Summary:
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Commuters in NYC will see affirming messages from top creators on transit screens this May.
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Creators 4 Mental Health partners with OUTFRONT Media for Mental Health Awareness Month campaign in NYC transit system.
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Creators like Doctor Mike and Vivian Tu emphasize the importance of mental health awareness in real-world environments.
Commuters in New York City will see something different on their morning rides this May. Messages of affirmation and encouragement from some of the internet’s most-followed creators are taking over transit screens across the city, part of a new partnership between OUTFRONT Media and Creators 4 Mental Health timed to Mental Health Awareness Month.
The campaign features five creators whose combined reach tops 40 million followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Vivian Tu, Doctor Mike Varshavski, Nimay Ndolo, Frankie Grande, and Shira Lazar are lending their voices to a series called Moments by OUTFRONT, which will run on Liveboards, Urban Panel, and Livecard MAX formats throughout the NYC transit system.
It’s a notable shift in how creator influence shows up in public life. Rather than another scroll-stopping post or 60-second video, the messages will meet riders in shared physical space, on a transit system that averages more than 4 million trips per day.
Creators 4 Mental Health, founded by Emmy-nominated host and What’s Trending creator Shira Lazar, has positioned itself as a first-of-its-kind initiative built by creators for creators. The organization focuses on advocacy, research, and community support around mental well-being in the creator economy.
“This partnership between Creators 4 Mental Health and OUTFRONT is a powerful step forward in making mental health visible in our everyday environments,” Lazar said. “When messages like this show up in shared public spaces, it sends a clear signal that mental health matters to our communities, to our culture, and to the future we’re building together.”
For Doctor Mike, the family medicine physician with one of the largest health-focused followings on YouTube, the campaign is about closing a long-standing gap in how mental health is treated culturally.
“I’m honored to be a part of this campaign, and to shine a bright light on why mental health is as important as one’s physical health,” Varshavski said. “All of us can do more to educate folks on the resources available, while also destigmatizing the concept of someone asking for help in the first place.”
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Vivian Tu, the finance creator behind Your Rich BFF, framed the partnership through the lens of authenticity, something that’s become a defining currency for creators navigating audiences who can sniff out anything performative.
“Creators pride ourselves on authenticity, and there is nothing more authentic than saying, we all need to prioritize our mental health!” Tu said. “Conversations around overall well-being allow all of us to feel better connected and less alone. Mental health is wealth!”
The decision to take creator voices off-platform and into real-world environments speaks to a broader shift in how brands and organizations are thinking about reach. Social platforms remain dominant, but moments of pause, the kind that happen on a subway platform or during a commute, are increasingly seen as valuable cultural real estate.
“Purpose-led campaigns have the power to move people in meaningful ways but only when they show up where people are living their lives,” said Liz Rave, VP of Marketing at OUTFRONT. “By bringing trusted creator voices into IRL media, we’re extending conversations around mental health beyond the screen and into the real world, transforming everyday moments into opportunities for connection, reflection, and impact.”
The Moments by OUTFRONT series delivers daily content programming across transit systems in five major U.S. metropolitan cities, with messaging tailored to local audiences.
For more information on Creators 4 Mental Health, visit creators4mentalhealth.com.
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