TryLife

TryLife operates as a purpose-driven production and distribution company specializing in interactive digital films. The concept originated in 2008 with Paul Irwin, a former youth worker, who began experimenting with interactive storytelling to help young people understand the consequences of their decisions. Officially established in 2011 by Paul Irwin and Nicky Kaur, the company modernizes the choice-based adventure book format for a digital audience. Irwin's personal history, including his time in care as a teen and subsequent career in youth work, directly informs the company's mission to engage and educate disadvantaged youth.

The core of TryLife's business is producing interactive drama series where viewers make decisions for the main characters at critical points in the narrative, leading to various outcomes based on real-world statistics. This model allows users, primarily aged 16-24, to explore sensitive topics such as drug use, violence, mental health, and sexual exploitation in a safe, virtual environment. The narratives are intentionally crafted with regional dialects and slang to ensure authenticity and relatability for their target audience. Beyond the interactive films, the company develops educational materials for schools that align with the PSHE national curriculum and offers workshops. Revenue streams are not explicitly detailed, but the business model involves co-production of films, development of educational packages, and leveraging a substantial social media presence for content distribution. In 2012, the company secured £145,000 in seed funding from Northstar Ventures to facilitate content research, website development, and production.

TryLife's platform functions as an 'invisible learning' tool, providing a medium for critical thinking and reflection without being preachy. Each film series, or episode, tackles specific social issues, with storylines branching into numerous possible routes and endings based on user choices. For example, topics have included knife crime, mental health and suicide, and child sexual exploitation. At the end of each storyline, users are signposted to relevant support services and organizations for more information on the issues they encountered. The company has gained significant traction, amassing millions of followers on social media platforms and reaching a vast international audience organically. This reach is a key asset, demonstrating a strong capability for audience engagement at scale.

Keywords: interactive film, social impact entertainment, youth engagement, digital storytelling, educational technology, consequence-based narrative, at-risk youth services, social issue media, branching narrative video, digital youth work, online drama series, PSHE resources, life skills education, interactive learning, purpose-driven media, transmedia storytelling, community co-production, edutainment, social enterprise, mental health awareness