Providing a glimpse into the homes and routines of New Yorkers, the comedy series High Maintenance explores private lives of these unique individuals through a common thread: their weed delivery man. Ben Sinclair stars as The Guy, whose client base includes a group of characters with neuroses as diverse as the city. Created and written by Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld, Season 4 continues to follow “The Guy”, a nameless Brooklyn-based pot dealer, who is now accompanied by his newly found dog “FOMO” as he delivers weed to his diverse client base. To promote the season four premiere of the hit comedy series, High Maintenance, we developed and produced a highly inventive marketing initiative aimed at giving back to the show’s setting of Brooklyn, New York.

To celebrate the local Brooklyn community as well as the premiere of High Maintenance, our two-part activation timed to Spring 2020 provided the show with local buzz and excitement surrounding the premiere of Season 4:

Part 1. Season Four Screening, February 2020

Hosted at Mission Chinese in Bushwick, we transformed the space into an unexpected psychedelic greenhouse filled with clever and quirky pot-inspired activities and decor scattered throughout — from a make-your-own bong bar and “munchies” inspired food to colorful bong planters and "growhouse" installations.

Part 2. Powers Street Garden Refurbishment, Spring 2020

Together with GrowNYC and its sister organization, GreenThumb, we worked closely to redesign the garden, build new flower beds, create a new entry path making the garden accessible to all, and also added new benches and picnic tables to make the space comfortable and welcoming.

Appealing to the show’s target audience of engaged, “Indielectuals,” and lovers of New York City, our marketing efforts were twofold-- create buzz and press for the show through our unexpected screening experience and also drive awareness and goodwill towards our efforts in refurbishing the Powers Street Garden in Brooklyn. Event attendees included press, friends of the show, representatives from both GrowNYC and GreenThumb, and the cast and crew of High Maintenance.

Designed with community and sustainability in mind, all activations, decorative elements and takeaways were produced and manufactured out of sustainable or reusable materials. Plants used in the event décor were given to guests at the end of the night and were also donated to the new park and members of the community steering committee.

First, to celebrate the show, We skipped the traditional screening setup, as guests were invited to join us for dinner and cocktails as we screened the first two episodes from several projection points distributed throughout the venue — a 360-degree ‘sports bar’ viewing experience. A giant topiary dog replaced the usual photobooth bringing "FOMO" — season four’s four legged character — to life, while a garden vignette revealed to guests HBO’s plan to permanently renovate and refurbish a local community garden located at Powers Street Brooklyn opening in Spring 2020.

Originally imagined as a day of service for attendees from the screening timed to Earth Day 2020, our plans for the community garden were delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Nevertheless, we began our renovation and in the Spring of 2020, the Powers Street Garden reopened to the public, providing a much needed respite for local residents.

Improvements made to the Powers Street Garden:

-Achieved ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliancy by removing concrete pathways

-Added 16 new flower beds that are tended to community members

-Planted over 600 new plants such as ornamental perennials, vegetables, shade plants

-Built new fixtures including 4 benches, 1 pergola, 2 picnic tables and rain harvesting systems

Sentiments shared from Community Members:

“There are so many things I love about the garden, but my favorite part is the opportunity it has created for me to build friendships with my neighbors.” - Daniel H.

“One of the most important upgrades made to the garden is having a place that is safe for our elderly members.” - Jackie A.

“The garden has both a calming and uplifting effect on the local community.” - Nisma