AXA Puts Top Comics in Group Therapy Doc

Gary Gulman, Tig Notaro, Mike Birbiglia and others share their mental-health struggles

“There is never a better time to be mentally ill,” quips comedian Gary Gulman in the newly-released documentary Group Therapy. While there’s scope for laughter, what he says is no joke. 

The 90-minute film or “doc-therapy,” is co-produced by health insurer AXA and Kevin Hart’s production company Hartbeat, in collaboration with WPP’s GroupM Motion, Wavemaker and VML. 

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Group Therapy features six of today’s leading stand-up comedians: Tig Notaro, Nicole Byer, Mike Birbiglia, London Hughes, Atsuko Okatsuka and Gulman. Neil Patrick Harris guides them through a therapy session in front of a live audience. Each shares deeply personal struggles. Birbiglia discusses his battle with sleep disorders and anxiety, while Byer reflects on body image and societal expectations.

The project draws from AXA’s “Mind Health Report.” That survey suggests that nearly one-third of the global population struggles with mental-health issues.

“The global mind health situation is more alarming than ever,” says Dimitri Guerassimov, CCO of VML France. “In our post-Covid world, mental health struggles have become systemic.”

AXA seeks to establish itself as a major player in the mental-health category. This film represents a big part of that strategy.

“It is possibly for the first time in the history of our industry that a brand creates a campaign replacing the classic TVC/online video with a pure entertainment, 90-minutes piece. And that piece is integrated into the brand’s comms and media plan, as well as their social/digital ecosystem,” Guerassimov says.

Another key objective is to encourage people to share their own struggles, as these six comedians do, setting the example under the glare of the camera.

Group Therapy is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.