Uncommon Films on Common Ground: Get to Know Vacationland
Jordan P. Kelley, Content Director, BrandStorytelling
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Vacationland was born from a shared passion for documentary filmmaking and a desire to bridge the gap between independent storytelling and branded content. Co-founders Nicholas Weissman and Kalim Summerday Armstrong spent years honing their craft - Nick through early work in documentary production and brand storytelling with Time Inc. Studios, and Kalim through a mix of cinematography, editing, and directing for global brands like Nike.
Recognizing a unique opportunity to blend their documentary sensibilities with commercial work, they launched Vacationland in 2014, later joined by Carlos Carneiro, who brought his own experience from running a production company in London. A decade later, their philosophy of making “uncommon films on common ground” has shaped a portfolio of work that seamlessly fuses brand narratives with compelling human stories, all defined by their collective experience and style.
BrandStorytelling caught up with Weissman, Armstrong, and Carneiro to learn more about their approach to capturing stories, approaching narrative through a filmmakers eyes, and why plotting a path to distribution from the outset is paramount to creating great stories with and for brands:
How did your individual journeys lead to the founding of Vacationland Studios in 2014?
Nicholas Weissman: I started my career by jumping right into producing independent documentary features and shorts. This led to working on early forms of brand storytelling with Time Inc. Studios producing and shooting video content across their magazines.
Kalim Summerday Armstrong: Nick and I met on set around 2009 and became fast friends. We were both documentary filmmakers who shared many a night in Brooklyn discussing how we could make films AND also make a living. After years of freelancing as a cinematographer, editor, and teaching film production classes, I took a staff position with a production company who had Nike as their anchor client. It was an amazing opportunity to produce and direct for global brands, build agency and client relationships, and work with high-profile talent. At the time, branded content was viewed as a different genre from the documentary world I came from and I began looking for a way back to long form storytelling.
Nicholas Weissman: In 2014 we joined forces to start a company where we could make our documentary films and sustain ourselves through commissioned content. It seems like a common business model today but at the time we were an anomaly. You were either a film studio or a commercial production company that often came with a roster of established directors. We saw an opportunity with our growing network of publishers and direct to brand relationships and took a leap.
Kalim Summerday Armstrong: We chose the name Vacationland with a nod to the state slogan of Maine The Way Life Should Be - a call to action as documentary filmmakers to tell stories that help build a better world while also sharing our love for travel, culture, and adventure through brand films.
Carlos Carneiro: While all this was happening, I was based in London, running a similar production outfit called London Sessions, which I founded out of Abbey Road Studios. Through mutual friends, I connected with Kalim in 2014 and we even got to work together on a British Airways project Vacationland shot in London. After nearly two decades in the UK, I was ready for a new adventure, and NYC was the destination. Luckily for me Nick and Kalim welcomed me to the team as a partner, and in 2017 I joined our New York office.
How does Vacationland's philosophy of making "uncommon films on common ground" influence your approach to crafting brand narratives?
KSA: Understanding the lives and experiences of others encourages empathy and can lead to a better understanding of ourselves. That is our ‘common ground’ and why we became documentary filmmakers - to help the world make sense.
CC: Vacationland approaches brand projects with the same curiosity and values as our documentary work, and for me, I need to understand motivation, process, and emotional impact. This approach hopefully makes every story, original documentary or commissioned work, feel authentic and resonate with viewers.
NW: We look for unique entry points to intriguing and often complicated subject matter. As brand storytelling has evolved, we’ve found that clients have an increasing interest in stories that are product-adjacent. Such is the case with We the Power, a film for Patagonia about energy collectives across Europe and our recent three-part docuseries The Curiosity Effect for the Roku Brand Studio.
Could you share how your work has evolved since Vacationland's inception, and what factors have influenced the types of brands you collaborate with?
NW: Approaching a brand story the way we approach our original documentaries in many ways has stayed consistent. What has evolved is audiences embracing brand stories as a legitimate medium with incredible creative opportunities. This has allowed us to collaborate with brands producing films about sustainability, inclusion, and social issues we care about that feature remarkable human beings.
KSA: We make an effort to introduce ourselves and seek out new relationships with creative teams at brands we admire who have an appetite for longer-form storytelling. The best way to make authentic work is by telling stories about themes and ideas we are truly passionate about.
NW: Unintentionally, our name led to opportunities in the travel and tourism space and we have created work for Visit Tokyo, Visit California, Destination Canada, and Atlas Obscura.
CC: Traveling to some of the world’s amazing locations while doing what we love is a pretty sweet perk. But beyond the stunning locations, it’s the people, cultures, and stories we discover along the way that make us appreciate what we do.
What influence does working to balance original storytelling with brand objectives have on project outcomes, if any?
NW: With every project we look for a personal narrative to both anchor and drive the storyline - engaging the viewer with an emotional connection. While this may seem straightforward - we’ve found the marketing needs of a client can often focus too heavily on product or messaging - rather than the experience and how it makes us feel. Such is the case too often in the automotive space. In our auto work we try to balance story and brand objectives by seeing the vehicle rooted in real world experiences. This was the case in a series of short brand films for Land Rover where our characters used the featured vehicle to ‘Discover the Undiscovered’ or another project following Rivian engineers field testing the R1T in 130 Degree heat. This nuanced balance was the foundation for our recent off-road competition project with Toyota and Univision.
How did the collaboration with Univision and the decision to stream "Tacompentencia" on their platform VIX impact the project's reach and reception?
