Aramex — Moving the Epic
Client
Aramex South Africa
Project
Moving the Epic — Absa Cape Epic Branded Content
Year
2024, 2025 (repeat engagement)
Services
Creative Direction · Documentary Production · Social Content
The Brief
Aramex South Africa needed to tell the story behind one of the most complex logistics operations in African sport. As the official logistics partner of the Absa Cape Epic — the world’s largest full-service mountain bike stage race — their team is responsible for moving an entire race across the Western Cape over eight days. Three race villages. 617km of terrain. 16,500 metres of climbing.
But none of that gets seen. The riders get the cameras. The logistics team works behind the scenes. Aramex wanted to change that — to show the scale, precision, and people behind the operation. The project was funded by Aramex International and delivered directly for Aramex South Africa.
The Approach
I directed this as a character-driven branded documentary. No scripts, no setups, no corporate voiceover. The creative approach was built around embedding with the Aramex team and following them through every stage of the race — from pre-race luggage handling and customs clearance, through village builds and breakdowns, to partner activations and post-race asset storage.
The story was always about the people. The logistics coordinators waking up at 3am. The drivers navigating dirt roads in the dark. The team solving problems in real time that nobody else sees. That’s where the real story lives, and that’s what makes branded content connect — when it’s built around genuine human moments, not marketing scripts.
I operated as A camera and creative director, with one additional crew member as B camera and production assistant. During live race days we often needed to be in different locations simultaneously to capture content happening in real time across the race village and route.
2025: The Repeat Engagement
Aramex brought me back for the 2025 Absa Cape Epic with the same format and scope. The creative direction expanded to include partner-focused content — documenting how Aramex works with brands like Ciovita within a live event environment, showing the operational relationship in action rather than just describing it.
The 2025 project also covered Aramex’s sponsorship of the UCI Women’s racing category, adding a new editorial angle to the content series and extending the storytelling beyond logistics into brand partnership and athlete support.
Being brought back for a second year is the clearest proof that the work delivered. The client didn’t need to brief a new team or explain the brand from scratch. Same director, same vision, same trust — with the creative building on what came before.
Deliverables
2024
1x Hero branded documentary film
12x Social-first vertical reels for Instagram (15–30 sec each)
Daily behind-the-scenes social content
2025
1x Hero branded documentary film
8x Social-first vertical reels for Instagram
Partner-focused content (CIOVITA, UCI Women’s category)
Outcome
Aramex deployed the content across internal and external channels, including YouTube and Instagram. The short-form social content generated strong viewership on Instagram, extending the reach of the campaign well beyond the event itself.
The repeat engagement in 2025 confirmed the value of the creative partnership model — one director, one relationship, content that compounds year on year.
