My Last Days: Meet Anthony

Meet Anthony is a groundbreaking episode of My Last Days, a documentary series profiling people living with a terminal illness yet thriving throughout the experience. The series is currently in season four on the CW network and started on Youtube - with season one and two garnering over 70 million views with no marketing budget. The objective of show is to remind viewers that life should be cherished every minute and shine a light on individuals who are normally forgotten and treated like second class citizens. In the season three opener entitled Meet Anthony, audiences are introduced to Anthony Carbajal a brilliant street photographer living with ALS. Anthony?s episode is an example of a premium storytelling experience that includes a brand integration that doesn?t feel forced or interruptive. When mapping out the story for this episode, we set out to share his story with vulnerability and create technology that would help Anthony control his camera with his eyes - a game changer for a photographer living with ALS. To do this, we partnered with Tobii Dynavox, an eye-gazing technology company. Tobii?s products help ALS patients wouldn?t be able to send emails or speak with their family members. It took weeks of development, but ultimately our team was able to create a custom piece of technology that allowed the computer to control the camera (a first for Tobii). Integrating products or brand messaging into documentary content can be a slippery slope - many times the integration feels forced or pushy, taking away from the viewers emotional connection with the story. We believe that this wasn?t the case with Anthony?s episode.