What It's Like Project - No Stigma Film Fest

JANUARY 8, 2022 6:30-9:00PM Rec Room Arts 100 Jackson Street Houston TX, 77002

A COLLECTION OF MENTAL HEALTH SHORT FILMS

MISSION STATEMENT What it’s Like Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to removing the stigma of mental health disorders through the arts, education and community engagement.

VALUES & PRINCIPLES Awareness,

activism,

empowerment,

healing,

unification

and

creativity.

People

find value through self-expression and expressive arts. The invisible and unspoken can be communicated through various forms of self-expression. As a result, a link can be created between the observer and the artist. Our unification and artistic understanding help connect individuals who live with mental health disorders to the overall community.

ORIGIN OF THE PROJECT In early 2016, Nikki Hune attempted suicide. After the attempt, she sought mental health the

treatment.

choice

artist

and

artistic

to

With

fully

little

engage

musician,

expression.

she

relief with

also

After

from

intrusive

these

began

thoughts

seeking

experiencing

a

thoughts rather

abstract

novel

of

than

suicide, avoid

freedom

form

of

she

them.

through

relief

from

made As

her

an

own

suicidal

thoughts, she began encouraging artistic expression for those with suffering with their mental health in the local Houston, TX community.

Nikki further sought to create an avenue by engaging society in the experience of “what

it’s

attempt; Baker

like”

and,

and

to

to

experience

have

Andrew

lost

a

suicidal

loved

Robinson

one

who

ideation; to

had

to

have

survived

suicide.

She

teamed

similar

experiences

up to

a

suicide

with

Cailey

begin

the

groundwork. In addition to Cailey and Andrew, she recruited Jeff Thompson, Misty Cooper, Jackie Hune, and Edward Odom to comprise the founding team of the What

it’s

Like

Project.

EXPOSIS

and

VOXIS,

After Justin

the

overwhelming

Anderson,

Jose

success

Cortes,

Workman, Ben Irwin and Ava Bates joined the team.

WEBSITE DONATE

www.whatitslikeproject.org http://www.whatitslikeproject.org/donate

of

the

Jennifer

first

Van

two

events,

Antwerp,

Dan

Rec Room Arts the

performing

founding events

endeavors to energize a new generation of audiences for arts.

This

has

in

2016,

and

and

other

creative

been

remains

true

the

fundamental

after

gatherings.

more

We

charge

than

produce

150

since

our

productions,

powerful

theatre

Houston deserves. Entering our fifth year, many things remain consistent about

Rec

Room.

Our

productions

remain

of

the

highest

quality

and

feature the most creative, artistic, and technical talents in Houston. The space is still intimate, wholly unique, and fully accessible. Our goal is to make theatre a shared pastime in our city — to turn Houstonians on to live performance, to get them out of their houses and off their devices, and into our modest, eclectic space. We aspire for our city to be a national, tenacious

hub

for

theatre,

filled

with

innovators,

risk-takers,

and

big

on

the

hearts.

Our Space We

occupy

an

intimate

60-seat

theatre

in

Downtown

Houston

corner of Jackson and Franklin. Our theatre is a physically intimate space that houses big imaginations. We thrive within our spacial limitations to bring

audiences

Houston.

Our

one

stage

of

the

allows

most

creative

everyone

to

theatrical feel

connected

performances. We also have a bar adjacent to the theatre.

100 Jackson Street Houston, TX 77002 713-344-1291 info@recroomhtx.com recroomarts.org

experiences to

in the

EVENT SPONSORS LEVEL I ETHOS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH GROUP

HOFFMAN INSURANCE GROUP ONE MIND

LEVEL II ARTISTS & MUSICIANS IN RECOVERY EL MESON HOUSTON THERAPY

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Mission Statement To provide an integrated continuum of clinical care to serve individuals and their families in achieving healing, and long-term wellness, from the devastating effects of addiction and mental health issues.

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accelerates collaborative research and advocacy to enable all facing

brain

health

challenges

to

build

healthy,

productive

lives.

