Objectives

HBO partnered with GLOW to evangelize the first & second season of HBO's High Maintenance, a hip and clever dramedy about a Brooklyn-based weed dealer and his eclectic clientele. The content had to appeal to the cult series' existing fans while attracting a new generation of viewers and HBO subscribers.

Strategy and Execution

To both retain the series' existing fans and create new ones, HBO worked with GLOW to create a suite of content that presented High Maintenance for what it was: an honest, insightful, and at times hilarious show about real people in Brooklyn who lead wildly different lives but all have one thing in common: their weed dealer (affectionately known as "The Guy").

For Seasons 1 & 2, in lieu of the typical psychedelic colors common to shows about drugs, HBO and GLOW crafted a look & feel that used subtle, hypnotic blurs and color-splits to create a tastefully stoned effect that enhanced –not diluted – the show's spot-on storytelling.

Content included:

• .gifs and quote cards that used this custom "tastefully-stoned" effect, unique to High Maintenance's social content

• A episodic series of animations that highlighted important characters and showed their locations in Brooklyn

• An animated "referral map" that showed The Guy's network of clients and their connections to him and each other.

Results

HBO and GLOW's premium content for Season 1 and 2 of High Maintenance heralded the series as an noteworthy addition to HBO, helping to draw new viewers and secure existing fans.

Media