What Took You So Long?

Films That Fight For People & Planet
Remote Company, New York City, New York 11225, United States
https://www.whattookyousolong.org

What Took You So Long? Overview

Number of Employees
Under 49
Minimal Budget
$1,000 - $10,000
Average Hourly Rate
$125/hr
Year Founded
2012
What Took You So Long (WTYSL) is a global creative agency dedicated to storytelling for impact. For 15 years, weve worked exclusively in the aid, development, and humanitarian sectors, producing more than 300 films, photo series, and campaigns in over 150 countries.

Our work spans film & photography, 360° & VR, drone & underwater cinematography, animation & motion graphics, campaign strategy, brand development, social media, PR, and paid media management. We also offer training, workshops, and media capacity building to strengthen local storytelling ecosystems.

With bases across five continents and a trusted network of 248+ global creatives, we bring together award-winning cinematographers, scriptwriters, drone pilots, social media strategists, PR managers, and digital campaign experts. We collectively speak 13 languages and excel at adapting to any environment from at-risk communities to high-level international events.

Our track record of trust is evident:
  • 10+ years with UN Womens HeforShe campaign
  • 7 years leading UNDPs Equator Prize Nature for Life campaign
  • 10 years with World Central Kitchen
  • 3 years with SEforALL and UNICEF Rwanda
  • 2 years with AFI Global
  • 1 year with UN Foundation
Weve also collaborated with National Geographic, USAID, ICRC, IRC, Save the Children, and countless grassroots organizations.

What sets us apart is our ethical focus ensuring dignity, safety, and authenticity for everyone we film. We are equally committed to innovation: from remote directing with local crews, to transforming pre-existing assets into powerful new narratives.

Our results speak for themselves. For UN Womens 2025 International Womens Day campaign we achieved 2M+ organic views on Instagram and TikTok. For UNICEF Yemen, we reached 14M Gen Z viewers, doubling their target with half the paid media spend.

Whether through multi-year campaigns, short films, or single photographs, WTYSL crafts compelling, human-centered stories that move audiences to act.

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Industries

  • Agriculture
  • Arts
  • Entertainment
  • Media & Communications
  • Finance
  • Government
  • Health Care
  • Education
  • Design
  • Food and Beverage

Client Types

  • Startups
  • Small Businesses
  • Medium Businesses
  • Enterprise / Corporate

What Took You So Long? Portfolio

What Took You So Long? - UNIVERSAL ENERGY FACILITY Campaign
Documentary
UNIVERSAL ENERGY FACILITY Campaign
$250K - $500K
18 Months
2025

What Took You So Long? Team Bios

Director of Photography, Cinematographer
Alicia Sully
Director of Photography, Cinematographer
Alicia is an Emmy-nominated cinematographer with 17+ years experience in conflict and disaster zones. Co-founder of WTYSL, she has filmed in 80+ countries, leading projects from Somalias Bulsho TV series to campaigns for global NGOs and UN agencies.
Award Winning Director of Photography, Producer
Clara Wetzel
Award Winning Director of Photography, Producer
Clara is an award-winning filmmaker from Buenos Aires with 40+ countries of experience. A Director of Photography at heart, she has led multi-country projects like UNDPs Equator Prize and recently won multiple awards for her film ZAG https://clarawetzel.com/zag.
Head of Growth, Filmmaker, Producer
Chris Kousouros
Head of Growth, Filmmaker, Producer
Chris blends filmmaking and campaign strategy, leading WTYSLs biggest projects since 2014. He has filmed in 75+ countries, managed SEforAll's campaigns , and led UNICEF Yemens record-breaking outreach. Fluent in English, Spanish & Arabic.
Head of Content, Creative Direction, Story Producer, Director
Philippa Young
Head of Content, Creative Direction, Story Producer, Director
Philippa is a director and story producer with 12+ years experience shaping films and podcasts for UN agencies and NGOs. She has led projects from Cannes-screened docs like Waynak? to ITUs Technology for Good podcast, and UNICEF Yemens ongoing campaign.
Director of Photography, Drone
Sebastian Lindström
Director of Photography, Drone
Sebastian is a Swedish filmmaker and co-founder of WTYSL, leading film expeditions in 80+ countries. A UN Foundation advisor and TEDxMogadishu founder, he brings expertise from Arctic Rangers to global storytelling, with sought-after drone work from Somalia.
Head of Original Content, Producer
Riham Ezzaldeen
Head of Original Content, Producer
Riham is a filmmaker and producer focused on social justice and inclusive storytelling. She helped build WTYSLs original content department, led programs with Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and has won awards at festivals including the Toronto International Womens Festival. Arabic, English, Swedish.
Director of Photography, Editor
Fanny Lindström
Director of Photography, Editor
Fanny is an award-winning filmmaker and facilitator known for raising voices with compassion and care. A Kaos Pilots alum, she has led cross-cultural projects with WTYSL and is currently directing a short film about a female Indigenous reindeer herder in northern Sweden.
Director of Photography, Photographer, Editor
Ghinwa Daher
Director of Photography, Photographer, Editor
Ghinwa is a Lebanese filmmaker who has worked in 35+ countries since 2015 with WTYSL, telling human-centered stories on climate, women, and social change. Her films have screened at Cannes, and her VR doc Nasra was a Dutch cinema hit. She speaks English, French, Spanish & Arabic.
Director of Photography & Camera Operator
Joseph Akwasi
Director of Photography & Camera Operator
Joseph is a Ghanaian filmmaker whose award-winning work spans social issues from HIV/AIDS to women's empowerment. With a Masters in Film Directing from Germany, his Cannes-screened film Home explored mental health. He now collaborates with UN agencies and NGOs worldwide.
Filmmaker & Photographer
Nessim Stevenson
Filmmaker & Photographer
Nessim is a Lebanese-British filmmaker and WTYSLs head of 360/VR, with 9+ years on the team. He has filmed in 30+ countries, led award-winning VR campaigns for Samsung/NowThis (20M+ views), and was DoP for Waynak, a Cannes-screened migration crisis documentary.
Head of Proposals, Project Manager
Dre Babić
Head of Proposals, Project Manager
Dre is a multi-hyphenate project manager with 7+ years leading campaigns, web design, and product development across 15+ countries. Known for her organization, energy, and ability to translate client needs into results, she is based in Berlin and Bulgaria and speaks four languages.

What Took You So Long? Clients

H&M
UNHCR
Samsung
UNDP
UNICEF
UNFPA
UN Women
National Geographic
World Central Kitchen
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