Sony Pictures’ film “I Know What You Did Last Summer” partnered with Bachelor in Paradise for an eye-catching and suspenseful in-show integration, streaming, and social program. We worked closely to integrate the film’s thematic and iconic storyline into show content via a pre-produced dream package and a sponsored cast challenge. Jesse Palmer, Wells Adams, and the “Fisherman” (film talent) participated within the pre-produced package.
We brought the project to life by grounding every element of the integration in the film’s core theme: the tension between secrets and relationships, and the chaos that follows when those secrets are exposed. Our plan of action was to move beyond a traditional brand placement and instead implement the film’s core theme directly into Bachelor in Paradise through a show stopping integration. This custom integration opened with Jesse Palmer being “haunted” with an I Know What You Did Last Summer–inspired warning written on his bathroom mirror, setting an ominous tone that immediately signaled a genre shift. This escalated into a suspense-driven sequence where Jesse is chased by the iconic “Fisherman,” concluding in a shocking reveal that Wells was behind the mask, mirroring the film’s twist that the true antagonist is someone familiar, and blurring the line between show talent and story villain in a way that felt organic to Paradise and aligned with the film.
From there, the integration transitioned into an “I Know What You Did” Challenge, where contestants wrote down their juiciest secrets and dropped them into a box, as the cast voted on the most shocking reveal. The incentive for the winner was tempting: a date in the presidential suite and exclusive access to everyone’s secrets. One of our key challenges was organically integrating the film’s thriller-inspired moments into an unscripted format. We overcame this by collaborating closely with show producers to ensure the suspense felt playful rather than disruptive, and that contestants dynamics remained intact.
To amplify the integration beyond the episode, we extended the story across platforms with coordinated episode highlights and behind-the-scenes content distributed across Bachelor in Paradise Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (seven total posts), complemented by bonus tune-in assets shared by Jesse Palmer and film talent Jennifer Love Hewitt, a well-known Bachelor superfan. The partnership was further reinforced through a brand spot running within Sony’s Midroll Sponsorship package inventory. What made this work unique was its fully integrated approach, that shaped the show’s narrative and influenced the emotional arc of Paradise itself.
