2024 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was, but it’s still cloaked in fear and ignorance, so many people delay or avoid getting tested. Because of this, more people are living with HIV/AIDS in Ontario today than during the height of the AIDS crisis in the 80s. Casey House, Canada’s first and only hospital for people with HIV/AIDS, set out to fight this stigma with the goal of becoming the global leader in championing the fight against HIV.

After conducting research with 1,500 Canadians, they discovered that 80% of people with HIV say they’re afraid to disclose their status — afraid of being judged and rejected by friends, loved ones, and society at large. They wanted to harness the power of fear to show the devastating impacts of stigma. And they wanted people to experience fear firsthand, to help them better understand what those living with HIV face every day.

To achieve this, they created and premiered a short horror film in October 2022, based on the fears and lived experiences of 6 people with HIV. But not surprisingly, the fear of stigma almost prevented us from making a film about the fear of stigma. From the beginning, they were committed to having an HIV-positive actor play their lead character, but many actors with HIV are simply too afraid that disclosing their status will ruin their careers. Only 20 actors auditioned, proving how
powerful stigma can be.

To further heighten the fear, they premiered the film in an abandoned amusement park, immersing viewers in experiences that mimicked the horror and stigma in the film. After a two-day, in-person premiere, the film became available for viewing on the Casey House website and social channels.

With a $0 media budget, the campaign garnered worldwide media attention there were 300 news stories and 4 billion impressionis, 22K engagements on social media and 1.4-million-dollar media value.

The campaign was reported on by every major Canadian and U.S. news network, including CBC, CTV, Global, CBS, MSNBC, FOX and ABC. The 95% positive social sentiment is the highest positive sentiment ever achieved for a Casey House campaign dating back to 2017 when “#smashstigma” was created. Positive sentiment is incredibly hard to achieve because of ingrained biases and misperceptions about those living with HIV.

One of the most important results isn’t a stat. HIV+ actors are afraid that disclosing their status will ruin their careers. This film marks the first time in history that a professional actor living with HIV was intentionally cast to play an HIV+ lead protagonist. More than just their lead, actor, Peter McPherson became a key spokesperson for the film and the campaign at large. 43 years into the HIV pandemic, a community finally saw their experience authentically represented, and representation in film helps open people’s eyes to the experiences
and challenges of others.

In addition to the consumer-facing program case, please provide context on any internal programs and work done to create greater team diversity throughout the content creation process. Also address how the communications speak to deeper organizational goals and outline any broader external program investments the brand is making to support diversity.

Many films have highlighted the struggles of HIV stigma, but “Others” is the first film to ever cast an HIV+ actor as an HIV+ protagonist since the epidemic began 43 years ago in 1981. It is an important step in representation for a community that rarely sees its members highlighted or celebrated.

Representation was also important behind the camera. The Chief Creative Officer directly involved is LGBTQ+. He has also been on the board of the Casey House hospital since 2018. The agency team behind the core idea was 50% female and 33% LGBTQ+. 50% of the screenwriters were non-binary.

In many ways, casting was the most difficult part of getting the film made. To quote a casting director, “Many actors fearful disclosing will negatively impact their career.” They cast globally in London, NY, LA, Vancouver, and Toronto. In total, only 20 actors were willing to audition for the role. Proving stigma was still as powerful decades after the epidemic began.

Seeing an HIV+ actor, playing an HIV+ hero in a film about stigma, talking openly about his HIV status with the press, is a large step towards shedding the blame and discrimination about this disease.

Credits

Bensimon Byrne/Narrative
Chief Creative Officer (Tadiem): Joseph Bonnici
Managing Director (Narrative): Cathy Mitchell
Executive Creative Director: Debbie Chan
Creative Director: David Mueller, Gints Bruveris
Associate Creative Director: Katherine Flores
Art Director: Amy Fernandes, Caleb Leung
Copywriter: Sam Ramsay, Talal Itani
Executive Producer: Michelle Pilling
Agency Producer: Caroline Clarke
Group Account Director: Will Dell
Vice President (Narrative): Lauren Baswick
Account Director (Narrative): Ashley Belfast
Account Director (Narrative): Cole Douglas
Director, XM (Narrative): Melissa Da Costa
Snior Account Manager, XM (Narrative): Jaclyn Kirk
Account Manager, XM (Narrative): Kayla Metcalfe
Account Coordinator (Narrative): Shehroz Asad

Casey House
Chief Executive Officer: Joanne Simons
Chief Development and Marketing Officer: Alanna Scott
Communications Director: Lisa McDonald

OPC Production
Executive Producer: Harland Weiss, Emily Harris, Donovan M. Boden, Isil Gilderdale
Director: Paul Shkordoff
Director of Photography: Jeremy Cox

Powerhouse Casting (Canada)
Casting Director: Andrew Hayes CDC, Tristan Abraham CDC

Martin Gibbons Casting (UK)
Casting Director: Martin Gibbons CDG

Rooster Post
Executive Producer: Melissa Khan, Bobbi Dedman
Editor: Michelle Czukar, Matt Blakley, Kyle Gregory Sanderson

Button Factory
Executive Producer: Caroline Clarke
Editor: Tim Pienta

Cycle Media Vancouver
Colourist: Sam Gilling

Berkeley Inc.
Audio Producer: Tyna Maerzke
Audio Director: Jared Kuemper
Audio Engineer: Jared Kuemper, Tyler Young, Marcel Hidalgo

Freelance
Music Composer: Kyle McCrea