DSC_0715Toronto blogger Zach Bussey has been sleeping on the floor of his empty apartment since January 1, 2013 as part of an unusual social experiment he dreamed up.

For one year, Zach is living off of social media sponsorships. He can’t use his own money for food, transportation or entertainment — every activity must be sponsored by marketers, brands and advertisers.

Zach chronicles his day-to-day experiences through his site, “asponsoredlife.com.”

After months of sleeping in an empty apartment (he prepaid his rent for the year), Zach was offered a unique opportunity.

He was given the keys to penthouse two of Empire CommunitiesBeyond the Sea Condos for five days.

We visited Zach on his fourth day at the west Toronto waterfront residence to find out how he’s been spending his time in the beautiful suite and what adventures are up next in his experiment.

The penthouse was spacious, with modern furnishings and an amazing view — a significant change in atmosphere for someone whose been spending his nights in a sleeping bag for most of the year.

During his time at Beyond the Sea, Zach has been able to enjoy the amenities, such as the pool, fitness centre, screening room and outdoor patio.

When he kicked off the yearlong experiment, he was determined to have some social good come out of it — whether it was sponsoring children though Plan Canada or donating any leftover products he was given to charities like Toy Mountain, the Daily Bread Food Bank and the Red Door Shelter.

Doing more to help the less fortunate is what Zach plans on doing for the last quarter of his experiment, and he does have a few cool ideas up his sleeve. But for now he is spending one last comfy night at Beyond the Sea before heading home to his east end apartment.

Check out some of the photos we took while visiting Zach…

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Zach enjoys working from this cozy den in the suite.

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We loved the decor and the floor-to-ceiling windows.

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Zach has used the kitchen numerous times to warm up meals he got from local restaurants, and leftovers from a blogger party he held at Beyond the Sea.

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The large state-of-the-art pool Zach has been able to enjoy.

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Zach and his Dad watched Saving Private Ryan on the massive viewing screen.

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It may have been a stormy day, but the outdoor patio still looks great.

To learn more about Zach and his work visit his website here. Full disclose: Zach also hosts a podcast at BuzzBuzzHome HQ in Toronto. Learn more about it here.

For more information on Beyond the Sea call 416 979 1333.

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