One Mind is a leading mental health non-profit that heals lives through brain research, working from science to services to society. By bringing together collective

the

best

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in

brain

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advancing a three-pronged program strategy of accelerating discoveries, scaling

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info@onemind.org www.onemind.org

In

2017

Betty

Ewing-Dicken,

advocate

for

group

passionate

of

recovery

recovery,

community

tireless

gathered

people to

a

in

share

a

small

the

her

Dallas

long-time

vision for this event. The Signature committee succeeded with

in

over

celebrants

putting 450

at

together

artists,

Signature

on

a

huge

party

volunteers

and

May

4th,

2018

in

Dallas, Texas. In 2018 Artists and Musicians in Recovery, a 501 (c) (3) private foundation, was Email:

established

to

present

the

annual

Signature

betty@artsrecovery.org Website: https://artsrecovery.org

event, events

and

other

throughout

related the

artists

year.

At

recovery

this

time

all

events are held in the Dallas area. A portion of

the

Signature

proceeds

benefit

a

few

designated recovery related organizations.

El

Meson

signature

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four

decades at their location in the Rice Village shopping

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influences,

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NAMI Greater Houston is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization established in

1988

with

by

a

group

difficult,

yet

of

dedicated

treatable,

and

caring

mental

family

illnesses.

In

members

of

those

founding

NAMI

living

Greater

Houston, these family members sought to establish a grassroots organization that would address the increasing need for families and persons affected by mental illness to have a powerful voice in the mental health community.

9401 Southwest Freeway - Suite 1234 Houston, TX 77074 Phone: (713) 970-4419 Email: info@namigreaterhouston.org Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm

https://www.namigreaterhouston.org

NAMI Illness

Lubbock which

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the

Lubbock

provides

support,

Affiliate

of

the

education,

National

and

Alliance

advocacy

for

on

people

with a mental illness and their family and friends.

(806)-783-9268

namilubbock@gmail.com

https://namitexas.org/nami-lubbock/

You can also text NAMI to 741-741.

Connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free 24/7 crisis support via text message through NAMI Texas.

Mental living

In

December

Recovery

The

Communities

organization with

2015,

named,

Empowerment

Center

(CCRC)

Collegiate

established

Providing

and

for

the

Resources,

a

Outside also

new World

known

as

POWER. A CCRC Staff Member, Anna Trevino, is the advisor

for

the

POWER

consists

of

Texas

Tech

student

University

organization students,

that

members

of the Collegiate Recovery Community and members For more information,

of the Lubbock Community.

please contact Anna Trevino at alee.trevino@ttu.edu or (806)-834-7793

https://www.depts.ttu.edu /hs/csa/power.php

POWER's

mission

is

to

provide

a

foundation

and

a

voice for underrepresented individuals in recovery by delivering

positive

end

results

through

opportunities

for success. The vision for POWER is to instill hope for a promising future.

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Treatment Approach Ever since The Menninger Clinic was founded in 1925, we’ve been at the forefront of mental health treatment. With decades of experience, we know what works for people with complex, serious mental illness.

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involves

multi-layered

Each

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their

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counselors, if

needed

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lens

– of

education, training and experience. One critical difference between Menninger and many psychiatric or behavioral health facilities is our commitment to longer-term care. Here, inpatients often stay upwards of 40 days – a significant investment that reaps life dividends.

Outpatient Treatment We offer a thriving outpatient service replete with outpatient therapy for

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adults

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children

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adolescents;

medication

management; group therapy for adults, young adults and adolescents; psychological testing, addictions treatment and more. We also offer a comprehensive children stepdown

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outpatient adolescents

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in

assessment for two

a

for

adults,

definitive

community

young

diagnosis integration

Pathfinder Menninger 360, and The Gathering Place.

adults as

well

and as

programs,

ARTISTS

ERIK PARKER

LILA RATZLAFF

PULLERWITHIN

May 23, 1983 - December 7, 2019 Everyone that ever met Erik was immediately drawn to his infectious smile, kind heart, and sense of humor. He never met

a

stranger.

grandson,

He

nephew,

was

cousin

always

a

and

friend

a

very

loving to

son,

countless

many. If you were fortunate to know Erik, you also knew that he also struggled with addiction. He fought a hard battle over the years and had many long successes and several relapses. During his recovery, he mentored many

Erik Brandon Parker May 23, 1983 - December 7, 2019

Artist

other

addicts

and

always

showed

compassion

to

everyone. If he saw a person that was hungry, he would spend his last dollar to buy them food.

