Royal Television Society Southern Awards
Digital Content Nomination 2026
They asked us to create a human-led construction documentary that showcased career opportunities in the construction industry and encouraged the next generation to consider plant training and construction careers.
The project centred on 13-year-old Finn Gallagher, whose enthusiasm for plant machinery, especially JCB, led to a rare opportunity. During the school holidays, Finn trained on a JCB 3CX Backhoe Loader and worked towards a CPCS qualification in plant operation.
We proposed an observational documentary style built around factual, people-led storytelling, following Finn before, during and after an intensive two-week training programme with Derek Mansfield of Flynne Plant Training.
Filmed during the school holidays, the work focused on the full experience, capturing the pressure, progress and learning through a mix of fly-on-the-wall footage, fixed-rig and aerial shots, interviews and self-recorded video diaries.
This let Finn’s personality, determination and uncertainty come through naturally, creating a credible film series that also reinforced Gallagher Group’s commitment to skills, safety and long-term investment in people.
“Digitom have achieved a perfect balance of storytelling.
“I can see this being fascinating to a wide audience, whether involved in the construction industry or not!”
Stephen Gallagher
|Director
,Gallagher Group
Finn passed both his theory and practical CPCS exams with distinction, becoming the UK’s youngest qualified digger driver.
The story attracted substantial national and local media coverage, positioning Gallagher Group as a business championing skills development and sparking conversations about careers in construction.
The films were released in sequence on Digger Finn’s YouTube channel, where they generated more than 400,000 views in the first month. Edited trailers were also created for Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, extending the campaign’s reach across multiple audiences and platforms.
After the digital launch, we partnered with KMTV to produce The Story of Digger Finn, a 30-minute broadcast documentary. It reached more than 250,000 homes across Kent, further increasing the story’s visibility and impact.
Alongside the films, we produced a suite of photography throughout the project. These images were supplied to national press, regional media and construction trade publications, giving Gallagher Group a flexible bank of assets for ongoing PR and communications.
The campaign’s impact was recognised by the industry, earning a nomination at the Royal Television Society Southern Awards – confirming the strength of the creative approach and the value of authentic, insight-led storytelling.
