Nicolas Boulenger
A graduate of Ponts engineering school with a Master's in Production Organization in Business (OPEN), my career path later led me to film and communication. I trained in acting (le Magasin), screenwriting (Maison du Film), and production management (INA). I have written and directed for television (TF1, France 2, Canal+, France 3) and for institutions (UNESCO, Publicis) before co-founding the production company ChezFilms in 2018.
Over the course of various projects, it became clear that my most valued contribution was upstream of production, in defining the right intention and a clear message for aligned communication. Boulengerie is the culmination of this journey: a space where I help launch or unblock communication for technical or complex projects, from message construction to content creation.
My Approach: Diagnosis & Strategy
Too often, communication about complex or innovative subjects fails not because of lack of resources, but due to a lack of strategic clarity upstream. My role is to identify bottlenecks and activate the right strategies before producing anything. Here's how we address common challenges:
1. Regaining Strategic Flexibility
Diagnosis: Decisions about format, channel, or duration are made too early, becoming rigid constraints that limit creativity and message relevance.
Approach: We distinguish between real constraints (budget, non-negotiable deadlines) and premature choices. We open up the field of possibilities to define the most appropriate solution, before locking ourselves into technical details.
2. Identifying the Core Message
Diagnosis: Energy is scattered because the main issue, the deeper "why," or the element that will truly make a difference hasn't been clearly identified and prioritized.
Approach: We dedicate the necessary time to uncover this "essential." What is the key message? What is the fundamental objective? This radical clarification becomes the compass that guides all creative and production decisions.
3. Orchestrating Timeline and Contributors
Diagnosis: An agency or freelancer is briefed too early (or too late), with unclear expectations. The project is viewed as a rigid tunnel without clear stages.
Approach: We break down the project into logical phases (Strategy -> Message -> Creation -> Distribution). We define who should intervene, when, and most importantly, with what brief. Often, my role is to co-construct this strategic brief before engaging execution partners (like an architect prepares plans before the construction company arrives).
4. Anticipating Rather Than Reacting
Diagnosis: The constant feeling of being "one step behind," of urgently producing content that only imperfectly meets the need, due to lack of anticipation.
Approach: We replace reaction with strategy. By defining a clear vision and planning key actions, we restore anticipation and serenity to the process, while also considering coherence and future reuse of content.
5. Budgeting by Value
Diagnosis: Apprehension about a vague overall budget for "communication," without seeing where the main added value lies.
Approach: We think in terms of investment stages. The initial phase of strategic clarification is an investment in itself, which then allows us to precisely define where to allocate production resources for maximum impact, avoiding unnecessary spending on unvalidated approaches.
Working Together: From Strategy to Aligned Creation
My support follows a structured three-step process, designed to ensure clarity and alignment, from initial intent to final execution.
1. Initial Consultation (Complimentary)
Objective: To get acquainted, listen to your context, challenges, and ambitions. To validate if my approach fits your needs and if collaboration is relevant. This is an open discussion, with no commitment.
2. The Strategic Foundation (Key Phase - Dedicated Value)
Objective: This is the core of my initial intervention. Through in-depth interviews, an analysis of your context, and if the situation warrants it, targeted collaborative workshops, we dive deep together to:
- Define the deep "Why": Your mission, values, real objective.
- Identify the Core Message: What must be understood and remembered.
- Pinpoint your Target Audiences: Who to reach and why?
- Map out Stakes and Constraints: Context, obstacles, opportunities.
Typical Deliverable: A Strategic Roadmap – a clear and concise document summarizing the diagnosis, the validated key message, the audiences, and proposing clear directions for your communication.
3. Aligned Creation
Once strategic clarity is established during the Strategic Foundation (step 2), we can activate it in a targeted way, according to your specific needs. My support then focuses on two complementary main axes:
Axis 1: Authentic Expression Coaching
What for? To help you personally (or your teams) embody and deliver this clarified message with ease, conviction, and authenticity.
Examples of interventions:
- Individual coaching for public speaking
- Pitch preparation (investors, sales...)
- Structuring and rehearsing strategic presentations
- Support before interviews or media appearances
Axis 2: Creation of Aligned Content
What for? To translate your strategic message into concrete, accurate, and impactful communication tools.
Examples of creations:
- Video Design and Production (Vision Films, corporate films, portraits, interviews...)
- Strategic Writing (key articles, manifestos, key messages, website revamp...)
- Impactful Presentation Design (visual and narrative)
- Co-construction of strategic briefs for external partners (agencies, etc.)
My Role (Flexible): Depending on the chosen axes and actions, I intervene directly (coaching, writing, directing) or support you in steering and quality monitoring external providers.
Typical Deliverables: The coaching sessions conducted, the final content delivered (texts, videos, presentations...), the validated agency brief, etc.
This step-by-step approach ensures logical progression and cost control. Above all, it guarantees a final communication that is fundamentally accurate and aligned with your deep objectives, designed for lasting impact.