Staging a ‘Cultural Intervention’ for Boston Public Health Commission

As long as public health information and aid continue to be suppressed at a federal level, misinformation and stigma will continue to rise. It is therefore imperative that campaigns such as ‘Let’s Talk HIV: Boston’ by the STUDIO NYC for the Boston Public Health Commission stand firm in their mission to raise awareness and educate audiences through messaging that is bold, firm and most importantly, factual.

Fighting HIV stigma and amplifying the message Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U), the STUDIO NYC’s campaign features 16 Bostonians, some living with HIV, and some not, alongside care providers, advocates and everyday citizens. Presented through a series of candid group discussions, participants shine a light on living with or around the virus, and demystify topics such as prevention, treatment and sexual health practices.

The work is grounded in truth, speaking to and featuring real people and their own experiences. It seeks to “meet people where they are” by appearing across multiple channels and platforms. Providing numerous entry points encompassing video, educational resources, social media, print and out of home, ‘Let’s Talk HIV: Boston’ directly intersects with culture, helping to normalise dialogue around HIV.

Mary Nittolo, founder and chief creative officer at the STUDIO NYC, describes the campaign as “a cultural intervention” that uses art as a “tool for change”. Speaking more about the work with LBB’s Abi Lightfoot alongside head of production Eric Schutzbank, they discuss the importance of compassion and truth in dismantling stigma.

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LBB> This campaign launched amidst a time when public health information and aid are being increasingly suppressed at a federal level. Why was it so important to put this campaign out there and affirm the importance of its messaging, given this wider context?

Mary> When public health messaging is being stripped down or silenced at the federal level, it becomes even more critical for cities to step up. HIV stigma thrives in silence, in shame, and in misinformation. We wanted to cut through that – with truth, with compassion, and with real Bostonians. It wasn’t just about launching a campaign. It was about reclaiming the narrative, especially for communities who are often left behind.

Boston has a long tradition of progressive public health work, and this campaign was a chance to reaffirm that legacy – to say: we will not let our residents go without real, science-backed information. We will not let stigma win. 'Let’s Talk HIV: Boston’ is a kind of rallying cry for what public health can and should be – local, inclusive, and unapologetically truthful.

LBB> The campaign features 16 Bostonians –some living with HIV, some not – how did you connect with this community of people in order to convey their stories and experiences?

Mary> We started with the premise that the campaign had to feel real – not scripted or sanitised – if we wanted to build trust. That meant featuring real Bostonians telling their own stories in their own voices. We are not from Boston, so BPHC was helpful in recruiting some of the people we spoke with. But we needed more people so we relied on our own community - a community formed through the work we’ve done on other HIV communications. We also got a recommendation from one of our colleagues at ADCOLOR, who lives in Boston.

LBB> You told me that preparation for this campaign involved a number of ‘pre-interviews’ – can you tell me more about this, and how it helped to set the work on the right pathway?

Mary> Pre-interviews are an essential part of our process – not just to identify compelling voices, but to build trust and understanding in advance with the participants. We weren’t casting actors; we were inviting people to speak honestly and vulnerably about their lived experience with sensitive topics like stigma, disclosure, and sexual health. Pre-interviews gave us a space to listen deeply. They helped us uncover moments of clarity, humour, or emotion that would ultimately guide our storytelling structure. They also allowed us to be incredibly intentional on shoot days. We were working with 16 participants, multiple group configurations, and a large question set. Pre-interviews allowed us to tailor questions in ways that honoured each person’s voice while covering the broader campaign themes.

Eric> We also shared our messaging and campaign concepts with the interviewees during the development process for feedback and to ensure authenticity.

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LBB> The work interacts with audiences through video, educational resources, print, OOH and social. Can you tell us more about the importance of connecting with audiences through so many different platforms?

Mary> To truly dismantle stigma and spread public health knowledge, we can’t rely on a single channel. People access information differently – some scroll, some ride the train, some pick up a brochure at a clinic. By designing across video, print, digital, and physical spaces, we ensured that no matter someone’s literacy level, tech access, or age, there was an entry point for them. That’s how you meet people where they are – and respect their dignity in how they receive care. When you see these conversations on a subway platform, a dating app, and your social feed, it becomes more than a campaign. It becomes culture. That level of presence helps normalise HIV dialogue in places where it’s long been buried.

Eric> OOH gives the Health Commission a direct presence in the community in a way that can’t be felt strictly through digital. It puts the organisation out there in a very public way, and that’s important for messaging like this – for the community to see and understand that the Health Commission has their back.

LBB> This isn't the first time that the STUDIO NYC has worked with the Boston Public Health Commission. How do you collaborate with them to bring campaigns such as this one to life?

Mary> BPHC is a dream client. This project is the result of an assessment study they did which showed a knowledge gap in Boston in understanding of U=U (Undetectable is Untransmittable). They saw a problem and issued an RFP to counter it. They are so responsive to their citizens and truly a model of what public health should be. With regards to collaboration, we were given full access to the BPHC team, notably Clare Killian (senior program manager for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Services) and Jacqueline Huynh (program manager, STI prevention) to workshop ideas, but once they approved the strategy, they let us run with it. Clare and Jacqueline were also instrumental in getting us access to BPHC’s Executive Director Dr Bisola Ojikutu and Medical Director Kathryn Himmelstein – that access was invaluable. They are not only infectious disease experts and fierce advocates for the community – they model compassion in healthcare in ways I think people need to see right now.

LBB> This work “uses art as a tool for change”; can you tell us more about the perceptions that the campaign aims to shift?

Mary> This campaign wasn’t just a public health message. It was a cultural intervention. We shot in December so we already anticipated that there would be drastic changes in overall public health messaging in the US. But when institutions go quiet, or spread misinformation, artists and storytellers have to get loud. It’s really a privilege to use art as a tool for change – Truth is a public health tool, and art and media have always had the power to shift culture. Not just to mirror what is – but to help us imagine what could be. We tried to use that power to reframe HIV from something hidden or stigmatised into something visible, vibrant, and part of the human experience. By bringing it out into the open – into the public square, into conversation – we hoped to dismantle the silence that has allowed stigma to persist for decades.

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LBB> How has the campaign been received since it initially launched?

Eric> The campaign has garnered over one million impressions across Meta, TikTok, and Snap, with an average CTR over 4%. Boston Public Health Commission also saw a noticeable uptick across their organic digital presence, including increased followers and significant page engagement on Meta and YouTube. In particular, the mixed-status couples content has been well received, as it’s a unique perspective that isn’t commonly shared. We received a lot of positive feedback and support from the Boston community as well.