight production schedule.
HOW I HELPED
I led the creative idea while managing the writing, filming, and localisation work:
- Concept and narrative strategy
Came up with the core idea: testing how everyday Nordic traditions would work on Mars, picking iconic cultural habits for each country.
- Scriptwriting and direction
Wrote the scripts and story arcs, bringing together science experts and local hosts to test Martian physics against Nordic habits.
- 10-day production lead
Ran the whole production pipeline from scratch: scripting, filming on location in three countries, production of three main episodes and nine localised videos in ten days.
- Localisation and editing
Managed post-production to create localised versions with native subtitles for each country, turning three core stories into 9 distinct social media videos.
ORIGINAL NORDIC VIDEO SERIES (3 PARTS)
BUILDING A SAUNA ON MARS
Testing how Finnish sauna culture and thermal engineering would work in the freezing, low-pressure atmosphere of Mars.
BREWING BEER ON MARS
Looking at the science and physics behind brewing craft beer in a sealed space habitat to keep Danish hygge alive on Mars.
SKIING ON MARS
Exploring how Norwegian ski culture, equipment design, and winter sports would handle the dusty red slopes of the Red Planet.