Daddyhunt & Men’s Health Consortium Releasing Season 3 Of Acclaimed “Daddyhunt” Web-Series This October!

Daddyhunt and Men’s Health Consortium will release Daddyhunt: The Serial – Season 3 on October 24, 2018. The second season talked about the issue of PrEP. The upcoming season (taking place 3 months later), will build on that as well as emphasize STD testing and partner notification.

The first two seasons of the series have been very successful and garnering more than 5.7 million views since being launched in April 2017. The second season of Daddyhunt series won the “Top Shorts Online Film Festival” award and numerous others.

Check out the trailer!

Here’s the official synopsis:

DADDYHUNT: THE SERIAL – SEASON 3 continues the saga of two men who connect on the social network Daddyhunt. As Season 2 took on the issue of PrEP, Season 3 builds on that with an emphasis on STD testing and partner notification….3 months later.

The DADDY and BOY’s happy romance is tested when a past love brings to the surface some insecurities and doubts that have profound consequences on the couple.

Meanwhile, the BFF meets his romantic match in a self-depreciating dork, but things take a turn for the worse once his HIV status is discovered.

And the EX’s hopes of a reconciliation with the DADDY may be within reach, with a little help…

Two months later, all their lives converge and each needs to decide whether to let history hold them back or to take a second chance on love.

For those who might now know, responding to a surge in those who subscribe to the Daddy label, the Daddyhunt app and website has gone on to become one of the largest and fastest growing social networks for men in the search for “a more authentic approach” to meeting guys. Members of Daddyhunt “never need to lie about their age – or anything else – just to meet other men. Daddyhunt celebrates older men and their admirers.”

As for BHOC (Building Healthy Online Communities), it is a public-private partnership between dating sites and apps and HIV and STD prevention organizations including the National Coalition of STD Directors, NASTAD, the San Franciso AIDS Foundation, Project Inform, and AIDS United.

The origin of the partnership between BHOC (Building Healthy Online Communities) with Daddyhunt to address a number of important issues through the webseries is quite interesting.

“Many years ago a good friend of mine said, ‘You all in HIV and STD prevention and trying to do the hardest thing in the world – changing people’s behavior. We in injury prevention put banks in the curves of freeways to make sure no one gets hurt.’ I’ve taken it as my mission to find those banked curves for HIV and STD prevention – and dating and hook up sites are the perfect place,” said Dan Wohlfeiler, Director and Co-Founder of BHOC.

To find ways to support the user’s health, Wohlfeiler had been talking to many app owners. One such example is making profile options more specific than before. Years ago, most profiles on dating sites only had one box to check: “safe sex” – yes or no. However, due to advances made in prevention, many more options are available such as condoms, PrEP, reaching and maintaining an undetectable viral load. Now, many apps offer these options.

Other things BHOC has worked with app owners on include promoting regular HIV and STD testing through reminders, researching the most impactful strategies for users and which strategies apps will support.

Wohlfeiler had been in talks with Carl Sandler, CEO of Daddyhunt, about incorporating certain strategies. “He sent me the first season of Daddyhunt: The Serial, and I was hooked,” said Wohlfeiler. “It had incredibly talented actors, terrific production values and a really compelling script. We started talking about how we could do a second series with the storyline about some of the big issues gay men are facing when it comes to HIV… PrEP or condoms? Or both?”

Sandler shared, “I’d previously met Dan Wohlfeiler at an AIDS conference. After watching the first season of Daddyhunt: The Serial, Dan contacted me and asked if there was a way we could work together on Season 2 of the serial and maybe include a public health component to the storyline. I immediately thought that this was a great idea because we want to educate our users about condoms, PrEP, the importance of routine testing and other safe sex practices. By working together with BHOC, we have managed to reach not only Daddyhunt users but millions of viewers, entertaining and educating them about these important topics.”

According to Wohlfeiler, “It was a challenge to write it in such a way that it raised all the issues and gave enough information without turning into something that feels like a sex ed class. Though wouldn’t it be nice if sex ed did deal with condoms and PrEP? We wanted to get just enough information in there to raise the issues and make it clear that there are a lot of options – and that the important thing is to have a sexual health strategy. Since we had all these great actors in one place, we filmed five PSAs that had much more specific information. Some are about very specific issues. It’s safe to say that the one called ever-so-poetically, “Butt and Throat”, is the first one to tell viewers that they need to get checked for STDs whenever they might have been exposed. Other PSAs in the series aim at helping people make the choice that’s right for them about PrEP, condoms, and being undetectable.”

With the success of the first two seasons, fans were understandably waiting for a third outing.

“When BHOC and Daddyhunt started talking about doing a Season 3 of the Daddyhunt Serial, we realized immediately that we needed to reach more minorities to promote our safer sex practice message. We are seeing an attack on HIV-testing and fund cuts (thereof) in the Southern U.S. under the current administration,” explains Casey Crawford, Daddyhunt’s GM and Executive Producer. “As a gay black man, having been raised in the South, and working for Daddyhunt, I feel like I’m in a position to change that via our public-private partnerships with organizations such as BHOC. The stigma faced by men of color causes some to forgo testing and treatment, and we’re hoping to change that via the Serial and PSAs. Being HIV-positive isn’t a death sentence. Avoiding any type of HIV and STI testing or treatment is counterproductive. Get-tested. And if needed, get treatment.”

The team then decided to create the Season 3 with two goals. “The first was to have a much more diverse cast since HIV disproportionately affects African-American men. The second goal was to go deeper into other important issues that so many gay men face, such as what it means to have an undetectable viral load, and how to tell a partner that you may have inadvertently exposed them to an STD.”

A new set of PSAs were also filmed on the same and other themes. One of the PSAs deals with writing a profile in a manner which “helps you make informed decisions about your own health and the importance of keeping it friendly rather than the kind of “no femmes, no fats” language that so many people use.”

Due to STDs going up, many tend to point fingers at dating apps. Wohlfeiler states, “What this project has shown is that apps also are ready, willing, and dedicate resources to helping prevent new HIV and STD infections. It’s been the most gratifying part of my career – to build those partnerships that result in lasting change and also deliver important information to people in a way that they can hear it.”

Coming back to Daddyhunt: The Serial – Season 3, set to premiere on October 24, 2018, “We were thrilled to work with Daddyhunt again on season 3 of the series,” said Wohlfeiler. “This partnership enabled us to go viral with a message about how our community confronts – and beats – viruses.”

“We continue to be blown away by the reaction to the series,” said Crawford. “It proves there remains a deep desire for stories about gay men that are true to real life. And we were excited to work with BHOC to weave in topics that remain relevant to gay men today including the importance of routine testing, partner notification, and fighting stigma online.”

I am all for enjoyable queer content which also tackles important issues. So, mark your calendars for October 24, 2018, and let’s see what the third season of Daddyhunt: The Serial has in store for viewers.

Make sure to head on to Daddyhunt’s official Facebook page and YouTube Channel.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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