From the time he was a child, he was very artistic. Once his

addiction

years,

even

took

when

over, he

the

had

art

long

disappeared. periods

of

Over

the

sobriety,

he

wouldn’t draw or paint. However, in the last 10 months of his earthly life, Erik was not only clean and enjoying life, he

had

started

document

his

painting journey

again with

and

was

addiction

using and

his

art

aid

in

to his

recovery, as well as helping others. He created all of his art over a period of about 6 months.

In the wee morning hours of December 7, 2019 at the age of 36, Erik relapsed for the last time and lost his battle with

addiction.

hearts

hurt

and

others

that

are

We we

know miss

struggling

he’s him to

now

at

dearly. pull

peace, Erik

strength

but

would from

our

want

him

to

help in their recovery. The family believes that others that are fighting addiction might be touched by his art and it can be an inspiration in their journey.

Lila is a sixteen-year-old high school kid who lives in Austin, TX. Her drawings are one of her primary ways of

expressing

her

emotions,

as

well

as

her

perceptions of certain people or situations. She has a tendency to see certain things that she is feeling as an image in her head, which in her own words, is why

her

drawings

"look

so

damn

weird

and

disturbing." Lila was close with her cousin Erik (May 23,

1983

-

December

7,

2019).

Her

aunt

(Beverly

Ratzlaff) and uncle (George Rios) also participated

Lila Ratzlaff Artist

in NØ STIGMA Film Fest, expressing their relationship with Erik and addiction.

Lila expresses how she process her emotions through art and music: "I couldn’t tell you in detail what I’m feeling because it’s nearly impossible for me, given that I’ve never been good with words when I speak, but

if

you

were

to

ask

me

to

describe

what

I

see

when I feel, I could give you the shapes and colors, as well as how I perceive that feeling with my other senses,

such

as

it’s

texture,

the

taste

of

it

in

my

mouth, the smell of it up to my nose, or the sound it beats

my

ears

with.

Other

ways

I

will

express

my

emotions and perceptions are in writing and music. I preferred personal

not

to

reasons,

share but

it

any is

of

also

my

one

of

writings my

for

biggest

ways of self expression, especially when it comes to lyrics. I hope you enjoy my pieces!"

pullerwithin 22 in. x 30 in. $450 on wood

22 in. x 22 in. $450 on wood

PLEASE 15 in. x 15 in. $250 on wood

CONTACT WHAT IT'S LIKE PROJECT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING A PAINTING

INSTAGRAM @pullerwithin

PART I INTRODUCTION AVA BATES

ORIGIN OF NONPROFIT & PERSONAL STATEMENT NIKKI HUNE

RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE ROBERT HILLIKER

POWER POWER, TEXAS TECH UNIVERITY

ACUTE SUICIDE RISK PROTECTION USING WEARABLES THE MENNINGER CLINIC

MERCY / INTERVIEW PHEONIX ALEXANDER

THE MANIC MONOLOGUES THE MCCARTER THEATRE CENTER ONE MIND

DR. TOM SPEAKS ON MENTAL HEALTH DR. TOM KIMBALL

INSIDE BREAKTHROUGH RESEARCH: STIMULATING THE BRAIN FOR MENTAL HEALTH ALPHEUS MEDIA: MAT AND BETH HAMES ONE MIND

UNFINISHED JESSICA VICKERS

BOB HOWELL SPEAKS ON TRAUMA BOB HOWELL

UNSEEN MICHAEL LAWRENCE-TAYLOR

OVERCOMING MY DISABILITY: IN THE LIMELIGHT NICHOLAS RANDALL

PSYCH NAH, I AM NOT MY MENTAL ILLNESS DIANDRA MARIE

PART II BRAND NEW DAY (FOR ERIK) GEORGE RIOS

THE ART AND PAIN OF ERIK PARKER BEVERLY RATZLAFF, RSX STUDIOS FILM

HOME SWEET HOME MICHAEL LAWRENCE-TAYLOR

REACHING THE LIGHT ALPHEUS MEDIA: MAT AND BETH HAMES ONE MIND

THE WAY OUT / INTERVIEW JOHN THOMASSON II

LOOKING BRIGHTER, SURVIVING PSYCHOSIS ALPHEUS MEDIA: MAT AND BETH HAMES ONEMIND

PLAN FOR A HURRIANCE: CREATIVE COPING NIKKI HUNE

Ava Bates is the president of The What It’s Like Project. She is currently studying at St. Edwards University to become a theatre teacher.

