Digital Security for Life Science Creatives: How We Lost a 30K Audience Overnight

Building a professional audience from the ground up isn’t easy... especially in the life sciences and healthcare space. It takes consistent effort, high-quality scientific content, and a whole lot of figuring things out as you go.

This pretty much sums up how it felt watching our Facebook page get hijacked in real time... a rough reminder of how vulnerable digital security can be... even for life science creatives.

Over several years, I helped grow SingleCell Animation's Facebook following to over 30,000 people... a healthy mix of professionals in biotech and healthcare marketing field... along with like minded creatives who connected with our science driven animation work.

and then... it was gone!!!

We were hacked... locked out... and left watching inappropriate, off brand content being posted to our company page... content we couldn't remove, stop, or even report from the inside.

Friends and peers kindly reached out to let us know what they were seeing... which honestly made the whole thing even more surreal. The audience we’d worked so hard to build... including clients, collaborators, and respected colleagues... was watching our brand get misrepresented in real time.

It was frustrating... embarrassing... and honestly, kind of heartbreaking.

Because when you’re a small creative studio, an audience like that means a lot. It’s not just a number... it’s real people who’ve followed your work, shared your content, and believed in what you’re building. Some are biotech founders we’ve had the chance to collaborate with... others are healthcare marketers who appreciate the artistry that help build the stories... and many are fellow creatives and supporters who’ve been quietly cheering us on from the sidelines.

This experience was a tough but necessary reminder of how important digital security for life science creatives really is. When your audience includes industry professionals, your online presence is part of your reputation.

We’re rebuilding our page... slowly... and this time, with better systems in place.

If you’ve been through something like this, you’re not alone. And if you haven’t... take this as a friendly nudge to secure your accounts... use strong passwords... enable 2FA... and don’t wait until it’s too late.

To everyone who continues to support us across platforms... from clients to colleagues to fellow creatives in the healthcare and life science space... thank you!!!

We’re still here... and we’re getting back to it.