KSA: The brief was to take two teams of overland enthusiasts out to the desert to showcase the off-road capabilities of two newly released Toyota Tacoma Trucks, the Trailhunter and the TRD Pro. We collaborated closely with our partners at Así Studios, Univision’s branded content team, Toyota and Conill (Toyota’s Hispanic Agency), which resulted in an exciting docu-style competition show led by a seasoned overland host.
We led each team through a series of three challenges that aligned with the respective features of the vehicles. The reactions from the talent as well as the host are so genuine because everything was captured in the moment in real time by multiple mounted cameras and drones. Initially developed and released as a short form social campaign, it was clear both on set and in post production that we had enough content for a long form version that would allow for a deeper exploration of the off-road features of the trucks while further developing our characters backstory and story structure. ViX, Univision’s streaming service, was a natural distribution platform.
We love when a project organically evolves and in this case, extends the reach of a campaign to different platforms and new audiences without growing the production footprint or budget. We approach all our brand projects from this perspective asking ourselves ‘what more can we create’ to offer to our clients.
Last year, you produced the docuseries The Curiosity Effect, which was shortlisted for BrandStorytelling 2025. Can you elaborate on the story-finding process and other choices that went into producing the series? How did decision-making around aspects of the story and capture shape the final series?
CC: The Roku Brand Studio hired us to produce their 3-part documentary series in partnership with global investment firm T. Rowe Price. The Curiosity Effect was created to tell the T. Rowe Price brand story as streaming entertainment - answering the question: What happens when you follow your curiosity to challenge the status quo?
We sought individuals whose lives exemplify this, so as you can imagine, while casting The Curiosity Effect, we came across the most inspiring stories! We worked with an incredible casting director (DS Casting Company) to find these real-life stories and presented the client with rich options.
Once our subjects—John Furniss (a blind woodworker mentoring the next generation), Yemi Amu (an urban farmer tackling food insecurity in NYC), and Judi Oyama (a trailblazing skateboarder still competing in her 60s)—were selected, our documentary approach guided the production choices: nimble team, natural environments, intimate and authentic setups. Our camera team, led by DoP JoJo Lam, also emphasized tactile details—John’s hands shaping wood, Yemi’s vegetables and fish at the farm, and Judi’s wheels on pavement— all in an attempt to immerse the viewers into their world.
During post-production, our decisions focused on emotional impact, story cohesion and amplifying the brand's philosophy that the power of curiosity can transform one's life and create a butterfly effect of inspiration for the wider community—leaving viewers asking, “What’s Next?” in their own lives. It was an incredible opportunity to create these three mid-form documentary episodes and then see them released on Roku - the #1 TV Streaming Platform in America. To check it out, search "The Curiosity Effect" on the Roku Channel.
What's one valuable takeaway you'd like to share with brands looking to partner on quality content?
NW: Brands benefit tremendously by investing in storytelling that compliments the distribution platform. Even the greatest of films won't make an impact without an audience. We take pride in not only making high quality, impactful work, but also finding unique distribution strategies and audiences for our stories. We identify the best publisher, platform, and/or festival screening opportunity for every original project we create - this has allowed us to reach a broad audience both online and in person. We’re continuing to evolve that strategic offering with our Commissioned work encouraging brands that are interested in expanding community engagement to consider things like pop-up screenings, theatrical events, and new streaming platforms. In an industry that is constantly changing we see an opportunity for brands to expand their audience through emerging channels.
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Learn more about Vacationland
About Nicholas Weissman
Nicholas Weissman is an EP, director, and Co-Founder of Vacationland Films. With over 15 years of experience in production, Weissman has led projects for major news outlets, global brands, and feature length independent documentaries. He is passionate about telling stories that help make the world make sense, collaborating with a community of award-winning filmmakers across the globe. Nicholas was named DOC NYC 40under40 in 2023. His feature,
‘For Ahkeem’ premiered at Berlinale Film Festival and won a 2018 Cinema Eye Honors Award. Recent films include ‘We the Power’ for Patagonia, ‘Havana Libre’ and ‘A Wonderful Kingdom’ His most recent feature ‘Row of Life’ is the story of a paraplegic long distance ocean rower which premiered at The Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
About Kalim Summerday Armstrong
Kalim Summerday Armstrong makes films to encourage empathy. Based in Kittery, Maine, he is a Co-Founder of Vacationland where he directs commissioned documentaries and series for global brands. His original documentary films focus on racial justice, identity, and counterculture. His short film ‘Telling the Story of Slavery’ addresses the legacy of Slavery in America and was published by The New Yorker. ‘9 Degrees’, a short film about identity, premiered at Doc NYC. He recently directed the feature ‘Engineers at Ground Zero’ published by TIME, and is developing ‘Hippie Food’, a docu-series about the origins of health food. Kalim earned a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College. As an educator, he has taught at Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV), John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Hunter College.
About Carlos Carneiro
Carlos Carneiro is a Portuguese producer, director, and partner at Vacationland. With 15+ years of experience in film production, Carneiro is a creative problem solver who loves a great story while crafting documentary, commercial, and branded projects. In 2020, Carlos directed his first feature documentary, ‘A Wonderful Kingdom’, about Portugal’s wine harvest, narrated by Malcolm McDowell. More recently, he directed the three-part docuseries The Curiosity Effect for Roku. When he’s not making films, he’s often found gathering people around a table for a meal and a story.