She

Troupe,

is

which

also

is

a

pursuing group

her

of

business,

artists

The

dedicated

Movement to

raising

awareness for social issues through art.

Ava Bates President, What it's Like Project "Introduction"

Nikki is a doctoral candidate in the ADRS PhD program at Texas Tech

University

in

Lubbock,

TX.

She

was

the

NAMI

Lubbock

Affiliate Leader for 2 years, in which she currently still serves on the

NAMI

Lubbock

Leadership support

Leadership

Committee,

groups.

Nikki

Committee,

and

facilitates

has

also

been

NAMI

NAMI

Texas

Peer

Connection

peer

working

PRN

at

the

Menninger Clinic Pathfinder program in Houston, TX since 2019.

She received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 and her Bachelor's in Social Work from the University of Houston-Downtown in 2013. Nikki founded What it’s Like Project in reaction to her personal experience living with a serious

mental

health

condition.

To

support

her

own

recovery,

Nikki Hune

she regularly incorporates visual arts, music and writing into her

Founder, What it's Like Project

life.

"Origin of Nonprofit and Personal

and advocacy serve as protective factors in overall wellbeing.

Statement"

She

believes

fusing

the

arts

with

mental

health

recovery

Robert

is

driven

by

a

deep

passionate

about

the

treatment.

His

years

health

17

encompass

commitment

subject in

of

the

private

hope

field

to and

of

practice,

serve

others

despair

addiction

clinical

and

is

in

clinical

and

mental

supervision,

the

creation and management of clinical programming, and the cofounding Ethos

of

The

Lovett

Behavioral

educational valuable

Center

Health

and

in

Group

professional

experience.

He

2014

and

in

2018.

careers,

earned

his

its

parent

company

Throughout

Robert

Master’s

has

degree

his

gained from

the

University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work and his education includes a fellowship at the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies

Robert Hilliker Chief Clinical Officer and Cofounder, Ethos Behavioral Health Group "Recovery is Possible"

and

Menninger positions

a

Postgraduate

Clinic.

at

His

The

resume

Council

Social

Work

includes

long

Alcohol

and

on

Fellowship standing Drugs

at

The

leadership

Houston,

The

Menninger Clinic and The Daring Way LLC, where he worked with Dr.

Brené

Brown

and

served

as

the

Chief

Clinical

Officer.

Currently, Robert serves as Ethos Behavioral Health Group’s Chief Clinical Officer and is a doctoral candidate at the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago.

Robert’s career has been marked by meaningful recognitions. He earned a Menninger Clinic Pillar Award for Integrity for his work in

the

Professionals

recognize

those

excellence, Business

who

In

Program,

exemplify

hope,

named

2019,

Crisis

best

teamwork,

Journal

Honoree.

in

University

of

a

honor

meant

Menninger’s

core

and

The

integrity

Robert

an

40

caring.

Under

Houston’s

40

Class

Graduate

to

values: Houston of

2018

College

of

Social Work honored him as a 50 for 50 Alumni for embodying the college’s wife,

social

Maria,

justice

and

their

vision.

Robert

daughters,

lives

Anna,

in

Houston

Carmela,

with

his

Mary

and

Empowerment

and

Emilia.

POWER

(Providing

Resources)

is

Collegiate

Recovery

Through Rosa,

the

and

experiences messages future.

POWER Heather Frazier, Eli Rosa, Bobby Huddleson, and Anna Trevino "POWER"

of

a

the

student

voices Anna as

Outside

World

organization

Communities

of

Heather

Trevino,

individuals

success,

as

at

they

under Texas

Frazier,

POWER in

with

Center

Tech

Bobby

share

delivering

hope

for

a

for

University.

Huddleson,

members

recovery, instill

the

Eli

their

positive

promising

The

Menninger

technology as psychiatry

Clinic

research

team

presents

wearable

a promising opportunity to improve inpatient

safety

and

outcomes,

especially

among

suicide

risk and prevention.

