Elizabeth Freeman on Why Industrial Storytelling Must Be Led by People Who Know the Work
Mining, energy, and critical minerals companies face a communications challenge that has little to do with volume. According to geologist and industrial marketer Elizabeth Freeman, the issue is credibility. Too often, the people shaping public narratives about these industries have never worked within them, creating a gap between how operations are portrayed and how they actually function.
Freeman believes this disconnect carries real consequences. Technical industries tend to be populated by people who notice details immediately. A missing piece of safety equipment, outdated imagery, or an inaccurate representation of a worksite can undermine trust before a message has the chance to land.
“People in these industries know their roles very intimately. They are paying attention to how it’s being perceived and what’s being put out there,” he says. Her perspective comes from lived experience. As a geologist and founder of industrial marketing agency NUNA Media, Freeman operates from a principle she calls “for-us-by-us marketing,” wherein she emphasizes that stories about mining, energy, and resource development should be told by people who understand the work firsthand.
The challenge, she notes, has become more pronounced as artificial intelligence accelerates content production. Freeman sees tremendous value in AI as a tool, yet she warns that technology cannot compensate for a lack of expertise.
“AI doesn’t really know what an underground mine looks like. It’s an amalgamation of all the things it thinks it is, but it’s not quite accurate,” Freeman explains.
She points to common examples that industry professionals spot immediately. AI-generated mining imagery often features pickaxes, mine carts, or underground tunnels missing critical ventilation systems. Oil and gas visuals, she adds, tend to rely on outdated stereotypes instead of modern operations powered by advanced technology and automation.
Individually, these errors may appear minor. Collectively, they can signal unfamiliarity with the industry. Freeman recalls creating a cartoon image for a holiday campaign only to have a tradesperson point out that the bolts shown on a pipeline were incorrect.
The experience, for her, reinforced the lesson that technical audiences are more likely to reward accuracy and quickly identify shortcuts.
In her view, authenticity carries additional weight because mining and energy companies tend to work under constant public scrutiny. Freeman explains that organizations in these sectors cannot afford messaging that leaves room for doubt. “We already have a perception issue,” she says. “To counter that, you have to be technically accurate.”
Public understanding of mining and energy often develops through headlines, social media, or advocacy campaigns rather than direct experience. Many operations exist far from population centers, leaving a vacuum that others are eager to fill. Freeman believes companies have spent decades avoiding public storytelling, only to discover that silence does not prevent narratives from forming.
“If we don’t tell our story, somebody else will tell it,” she says.
Highlighting the stakes, Freeman explains that community support can influence whether projects move forward. According to her, regulators, investors, employees, and Indigenous groups all evaluate a company’s credibility through its communications. She points to historical incidents that continue shaping public attitudes decades later, demonstrating how a single messaging failure can alter perceptions across an entire industry.
Freeman believes the solution lies in deeper engagement between communications and operations. Marketers, she notes, should spend time on mine sites, visit processing facilities, observe drilling operations, and speak directly with the people performing the work. “If you have a traditional marketer, take them underground, take them to the mill, drive them around so they can see a mine heading, a waste pile, or anything that gives them a visceral view of what’s going on,” she says.
With the rapid pace of technological advancements, Freeman expects AI to revolutionize the production of industrial content. She already uses the technology to animate site photography, automate workflows, and create educational content at a scale that was previously impossible. She insists that organizations that ignore these tools risk losing efficiency and relevance.
Yet she remains firm on one point: expertise must lead the process.
“AI provides amazing tools, but you have to come with background knowledge when you use it,” she remarks.
Freeman‘s vision for the future lies in the industry becoming communicators themselves, where technical knowledge and storytelling capabilities converge to lead the way. In sectors built on expertise, she believes trust is earned through experience and a willingness to show the work as it really is. The companies that find their place in the technological whirlwind might be those whose stories are told by people who have lived them.
