Stories from the Hive

Real-life customers are taking center stage in “Stories from the Hive,” a new campaign from Beekeeper’s Naturals, produced by FIN Studios. The multi-format series transforms real customer experiences into dreamy, storybook-style visuals—anchored by two animated short films and three custom-illustrated social testimonials. The series is the second project created in partnership with FIN and Beekeeper’s Naturals’ Founder Carly Kremer, CMO Todd Smith, and Creative Director Michun Radant following “Love Letters” released in April 2026.

Beekeeper’s Naturals selected the participants through a self-nomination process, seeking customers who have brought the propolis-based immunity support products into their everyday routines. The animated shorts follow Danielle, a registered nurse living in Pennsylvania, and Sarah, an New England-based event planning company owner, as they share the crucial role the products play in their daily lives.

For Danielle, the Propolis Immune Support Daily Throat Spray supports her daily health while she’s busy caring for her patients. Sarah keeps herself and her family supported through school and constant travel demands as a business owner; for herself, her husband and her children, she dubs the product “liquid gold.”

“When we reached out to customers for this campaign, we honestly weren’t sure what to expect,” said Carly Kremer, Founder, Beekeeper’s Naturals. “But the response was really quite touching. What we got weren’t just testimonials, but views into the lives of our most loyal customers. We’re incredibly grateful to them for sharing with us and for making Beekeeper’s a part of their lives. We hope it was fun for them to get some incredible animations of themselves in return.”

To capture the heart of each story, FIN first shot live-action footage of every customer, using those frames to anchor the opening and closing of each spot, guide character design, and allowed each customer to tell their story in their own words.

Each authentic voice was brought to life by FIN combining traditional hand-drawn illustration techniques with cutting-edge AI production. Led by Creative Director Damien Nemire-Pepe, the visual team built a hybrid animation pipeline. Illustrator Amanda Tsoukanelis hand-wrote key art, characters, and painterly backgrounds using traditional tools. AI was introduced to streamline the animation process. The elements were then composited using traditional tools in After Effects for a fluid, page-turning finish.

Creative Director Michun Radant and founder Carly Kremer closely directed the campaign's visual direction. This collaborative workflow extended to the social suite, where three additional customer profiles were translated into static illustrated key art for launch.

“Following ‘Love Letters’, we were especially excited to continue the narrative we began for the Beekeeper’s Naturals products and how they have become an invaluable part of consumers' lives,” said Alex Cohn, Head of Content at FIN Studios. “We really enjoyed putting together an impeccable team of artists to create a singular look and feel for a project that required a careful balance of hand-drawn art, traditional methods, and AI. Our goal was to give our (human) artists the most flexible and up to date tools to convey an authentic tone for each customer’s story that aligns with the brand.”