The Menninger Clinic "Acute Suicide Risk Protection Using Wearables"

27 years old Person in longterm addiction recovery From Amarillo, TX Pursuing

a

degree

in

Counseling

and

Addiction

Recovery

Sciences at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX

Pheonix Alexander "Mercy / Interview"

A

unique

collaboration

with

Princeton University Health Services, The 24 Hour Plays®, and Innovations in the

Socially

Distant

Lewis

Performance

Center

for

Originally

Created

Burton

Elisa

and

the

by

at

Arts.

Zachary

Hofmeister

Virtual

Experience Conceived and Directed

The McCarter Theatre Center

by Elena Araoz

"The Manic Monologues" https://www.mccarter.org/manicmonologues

Thomas G. Kimball, Ph.D., LMFT, is the George C. Miller Family Regents Professor at Texas Tech University and the Director of the Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities.

In addition

to his responsibilities at Texas Tech, Dr. Kimball serves as the Clinical Director of MAP Health Management.

Dr.

Kimball

has

received

numerous

teaching

courses on families, addiction, & recovery. of

several

and

peer

consulted

internationally.

Dr. Tom Kimball "Dr. Tom Kimball Speaks on Mental Health"

reviewed and

articles

presented

on

on

awards

for

his

He is the author

addiction recovery

and

recovery

related

issues

He is the co-author of the book, Six Essentials

to Achieve Lasting Recovery. Dr. Kimball has been married to Melissa for 31 years and has five children.

Beth

Hames

is

documentaries, videos,

and

an

award-winning

non-profit

commercials.

production

began

20

films, Her

animated

focus

years

producer

ago

on

of

explainer

documentary

with

a

sweeping

project aimed at capturing hundreds of cancer survivor stories

for

pioneer Later,

the

the

LIVESTRONG

genre

Beth

of

Foundation,

online,

produced

Last

helping

nonprofit Best

to

storytelling.

Hope,

State

of

Tomorrow, When I Rise, and A Fighting Chance all for PBS. In 2017, her latest PBS film aired. What Was Ours received prestigious CPB funding from ITVS Open Call and

Native

American

Public

Telecommunications.

Beth

produced ten films for RT Docs from 2016 through 2018.

Beth Hames

Each RT Doc is a standalone feature film that focuses

Producer

on various aspects of Internet culture such as gaming conventions and cosplay, screen addiction, and memes.

"Inside Breakthrough Research:

Beth’s recent projects include Thirst for Power shot in

Stimulating the Brain For Mental

France and the six-part series, Power Trip: The Story of

Health"; "Reaching the Light";

Energy.

"Looking Brighter, Surviving

partnership with Wyoming PBS.

She

is

currently

producing

Fossil

Country

in

Psychosis"

Mat

Hames

producer,

is

an

known

Emmy for

winning

his

two

director,

PBS

writer

and

Independent

Lens

documentaries What Was Ours (2017) and When I Rise (2010), and Thirst for Power (2019). Mat’s most recent project, a six-part science series for PBS called Power Trip: The Story of Energy, received coveted Rockefeller Foundation

and

Sloan

Foundation

funding.

Mat

traveled to six countries and interviewed 50 experts on topics airing

like

nationally

Season directing begin

Mat Hames Director, Writer, Producer

Stimulating the Brain For Mental Health"; "Reaching the Light" ; "Looking Brighter, Surviving Psychosis"

Two

airing at

history in

in

of

April

currently

Fossil

screened

Country the

of

2020

The

with

HotDocs,

2022. and

began

production

Mat

Wyoming

of

series

with

underway.

spring

SXSW,

energy.

is

PBS

Mat’s on

for

currently which films

will

have

SundanceTV.

When I Rise (2010) was nominated for an IDA Award in the

"Inside Breakthrough Research:

the

category

directed

of

Best

Fighting

Music

Documentary.

Goliath,narrated

and

Hames

co-

produced

by

Robert Redford, which aired nationally on SundanceTV and

PBS.

His

film

about

directorial

the

Belgian

debut

was

Last

Best

Hope,

Resistance

and

escape

a

lines

during WWII, for which he was knighted by Belgian King Albert II.

FILM 1: INSIDE BREAKTHROUGH RESEARCH: STIMULATING THE BRAIN FOR MENTAL HEALTH One Mind’s Rising Star Awards fund the world’s most promising neuropsychiatric researchers in order to

accelerate

lifesaving

discoveries.

