Icon International was commissioned by Associated Press to conceive, produce and direct a branded documentary for Chivas Regal’s global The Chivas Venture initiative, bringing together Academy Award-winning actor Javier Bardem and Barcelona-based social enterprise Sea2see.
The film formed part of The Chivas Venture, a global programme supporting entrepreneurs whose businesses combine commercial ambition with positive social or environmental impact. Sea2see had won the Spanish edition of the competition with its innovative approach to transforming recovered marine plastic and abandoned fishing nets into sustainable eyewear, earning the company the opportunity to represent Spain at the Chivas Venture Global Final.
To tell their story, Icon developed a documentary concept built around an unexpected encounter between Sea2see founder François van den Abeele and Javier Bardem. A committed advocate for ocean conservation, Bardem discovers how plastic recovered from the marine environment can be given a second life through Sea2see’s circular production model.
Rather than relying on statistics or conventional corporate messaging, the film focuses on people, ingenuity and the story behind the initiative. Bardem’s genuine curiosity provides a natural way into the subject, allowing the environmental message and Sea2see’s entrepreneurial vision to emerge through conversation and discovery.
From initial concept through to final delivery, Icon led the creative and production process, with Nick Bolger directing and shaping the film’s editorial approach. The result combined cinematic imagery with intimate documentary moments, connecting Chivas Regal’s support for social entrepreneurship with a tangible example of an idea capable of creating environmental change.
The project is a strong example of documentary storytelling within branded content: placing the story and its people first, while allowing the values of the brand to emerge naturally through the film.