iD is Carphone Warehouse’s 4G mobile network. The challenger brand has been making a very big impact in the UK with its CHI&Partners content series, Do Your Own Thing, that explores the lives of individuals who have regained control over their own lives in fascinating ways.

The campaign has attracted more than 19 million views since it launched on Facebook this April, with Fletcher Street Riding Club – a series about a community group in one of Philadelphia’s roughest neighbourhoods who take to the streets on horseback, rejecting a life of crime.

The four-part series on female, Muslim rap duo, Poetic Pilgrimage, came second. Circus, featuring Gary Stocker, a man who gave up the mundane nine-to-five to join the circus and become a human cannonball, was third.

Three-part series, Blind Fighter, that features blind mixed martial arts fighter Lee Hoy, is fourth. It’s a story about mastering fear and self-doubt.

Lee Hoy is a 28-year-old man in South Shields who has used mixed martial arts training to turn around his battle with blindness.

Hoy was born with congenital toxoplasmosis gondii – a parasite which damaged his retinas in the womb, meaning he was registered blind from birth. In the documentary, he explains how he grew up battling incomprehension about why he was different, and subsequently struggled with low confidence and anxiety into his adulthood, before waking up one day and deciding to take up mixed martial arts as a way of turning his life around.

The series, created by Carl Storey at CHI&Partners, and directed by Ben Hanson and Simon Frost through CHI&Partners’ in-house production company, Carbon, navigates Hoy’s story in his own words.

His narrative is set against a backdrop of scenes in which he trains and fights – using blurred-light and silhouette techniques to reflect Hoy’s impaired vision of the scene.

Micky Tudor, creative partner at CHI&Partners, commented, “We wanted to capture the reality of life for Lee, and emphasise the struggles he goes through, which is why we’ve used techniques like blurring the picture and keeping the viewer in semi-darkness. An undercurrent of controlled energy runs throughout the series, spotlighting the strength and pride Lee has built up by facing his fears and learning to excel in this empowering sport. We hope it’s shivers-down-your-back stuff, and that it inspires people to go out there and do their own thing, too.”

Mark Bowles, head of marketing at iD Mobile, added, “Lee’s story is an incredibly moving, compelling narrative about what it means to turn negatives into positives and be the master of one’s own life. It powerfully captures the spirit of individuality and control that we wanted to celebrate throughout this campaign, Do Your Own Thing. We hope it resonates with audiences young and old who want to feel empowered and inspired to celebrate their individuality, rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach to life.”

Credits:

Agency: CHI&Partners

Creative partner: Micky Tudor

Creative directors: Dan Watts & Danny Hunt

Creative: Carl Storey

Planner: Matt Nixon

Producer: Adam Henderson

Business director: Sam Lewis

Account director: Eliza Sloss

Production company: Carbon

Producer: Nazneen Hosenie

Production assistant: Tom Katter

Directors:  Simon Frost & Ben Hanson

Editing: Carbon

Colourist: Simon Pearson

Animation: Thomas Brady, Kerry Akif & Riaz Farooq

DoP: Phil Thomas, Praxima

Audio: Scramble

Senior sound designer: Ollie Usher

Sound designer: Russell Bradley

Media agency: Blue 449

Media planners: Charlotte Clayton & Emma Putnam

Social content agency: AllTogetherNow

Social content planner: James Chanter

Social content account manager: Ella Clay