“Let’s try to do good,” Ann Curry tweeted. “That’s what we can all do, in ways big and small.”
Curry is the host of a new crowdsourcing medical show, Chase for the Cure, trying to do good in a big way by helping solve undiagnosed or misdiagnosed medical mysteries. Along with expert advice from a panel of doctors, the show leverages its audience for input to drive a lot of the dialogue with the doctors.
Will Davies, a producer with B17 entertainment, was instrumental in bringing the show to life and connecting producers, hosts, and real doctors with real people and real problems, via social media. We sat down with Will on this episode of #Storyteller, to chat about how he got his start, how he approaches his role in production, and how Chasing the Cure came to life across TBS and TNT.
On why you need to evolve with technology:
I learned how to edit on a flatbed. By hand, taping film together. Then seeing eventually, how these digital editing platforms were coming up and moving through the pipeline. That was for me, when I said, ‘hey, a lot of these analog technologies are dying.’ Especially in the tech game, you’ve got to stay on your toes and figure out where things are moving and why because you will be left behind so quickly.
On using social media to connect patients with doctors:
The show was such an interesting concept. Seeing a connective line between so many different patients and the things that they needed. It was very interesting to see how quickly we could find connections through the social media platforms. It’s an important thing and I was very proud to be a part of the show, and God-willing, we get another chance to do it, and change more lives.
On why you can’t tell a producer ‘no’:
I’d say the one thing that hasn’t changed is telling a producer no. You never can. So, it’s always that song and dance of how, can we compromise. How can we make this work?
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