Northwell Health debuted Northwell Studios Wednesday morning in a bid to expand the New York-based health system’s considerable storytelling capabilities.
In support of this initiative, Northwell has signed a development agreement with CreativeChaos, a film and television production company represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). As part of the deal, CreativeChaos will develop and co-produce projects with the provider organization.
Northwell stated that five Northwell Studios productions are underway with the CAA-backed entity, including scripted films, docuseries and unscripted films that focus on the provider organization’s clinical capabilities, patient and healthcare professional stories as well as advancements in medical technologies.
Northwell Studios represents a major investment by the namesake health system to bolster its established filmmaking and production chops.
Just last month, Northwell releasedOne South: Portrait of a Psych Unit, a two-part docuseries that debuted on HBO. The intimate film about mental illness marked the fifth documentary Northwell has produced in as many years, during which time the organization has earned six Emmy Awards.
Northwell also received a shortlist for the Academy Awards for its First Wave documentary, which was released in 2021 and detailed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One year later, it debuted a short film documenting the effects of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict on hospitals, frontline clinical staffers and patients in the war-ravaged area.
Going forward, Northwell Studios pledged to secure distribution partnerships that ensure its content receives wide viewership and engagement.
“We recognize the immense power of storytelling to connect with audiences on a deeper level,” said Ramon Soto, SVP and chief marketing officer at Northwell Health. “Northwell Studios represents a natural evolution of our commitment to purpose-driven and movement thinking, a framework we’ve pioneered to translate brand purpose into impactful real-world initiatives. Through entertainment, we can break down the walls of our hospitals, amplify the voices of our frontline heroes, and shed light on critical health and societal issues.”
Northwell CEO Michael Dowling added that the effort is in line with the organization’s mission to address “critical social issues that impact our collective well-being.”
Such an approach has carried over to Northwell’s medical marketing, which has tackled issues like the mental health crisis, care access issues and gun violence among a host of other topics.
Of note, CreativeChaos, which is led by co-founders Ilan Arboleda and Tom Donahue, signed on with CAA in March.
Arboleda said in a statement that the two companies share the mission of utilizing media and storytelling to raise awareness of challenging societal topics and buck the status quo in order to affect change.
“Bringing our expertise in entertainment, production, and brand collaboration to such an innovative and respected organization is an exciting opportunity,” he stated. “Together, we look forward to developing compelling content that will resonate with audiences.”
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