John Williams' Mural

The client's goals

To mark 70 years of operations at its Sarnia Manufacturing Centre, Shell Canada commissioned Ojibway artist John Williams to create a large public mural. Our internal communications client at Shell, Nancy, asked us to produce a video that would:

• Document the creation of the artwork.
• Celebrate the artist’s voice and cultural influences.
• Honour Indigenous communities in the region.
• Share the mural beyond the physical site.
• Support Shell’s ongoing efforts in inclusion and relationship-building — without becoming a brand-focused piece that was overly self-promotional.
   

Initial Ideas

Shell’s early creative direction included:

• Exploring the mural’s cultural meaning and symbolism.
• Highlighting John’s identity as an Ojibway artist.
• Possibly including interviews with:
  • A Shell representative responsible for Indigenous engagement.
  • A community voice to speak about the mural’s significance.

They trusted us to shape the final approach based on what we found in the story.

Research & Opportunity

Our early conversations and extensive one-day scout with John revealed strong opportunities for a more personal, character-driven story:

• He had recently left a security job and took the risk to commit fully to his art.
• He spoke candidly about fatherhood, influences, and financial risk.
• His musical and artistic inspirations (from Van Gogh to Mozart) felt very relatable for our general audience.
• John was open to addressing difficult questions — like public perceptions of working with a large energy company.
• We saw a clear path to build the story around John alone — without additional interviews or overt messaging.

Insights

Our past experience in both Indigenous and energy-sector storytelling helped guide our choices:

• Canadian audiences have come to expect Indigenous stories to be told in a certain predictable way.
• Viewers often disengage from videos that rely on predictable talking points or identity-first framing.
• Presenting John as a full person — not just “an Indigenous artist” — invited a broader emotional connection.
• Telling the story in a surprising or unpredictable way would honour the man and his story, more than would falling into tropes.
• Canadian audiences are suspicious of “greenwashing” campaign content from big business and it could strengthen this story to let John address this directly in some way.