Dr.

Greg

Fonzo,

a

2020

Rising

Star

Awardee,

is

working

to

improve treatments for those with affective disorders like bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic research

stress.

results

in

a

The

participants

viable,

in

non-invasive

his

trials

therapy

hope

that

that

could

the

knowledge

ultimately

gained

change

their

from

this

lives.

This

documentary short provides a glimpse into the promising technology that could provide the key to finding relief.

Filmmakers :

Mat and Beth Hames (Austin, TX)

FILM 2: REACHING THE LIGHT S i z z l e r e e l Filmmakers : M a t a n d

Beth Hames (Austin, TX)

FILM #3: LOOKING BRIGHTER, SURVIVING PSYCHOSIS Made possible by a grant from Neurocrine Biosciences, this documentary short highlights the lived experience of Chris Ferrari, who has dealt with not only psychosis, but the side effects of treatment for

psychosis.

Chris,

his

family,

and

his

trusted

mental

health

professionals

at

the

UC

Davis

Early

Psychosis Programs worked together to develop a recovery plan. Watch the full video to learn which

Filmmakers :

critical factors contributed to his inspiring journey.

Bachelor Sciences recovery Austin

Science

from as

to

Autism.

of

in

Texas

well

as

pursue

Mat and Beth Hames (Austin, TX)

Counseling Tech

and

Addiction

University.

addiction

recovery.

working

with

children

about

mental

health,

Passionate

In

Recovery

mental

Currently who

health living

battle

helping

in

with

victims

of

domestic and sexual abuse, the BIPOC population - majority women and allowing them to have a voice, and people with mental and intellectual disabilities.

Jessica Vickers "Unfinished"

Bob

Howell

EMDR

Trained,

specializes When

,

in

asked

M.Ed., is

a

the

about

LCDC,

CRT,

Clinical

well-established treatment this

of

project

clinical

trauma he

Hypnotherapist,

in

stated,

therapist

Lubbock, "I'm

not

talk about myself, I'm here to advocate for others."

Bob Howell "Bob Howell

Speaks on Trauma"

who

Texas.

here

to

Growing Taylor

up

first

in

Canberra,

got

a

Australia,

taste

for

Michael

visual

Lawrence-

storytelling

through

photography. But it wasn’t until he moved to Darwin in his 20s

where

he

fell

in

love

with

documentary

storytelling.

Through work, he traveled out to remote places across the Top End of Australia to film various projects. He was drawn to

exploring

themes

such

as

what

makes

us

who

we

are,

science, and the environment. Michael learned the craft of Documentary all

of

his

by

directing,

projects.

It

producing,

was

these

filming,

unique

and

editing

experiences

in

Northern Australia experience that drove him to do further study

completing

a

Masters

of

Screen

Arts

-

Documentary

at the Australian Film Television and Radio School. This time

Michael Lawrence-Taylor "Unseen" "Home Sweet Home"

allowed

Michael

to

work

with

other

creative

professionals

and began to start exploring who he was, to reveal that he has

told

himself

he

is

not

good

enough

all

his

life.

Today

Michael lives and works in Canberra, working as a freelance director,

shooter

themes

of

producer

mental

editor,

health

and

is

through

now

exploring

other

creative

documentary projects.

Film 1: UNSEEN Unseen is an intimate personal reflection of a mental health battle

Michael

has

been

struggling

for

years,

but

through

the sport he loves, he has learned how to cope with these feelings.

Growing

different. didn’t school

help

these

for

playing

bullying others

Playing

and

were

training

up

the

Canberra

little-known

feelings. the

started telling

ground

in

of

He

sport

to him.

the

tell

he

was

sport

on

Molonglo

He

the the

always

of

teased

loved.

himself

Alone

Michael

Canoe

and

bullied

mean

water,

River

Polo

internalised

same

felt

at

his

Canberra,

at

this

things home

Michael

reveals something he has been hiding from everyone, even his

family.

Through

Canoe

Polo

Michael

seeks

to

confront

his demons and believe in himself again.

Film 2: HOME SWEET HOME Home

sweet

home

is

a

hybrid

reenactment

documentary

that follows the story of Amanda who is a Nanny that arrives at a house to look after two newborns. As soon as the walks in

the

door

she

discovers

that

the

house

in

disarray.

