Media Release

HBO Launches “Gathering The Pieces,” A Social-First Community Engagement Experience In Support Of The New Series I MAY DESTROY YOU

I May Destroy You

I MAY DESTROY YOU Premieres on HBO, Sunday, June 7 at 10:30 PM ET/PT

IMDY schedule

New York, NY - May 28, 2020 - In support of the themes and experiences depicted in HBO’s new half-hour series I MAY DESTROY YOU, executive produced, written by and starring Michaela Coel, HBO developed a groundbreaking digital first campaign called “Gathering the Pieces,” to elevate the conversation, raise awareness of the topics depicted in the series and provide expert POVs and resources to Black and Queer communities. The campaign will focus on dating, friendships, relationships, sexual wellness and freedom, trauma and therapy, self-love and self-care.

The series debuts SUNDAY, JUNE 7 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. The series will also be available to stream on HBO GO, HBO NOW, and on HBO via HBO Max and other partners’ platforms. I MAY DESTROY YOU will resonate with viewers in multiple ways as it presents the duality of recovering from trauma while celebrating the beauty of friendship, love and the twists and turns of the millennial lifestyle.

Collaborating with a specially curated group of influencers and experts, HBO aims to spark community conversations via Instagram Live, bringing these important themes to life through shared experiences, engaging content and a resource hub for trauma services at http://imdyresources.com/. The “Host Committee” of influencers and experts will connect with followers and viewers around topics showcased in the series leading up to the premiere on Instagram. They will also host weekly post-episode discussions via the resource hub that will help audiences unpack and explore the lighter and darker tones of the show.

"HBO is a place for all stories. The themes of Michaela Coel’s extraordinary I MAY DESTROY YOU, touch upon experiences that are all too real, and disproportionately affect many people, especially in the LGBTQ+ and Black communities, who sometimes suffer in silence,” said Jackie Gagne, Vice President, Multicultural Marketing HBO. “We created this compelling series of live community conversations in order to organically and respectfully engage audiences in discussions around the topics of consent, dating and relationships in this modern landscape, where the fine line between liberation and exploitation can be unclear.”

“As we collaborated with HBO on the ‘Gathering the Pieces’ campaign, our goal was to remain authentic to the experiences depicted on the show and select peers and experts who could help the public explore the sensitive themes and tonality of the series, with the aim of empowering marginalized groups and survivors,” commented Shannon Jones, co-founder, Verb. “Social media is where people gather to share and explore new topics, so a social-first campaign was the right avenue to raise awareness and reach audiences with these important conversations and healing resources.”

 

Below are details of the “Gathering the Pieces” sessions on Instagram Live:

 

June 4

12:00PM, ET: The Power of “I AM” - Manifestations and Journaling Workshop with Lauren Ash (@hellolaurenash)

9:00PM, ET: The Politics of Pleasure + Intimacy with Penda N’Diaye (@pendajai) and Evyan Whitney (@evyan.whitney)

 

June 5

12:00PM, ET: Breaking Up: Friendships + Relationships with Tracy G. (@itstracyg) and J. Wesley (@writehiswrongs)

9:00PM, ET: The Tell All: Dating + Relationships with Angela Yee (@angelayee) and Michael Arcenaux (@youngsinick)

 

June 6

12:00PM, ET: Understanding Cannabis and the Brain with Mary Pryor (@msmarypryor) and Dr. Ayana Jordan (@drayanajordan)

9:00PM, ET: Clarifying Consent + Modern Dating with The Friendzone’s Assanté (@heyassante), Fran (@heyfranhey) and Dustin (@lookatdustin)

 

Post show “Gathering the Pieces” live sessions will resume on Tuesday nights, hosted on http://imdyresources.com/. The sessions include the following:

 

June 16

9:00PM, ET: Reclaiming Your Body with Deun Ivory (@deunivory)

 

June 23

9:00PM, ET: Showing Up for Yourself: A Workshop with Alex Elle (@alex_elle)

 

June 30

9:00PM, ET: Triggers, Trauma, and Breaking Through with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford (@hellodrjoy)

 

July 7

9:00PM, ET: NewFest, New York's leading LGBTQ film and media organization, will host a virtual post-premiere talkback focused on identity, oppression and trauma through a queer lens.

