20,000 Downloads from More Than 140 Countries Underscore Power and Appeal of "Slivercasting" through New Media
Irvine, CA, October 25, 2006 — Continuing its mission of elevating the discussion of HIV using a broad range of media, Incendia Health Studios, the first purpose-driven media company devoted to chronic disease education, today announced the release of "Bobbie," episode three in the agency's groundbreaking Internet series Live With It (http://www.LiveWithIt.com) examining life with HIV.
"The most compelling and memorable way to communicate about a specific health condition is to create stories that resonate on a personal level," said Fabio Gratton, president of Incendia Health Studios and creator/producer of the Live With It series. "While people with HIV and their caregivers need medical and health information, they also need compassion and insight into how to deal with the emotional turmoil and day-to-day life changes created by HIV. Live With It is a unique program that focuses on providing this emotional touchstone."
Told in three- to five-minute reality-based stories scripted by experienced Hollywood screenwriters, each episode of Live With It is brought to life through artful animation and an original music score. The series also employs an extensive mix of nontraditional media, including a website, podcasts, blogs, message boards, partnership agreements and merchandising, to interactively engage visitors in the stories and extend their reach to a broad, global audience.
"The response to this series really proves the value of new media and the effectiveness of what The New York Times recently called 'slivercasting,'" Gratton said. "To get more than 20 thousand people from 140 countries watching, commenting on, and sharing the information in Live With It is a huge achievement. With Internet-based media we can communicate directly with people who are interested in a given topic and almost instantly hear back from them — all at substantially lower cost than with traditional media. Incendia is very proud to be a pioneer in this emerging area."
Episode 3 Synopsis
Episode three of Live With It focuses on Bobbie, a prominent fashion model who has contracted HIV as a result of high-risk behavior. Unlike some others with HIV, Bobbie has been open about her lifestyle choices and has strong personal support in the form of a wise and loyal boyfriend who still sees Bobbie's beauty. These advantages offer no solace, however, because Bobbie's self-image has been shattered as a result of the disfiguring lipodystrophy caused by the anti-HIV medications she is taking. It's time, her doctor suggests, for Bobbie to re-think her idea of beauty. But can she? And, if so, how? These are among the questions Live With It will examine as Bobbie moves forward in her journey.
Series Recap
The Live With It series follows a cast of fictional characters living with HIV/AIDS and their personal journeys of understanding, accepting, and ultimately making the commitment to live as positive and healthy a life as possible despite their HIV status. The premiere episode of Live With It introduced Isaac Mudd, a single, white, 25-year-old who has just discovered he is HIV positive. The episode won a "Gold Award" and was named "Most Innovative Site" at the advertising industry's 2005 fall/winter World Wide Web Health Awards (http://www.healthawards.com).
Episode 2 follows the experiences of Trevor, a 32-year old African-American lawyer and soon-to-be father who must break the news to his wife that he has deceived her and is now HIV positive.
All three episodes of Live With It can be viewed at http://www.livewithit.com and are also available as downloadable podcasts for devices such as the iPod® and the PlayStation® Portable System (PSP&re;). Two of the most trafficked HIV-related websites, The Body (http://www.thebody.com) and AEGiS (http://www.AEGiS.org), have partnered with Incendia to distribute and promote the series through their networks. Additionally, various HIV/AIDS support organizations are screening Live With It as part of their community outreach efforts.
Vanessa Robison, assistant operations director for the non-profit organization AEGiS.org (The AIDS Education Global information System), says that Live With It offers "an empathetic viewpoint that is both inspirational and a raw, real education about HIV/AIDS." Bonnie Goldman, Editorial Director of The Body (http://www.thebody.com), concurs, noting the importance of continually seeking new ways of reaching people at risk for HIV/AIDS and helping them understand that "no matter who they are or why they have HIV, they'll never be alone."
About Incendia Health Studios
Incendia Health Studios, which was founded by healthcare advertising agency Ignite Health, is the first and only 'purpose-driven' media company in the field of chronic disease education. The company develops and distributes unbranded disease-education content targeting the millions of people who use the Internet and other digital technologies to seek and share information on chronic diseases.
Focusing on diseases that include HIV, cancer, hepatitis B and diabetes, Incendia projects are funded by advertising, sponsorships and grants, but do not promote specific products or services. In addition to Live With It, Incendia is working on a variety of other HIV-related projects, including a comic book series about HIV/AIDS awareness to be distributed in Kenya. Corporations and other organizations interested in sponsoring Live With It or other Incendia programming can contact Fabio Gratton at (949) 861-3202.
Incendia Health Studios is located at 8961 Research Drive, Irvine, CA 92618. For additional information, visit http://www.IncendiaHealth.com.