National Geographic followers are fascinated by hidden histories, so our goal was to make repeating social videos that leaned into this audience’s curiosity and shared a range of global stories. Senior video producer Halley Brown led the development of this idea into a hosted explainer format based on deeply researched archival visuals. The three videos in this entry dive into the origins of popular traditions around the world: The Renaissance Fair, Day of the Dead, and Krampus parades.
It was crucial to establish a recognizable host who could be both fun and trustworthy for maximum audience engagement. With a background in history journalism, Brown herself stepped into this role, adding engaging first-person delivery to each piece. She worked alongside Video editor Dave Perkins to create quirky animation treatments that gave extra energy to archival stills.
