Heartbreak to Art,
Wounds become the medium; pain recut as art.
Client
CBC Arts
Project
Nerissa Bradley
Role
Direction, Cinematography, Post Supervision
Prev:
Next:
Prev:
Next:
Conceived as a ten‑film anthology, Heartbreak to Art set out to prove that creative practice isn’t just catharsis; it’s architecture for survival. Each spot was treated as an impressionistic portrait: floaty handheld, a powerful soundtrack and a restrained voice‑over that lets confession breathe. The brief was simple: show the exact moment pain turns into process, then capture the result of that alchemy.
From pre‑interviews to color grade, the production rhythm mirrored therapy. Shoots were previsualized around the artists’ actual creative rituals, so we could embed ourselves as much as possible into their process.
The series was released in tandem on CBCArts.ca and the network's 200k+ subscriber YouTube channel. Beyond the metrics, the real win is cultural durability: schools and youth‑services organizations requested clips for wellness programming, proving that these short‑form, elevated-documentary-style portraits can be both art and an actionable resource.
Nerissa Bradley,
Singer–actor–speaker Nerissa Bradley channels jazz-soaked R&B vocals and dramatic range into a practice that glides between musical theatre, film/TV, voice-over and mental-health advocacy.
After fronting a 20-piece orchestra and making her professional stage debut in Dreamgirls, she has since voiced campaigns for global brands: Heineken, Evian, Ford, Dos Equis, Mentos, and the Toronto Raptors’ iconic “We The North” campaign, for which she became the franchise’s first female narrator.
Acting opposite Damian Lewis in Billions, Kristen Bell in People We Hate at the Wedding and popping up on HBO’s Avenue 5. Her TEDx talk “Why You Stopped Being Creative” and SpeakerSlam award-winning storytelling reveal her personal healing journey. Inviting audiences to reclaim their own creativity through vulnerability and soul.
Director
First Last
Cinematographer
First Last
Color
Company
First Last
Online
Company
First Last
Audio
Company
First Last
Edit
Company
First Last
Production Company
Company
Conceived as a ten‑film anthology, Heartbreak to Art set out to prove that creative practice isn’t just catharsis; it’s architecture for survival. Each spot was treated as an impressionistic portrait: floaty handheld, a powerful soundtrack and a restrained voice‑over that lets confession breathe. The unified brief was simple: show the exact moment pain turns into process, then capture the result of that alchemy.
From pre‑interviews to color grade, the production rhythm mirrored therapy. Shoots were previsualized around the artists’ actual creative rituals, so we could embed ourselves as much as possible into their process.
The series was released in tandem on CBCArts.ca and the network's 200k+ subscriber YouTube channel. Beyond the metrics, the real win is cultural durability: schools and youth‑services organizations requested clips for wellness programming, proving that these short‑form, elevated-documentary-style portraits can be both art and an actionable resource.
Nerissa Bradley,
Singer–actor–speaker Nerissa Bradley channels jazz-soaked R&B vocals and dramatic range into a practice that glides between musical theatre, film/TV, voice-over and mental-health advocacy.
After fronting a 20-piece orchestra and making her professional stage debut in Dreamgirls, she has since voiced campaigns for global brands: Heineken, Evian, Ford, Dos Equis, Mentos, and the Toronto Raptors’ iconic “We The North” campaign, for which she became the franchise’s first female narrator.
Acting opposite Damian Lewis in Billions, Kristen Bell in People We Hate at the Wedding and popping up on HBO’s Avenue 5. Her TEDx talk “Why You Stopped Being Creative” and SpeakerSlam award-winning storytelling reveal her personal healing journey. Inviting audiences to reclaim their own creativity through vulnerability and soul.
Director
First Last
Cinematographer
First Last
Color
Company
First Last
Online
Company
First Last
Audio
Company
First Last
Edit
Company
First Last
Production Company
Company
CBC Arts
Client
Nerissa Bradley
Project
Director
First Last
Cinematographer
First Last
Color
Company
First Last
Online
Company
First Last
Audio
Company
First Last
Edit
Company
First Last
Production Company
Company