The

parents are suffering from post-natal depression and barley coping. Amanda draws up on her own personal experiences to help ease the burden for the parents.

Nicholas A. Randall is a 25 year old student living with schizoaffective

disorder.

He

has

been

in

abstinence-

based recovery from mental health and substances since 2016 and is an active member of Cougars in Recovery at the University of Houston. He makes money professionally with

software

production

consulting

which

he

has

to

fuel

his

developed

passion

over

of

music

several

years.

He would like to stress that he is very fortunate to have a well-managed diagnosis.

Synopsis :

Nicholas

A.

Randall's

journey

living

with

depression and then schizoaffective disorder is depicted

Nicholas A. Randall

artfully.

His

accomplishments,

due

to

his

support

network, are highlighted at the end.

"Overcoming My Disability: In the Limelight"

As a "Creator of Limitless Visions", Diandra Marie is one to

watch.

As

a

New

Jersey-bred

videographer,

cinematographer,

mental

advocate,

health

entertainer,

content

Diandra

creator,

Marie

and

specializes

in

amplifying Black, queer, and transgender voices through a

variety

curating web

of

media.

In

experiences,

series,

addition

and

interviews,

to

producing

and

covering an

promos,

events,

assortment Diandra

of

Marie

completed two documentary short films in 2019: Strength Faith NOT

Courage: My

Conquering

Mental

Illness.

Lupus

Her

and

most

Psych

recent

Nah,

project,

I

Am Oh,

Black Woman, includes both a short film and an interview

Diandra Marie "Psych Nah, I'm NOT My Mental Illness"

series

highlighting

the

diversity

of

Black

women's

narratives. This array of poignant content has landed her features in the Lesbionyx blog, Newark International Film Festival, Film

Festival.

power yield

Mental

that this

Health

Diandra

comes

into

with

more

Film

Festival,

recognizes a

rising

and

the

platform

opportunities

for

Queen

City

privilege

and

and

Black

plans &

to

Queer

creatives to be represented & seen.

Synposis : struggled

Follow the stories of 4 Black adults who have with

their

mental

health.

From

their

lows

to

their highs, each person shares how they manage mental illness the best way they can.

George

Rios

is

best

known

for

his

work

as

a

guitarist/singer

songwriter. He has performed over the years with numerous bands.

He has a soulful voice and solid guitar and writes many of the songs he

performs.

well

as

He

singing

is

proficient

and

on

arranging

guitar,

in

a

dobro,

variety

of

and

harmonica

styles

as

representing

wide ranging interests and influences. He finger picks, he slides, he croons, and, yes, he even rocks! George offers solo performances, stripped

down,

gritty

versions

of

the

his

arrangements

from

a

previous bluegrass album as well as older and newer original tunes, and covers. All performed with that intimate George Rios style!

georgeriosmusic.com

George Rios "Brand New Day (for Erik)"

My son Erik battled addiction and spent the majority of his adult life helping others while working on his recovery. After losing him at the age of 36 to an accidental overdose, I’ve made it my mission to share his story and art in hopes that it will help others.

There’s a stigma with addiction, no one talks about it. In the beginning friends.

of

Erik’s

Eventually

journey, I

I

realized

didn’t that

talk

about

almost

him

every

to

family

my has

someone that struggles with alcohol or drugs and it needs to be

talked

that

Beverly Ratzlaff "The Art and Pain of Erik Parker"

he

when

I

about.

was

Erik

got

sober,

overcoming

this

tremendous

started

As

talking

and

I

telling

was

my

extremely

proud

challenge.

That’s

friends

what

an

amazing person he was and how proud I was to be his mom.

Since social

Erik’s

passing,

media.

My

I’ve

focus

shared is

now

his

story

in

on

helping

person to

and

remove

on the

stigma of addiction.

Addiction

is

a

disease,

not

a

behavior

and

it

should

be

treated as such.

Personal finance major born in Austin, raised in Lubbock, TX.

John Thomasson II "The Way Out"

PRODUCTION EDITOR RSX STUDIOS www.rsxstudios.com 512-589-3956

LIVESTREAM PRODUCER MIKE SCHULTZ

if you would like to make a donation to What it's Like Project, please visit www.whatitslikeproject.org

thank you and goodnight.