 

In addition to the “Gathering the Pieces” sessions on Instagram Live pre-premiere, there will be two special live events on premiere day, June 7. First up on Instagram, Refinery29's Unbothered Presents Real Talk: A Conversation with Michaela Coel and the Cast of I MAY DESTROY YOU (@r29unbothered). Later that evening the I MAY DESTROY YOU Series Premiere Community Watch party hosted by Crissle (@crissles) and Joel Leon (@joelakaMaG) will gather audiences following #IMAYDESTROYYOU and #GATHERINGTHEPIECES on Twitter to guide us through episode 1.

Lastly, HBO has partnered with The Creative Collective NYC and Therapy for Black Girls, an online platform dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women, to curate a seeding kit that highlights key themes from the series. The kit encourages recipients to 'gather the pieces' and prioritize their relationship with self and others. Touching on six key themes (Write it down, Talk it out, Reach Out, Have patience with yourself and Treat your body with care), the kit includes a variety of items that approach self-care in a myriad of ways.

Our partnership with both Creative Collective NYC and Therapy For Black Girls extends to social platforms as well, with a series of prompts curated to drive conversation around different approaches to self care and the series.

I MAY DESTROY YOU premieres on HBO, Sunday, June 7 at 10:30PM. The series will be available to stream on HBO GO, HBO NOW, and on HBO via HBO Max and other partners’ platforms

 

ABOUT I MAY DESTROY YOU:

Following triumph from a piece of writing that garnered internet acclaim, Arabella Essiuedu (Coel) – easily distracted, non-committal and carefree – finds herself feted as the ‘voice of her generation,’ with an agent, a book commission and a helluva lot of pressure. After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, her life changes irreversibly and Arabella is forced to reassess everything: her career, her friends, even her family. As Arabella struggles to come to terms with what has happened, she begins a journey of self-discovery.

I MAY DESTROY YOU stars Michaela Coel (“Chewing Gum”). The cast also includes Weruche Opia (“Inside No9”), Paapa Essiedu (“Kiri”), Marouane Zotti (“Imagine You & Me”), Aml Ameen (“Yardie”), Adam James (“Belgravia”), Sarah Niles (“Catastrophe”), Ann Akin (“Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams”), Harriet Webb (“Plebs”), Ellie James (“Giri/Haji”), Franc Ashman (“Peep Show”), Karan Gill (“Flesh & Blood”), Natalie Walter (“Horrible Histories”), and Samson Ajewole.

Executive producers for Various Artists Ltd, Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni; executive producer for FALKNA Productions/writer/co-director/star, Michaela Coel; producer, Simon Maloney; producer, Simon Meyers; director of episodes 1-3 and co-director of episodes 4-12, Sam Miller (Miller also serves as an executive producer on episodes 1-3); production companies, Various Artists Ltd and FALKNA Productions. I MAY DESTROY YOU is a co-production between HBO and BBC and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, excluding the UK and Ireland where the series will be distributed by BBC Studios.

 

ABOUT HBO

HBO® is one of the most respected and innovative entertainment brands in the world, serving iconic, award-winning programming to 140 million subscribers globally. A subsidiary of WarnerMedia, HBO is the world’s most successful pay TV service with an extensive array of programming that includes some of the most notable titles to be on television, including drama series Succession®, Watchmen®, Westworld®, Big Little Lies®, Game of Thrones®, The Sopranos®, Band of Brothers® and The Wire®, as well as comedy series Barry®, Insecure® and Sex and the City®. In the United States, HBO® and sister network Cinemax® are available across multiple platforms including HBO On Demand®, Cinemax On Demand®, HBO GO® and MAX GO®, as well as HBO NOW®. Internationally, HBO branded services, including television networks and the standalone streaming product HBO GO®, are available in more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. HBO and Cinemax programming is also sold into more than 150 countries worldwide.

 

Contacts:

VERB. | Orlando Veras | orlando@pickaverb.com

HBO | Mellony Torres  | Mellony.Torres@hbo.com

PR DEPT | Chet Mehta | chet@pr-dept.com