T-Mobile CSI (Customer service investigation)
THE CHALLENGE
After losing a prestigious JDP Award for Customer Service, T-Mobile needed to re-engage their frontline staff. They wanted a creative way to drive messaging that didn't feel like "just another corporate training video." I recognized that to change behavior, we had to change the culture of how they consumed information.
THE APPROACH
I proposed a high-fidelity parody of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. To make the parody work, it couldn't look "corporate"—it had to look like prestige television. I wrote a script that used actual employees to solve the mystery of a "customer callback" crime.
As the director and writer, I focused on the cinematic details that sell a parody: specific wardrobe, tracking camera moves, and shallow depth of field. By meticulously recreating the moody, high-contrast aesthetic of a crime procedural, I gave the employee-actors a platform to shine and the audience a reason to pay attention.
THE OUTCOME
This series fueled the Resolution Revolution within the company, and T-Mobile won back the JDP award. By treating internal communications with the same rigor as as an elevated network drama, we turned employees into "internal celebs" and transformed dry training into a source of company pride.
Additionally, the Parody framework became a successful series of high-impact internal campaigns:
CSI (Customer Service Investigation): A high-drama procedural where actual employees solved the mystery of a "customer callback" crime.
The Voice of the Customer: A parody of The Voice, featuring the iconic magenta chairs, where judges evaluated real-world service delivery.
Behind the Music: A VH1-style profile where we found Nashville call-center employees who were also musicians. We formed an actual band, composed an original song, and recorded it in a professional Nashville studio.
