How Emma Branderhorst tackled online exclusion with KPN

Following her first award-winning film A Piece of Me for telecommunications brand KPN, Dark Alley Pictures director Emma Branderhorst (represented by The Corner Shop in the UK) has once again brought her sensitive and insightful storytelling to a second hard-hitting short film, Everyone Except, which addresses a new type of bullying: online exclusion. 

Created by Dentsu Creative with Dark Alley Films, the campaign weaves social media-style footage within a cinematic narrative to tell the story of a popular schoolboy who finds himself ostracised by his classmates through online group chats. We caught up with Branderhorst to find out how she brought this impactful story to life.  

What kind of brief did KPN give you for Everyone Except, and what was it like being involved in the writing process?

The brief from KPN and the agency was clear: “Don’t leave anyone out.” Their first script was about a boy who isn’t very popular, suddenly gets accepted by the cool kids, and then is excluded again. The core idea was strong, someone gets pushed out, and another person stands up for them.

When I came on board, I was given the freedom to really make it my own. For me it was important to move away from the cliché of the “nerdy outsider.” We’ve seen that story a lot. I wanted to show that exclusion can happen to anyone, even to a boy who seems popular and confident. That’s why I rewrote the story around Chris, one of the cool kids, and showed how quickly the group hierarchy can turn against you. The classroom scene, where Chris is pressured into peeing out the window and it gets filmed, was crucial to me. It shows how fast something “funny” can escalate, and how unsafe it feels when you don’t play along.

I wanted to show that exclusion can happen to anyone, even to a boy who seems popular and confident.

I also wanted to reflect the reality of what’s happening among teenagers now. During our research we came across so many “humiliation videos”: kids being forced to do degrading things, filmed, and then shared online. It was all over the Dutch media last year, and it really stuck with me, I wanted to use it as a climax for what could happen in this group. 

After the success of your first KPN film, A Piece of Me, did it feel challenging to deliver another story with the same impact?

Of course, there’s always some excitement, the bar feels high after last year’s success. The first KPN film A Piece of Me won a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions and travelled across the world, it even helped change a law in the Netherlands, which was incredible to see. But I don’t really think in terms of competing with myself or trying to top something. You can never fully predict whether a film will have impact, that depends on so many different things. For me it’s more about telling a story that feels urgent and real in this moment. 

Exclusion happens just as much with boys, and showing their vulnerability felt crucial, especially in a time where toxic masculinity often discourages that. 

What mattered most this time was making something that could be an eye-opener for young people. If they recognise themselves in it, or start talking about it, then the film has already done its job. And because it’s not just online but also part of school programmes, I know it will actually reach the people it’s meant for. That’s where the real change can start. The rest is out of your hands. So, let’s see! 

Since A Piece of Me centred on a teenage girl, was it a deliberate choice to tell this story from a young male perspective?

Yes, absolutely. After telling the story from a girl’s perspective last year, we wanted this film to feel like its brother, again an important issue, but from a different angle. Choosing a boy as the main character was very clear and this way I could also use a more raw style of filming. Exclusion happens just as much with boys, and showing their vulnerability felt crucial, especially in a time where toxic masculinity often discourages that. For me, it was important to show that boys can be very vulnerable too. 

I love working with first-time actors, it’s really my favourite way of working. Most of them had little (or no) experience, some are just starting theatre school. 

Also this year I want to approach the film much more as a ‘short film’ than a videoclip. This way we can get closer to the main characters and I think this makes the film even more real. 

The performances are incredibly moving, how did you approach casting, and how did you work with young actors on such sensitive material?

We spent months casting. I didn’t want the obvious cliché of the nerdy outsider being the victim. Instead, I wanted a cool, popular boy, someone you wouldn’t expect to be left out. And the one who stands up for him is not the typical hero either, he’s a bit more of a quiet type. That was important to me: if he dares to speak up, then anyone can.

For me, the authenticity comes from taking young people seriously, showing their world with respect, and working with them in a way that brings out their own truth rather than imposing mine. 

I love working with first-time actors, it’s really my favourite way of working. Most of them had little (or no) experience, some are just starting theatre school. So I rehearse a lot with them, and I also make sure they get to know each other really well before we shoot. We hung out, did fun things together like bowling, so that by the time we were on set they already felt like a real group of friends.

The boys’ characters were very layered this time. Fifteen-year-olds can still be kids, but they can also be real little shits. Capturing that mix of innocence and cruelty was essential, that’s what makes the story feel so authentic and so confronting.

Campaigns aimed at teenagers can often feel contrived, but both your KPN films feel so raw and authentic. How do you make sure the stories resonate with young people and create genuine impact?

That’s very sweet, thank you. Maybe it helps that I still kind of feel a teenager myself? I do remember very vividly how intense and painful those years can be. But what I think also makes a big difference is the casting. I always look for real, authentic kids rather than professional young actors who just “play the role.” I talk a lot with them, and I love to understand their world. In the preparation I always ask them if the scenes do make sense to them. Is this something they would say, or that other people would say? Sometimes they laugh at me, because they think I’m a boomer. For me, the authenticity comes from taking young people seriously, showing their world with respect, and working with them in a way that brings out their own truth rather than imposing mine. I think that’s what resonates with the audience. 

 I always look for real, authentic kids rather than professional young actors who just “play the role.”