Patient Experience: Brain Surgery with a Twist

Chances are you've seen this video - it has had millions of views and has resulted in tens of millions of impressions for the hospital for which we produced the video. 

Within hours of Seattle Children's posting the video on the hospital's blog and social media, people began liking, commenting and sharing. Within days, thanks to tremendous social media interest and targeted media pitching, the video appeared on People.com, Inside Edition, Huffington post, Teen Vogue and almost every media outlet in the region the hospital serves. A few weeks later, the Today Show invited the featured doctor, the patient and patient family for a live interview, and used video we provided to promote and support the TV segment.

It proves the incredible power of a good video story, when told well.

Here's how it all happened: 

Seattle Children's called us to see if we could shoot an interesting surgery they had on the schedule: the removal of a brain tumor. This tumor was in a patient who was musically gifted, and the tumor was right in the area in which she processed and produced music. This was an opportunity for this hospital to demonstrate its expertise, compassion and teamwork as it sought to preserve the patient's passion, as well as take care of the medical issue. The original ask was just for us to capture the surgery, but after learning about the story, we suggested that we interview the patient and family ahead of time so the audience could connect with her, her parents, and understand and empathize with the 'problem' that she had. We knew viewers would fall in love with her and root for her as the story progressed. 

This was a challenge. (But a fun one!) Fortunately, we've shot many surgeries. We're experienced in staying out of the way, keeping the patient safe, and capturing the important moments to tell the story. We knew we had to see (and hear) the patient as she sang during brain surgery. With planning and permission from the surgical staff, we set up multiple cameras and microphones. When we interviewed the family two days before surgery, we bonded with them and, therefore, we were able to be there for important moments as they hugged just before surgery, and then we got a nice shot of the patient walking down the hall on the way to surgery. This family trusted us with their story, which makes a huge difference in the success of a project. We also interviewed the lead doctor just prior to surgery. He was both confident and compassionate, which provides natural messaging and believable branding. This key interview authentically proves the commitment this hospital has for its patients. 

We had to arrive early for surgery day. Not only to capture the family and the surgical team, but also to meticulously disinfect every piece of equipment that went into surgery - cameras, tripod, all of the mics ... even the pen and notebook the producer carried in. 

Careful planning, experience in situations such as this, and enthusiasm from all parties resulted in a video story that resonated with viewers emotionally ... and continues to spread. 

As you see in the video, the messaging is rock solid - yet subtle, sincere and authentic. Strategic  video storytelling is powerful. This is our passion and our expertise. We would love to help you share stories like this!