As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of mental health and well-being in media industries and professions, in this episode I sit down with Mar Cabra, Spanish journalist and co-founder of the mental health charity The Self Investigation.The Self Investigation is a nonprofit, starting mid-2020 as a direct response to the rise in mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a foundation that provides a variety of services aimed at improving media professionals’ wellbeing globally, in English and Spanish. Mar Cabra is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, digital wellness educator and Acumen Fellow. She writes a column in the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, and also promotes the responsible use of artificial intelligence through the Spanish nonprofit OdiseIA.Since 2024, The Self Investigation organises a Mental Health in Journalism Summit online - the 2025 conference runs from October 8-10 (for more info and registration please visit http://mhjournalismsummit.org/).In this conversation, we talk about the history of The Self Investigation and how personal experiences with depression and burnout led Mar to invest so much of her time in helping colleagues - for example in dealing with 'digital overwhelm', precarity, and working in the media while its business model is in decline. We discuss how the discussion around mental health and well-being in the media is 'out of the closet' but still not part of the professional apparatus in most companies, and about the 'dark side' of passion. Finally, we briefly discuss the forthcoming report 'Stronger Minds, Stronger Media' for the European Federation of Journalists, documenting the state of affairs regarding mental health in newsrooms internationally.These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out September 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of mental health and well-being in media industries and professions, in this episode I sit down with Sue Todd, CEO of the National Advertising Benefit Society (in the UK).
Sue has worked 25+ years on the commercial/marketing side of media, including executive positions at the social enterprise The Big Issue, Magnetic Media, Wonder Worldwide and Exterion Media. Sue is chair of the 'All In' mental health committee, and an active member of both the #timeTo steering committee and Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership (WACL).
In our interview, we discuss the observation, that the support and resilience programs and services NABS provides increase in demand year-on-year, indicating a volatile industry where, as Sue states, "we're being asked to be different" all the time.
Other issues touched upon in the conversation include the role of the pandemic (as shaking up everything), the challenge of balancing exciting innovation with careful implementation, and how the erstwhile bravado about overwork fades with growing health and well-being awareness.
These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out September 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.More info on the book:https://www.intellectbooks.com/well-being-and-creative-careersFor the US publication:https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/W/bo257335467.htmlPlease follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of mental health, well-being and creative careers, in this episode I sit down with Laurie Oliva, director of research and services of British organization Help Musicians.
Since 2023 Laurie leads research, innovation, service design and delivery at Help Musicians. Past employers and clients include Big Issue, National Institute of Health Research, Department of Health and other government bodies, Stonewall and other national not-for-profits.
In our conversation, we touch upon the need to think about creative work as being part of a larger ecosystem, and that change has to come from building networks and alliances across the industry. Laurie discusses the 'double whammy' of struggling in music work, as musicians for example have to deal with the emotional impact of not being able to do what they love, next to dealing with the loss of work such struggles entail.
We also address the 'double stigma' around mental health in creative fields, and the 'cost-of-working' crisis the research by Help Musicians documents.
These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out September 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.
Please follow, and check out all the other interviews on my Substack, Spotify, and the entire playlist of interviews on YouTube.
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Andy Wright, founder of Never Not Creative (dedicated to health and well-being in the media, marketing and advertising industry), CEO of Streamtime, and co-chair of Mentally Healthy (Australia).
Key issues in our conversation include the wakeup call so many in the creative sector experience at some point in their careers that propels them to take action regarding healthier work, the difference between coping mechanisms and (the need for) systemic change, the gap between leader intentions and employee perspectives when it comes to health and safety work policies, and the profound insight that the higher you get up the industry ladder, the less it is about you...For more information about Never Not Creative: nevernotcreative.orgThese interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out September 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of mental health and well-being in media industries and professions, in this episode I sit down with Ben Steel, Company Director and Founding Partner of Screen Well, dedicated to the health of the Australian screen industry.Key issues in our conversation include Ben's 2019 documentary The Show Must Go On, making a difference in the industry when it comes to health and well-being of its professionals by having skin in the game, appreciating the difficulties of being in a leadership/management position, and the link between well-being and diversity of the creative workforce.For more information about Screen Well: screenwell.com.auDocumentary The Show Must Go On: theshowmustgoon.com.au(clips in this vlog used with permission courtesy of Film Art Media)These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out in September 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more interviews, discussion and updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of mental health and well-being in media industries and professions, in this episode I sit down with Dave Seglins, a Canadian investigative journalist and industry mental health educator and advocate.
At the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Dave works as a "Well-being Champion" focused on research, training and innovation to support the mental health of news professionals. In 2022, he and Matthew Pearson (Carleton University) published the powerful Taking Care report on mental health, trauma and wellbeing among Canadian media workers. Seglins is also a fellow of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and a member of the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence in Trauma.
Our conversation focuses on the significance of normalizing the conversation about health and well-being in the newsroom, the paradox of bringing your 'whole self' to the job of being a journalist - while reporters are not supposed to feel when doing that job.
We talk about 'truth as passion' for reporters and editors, the link between well-being and diversity, and in the end talk through the four steps of shaping a healthier working environment in the media: creating space for conversation, collectively identify key stressors, educate yourself (and others) about the issues, and determine which practices indeed need to change to make people feel safe and included.
These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.
Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, creativity, mental health and well-being, in this episode I sit down with Susan Raeburn, psychologist and part of the Music Industry Therapist Collective (MITC)Susan is a pioneer in the field of health and well-being in the music industry, receiving her PhD in 1984 for her work on occupational Stress and coping of professional rock musicians, and publishing follow-up work in the late 1990s and early 2000s in the clinical journal Medical Problems of Performing Artists.For more information about Susan's practice:https://www.musicindustrytherapists.com/therapist/susan-raeburn/These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
#deuzevlog #mediawork #makingmedia #mentalhealth #wellbeing
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Amantha Perera, journalist, researcher, and Director/Consultant at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, Asia Pacific region.Amantha is a veteran of news reporting, starting in his home country Sri Lanka, including work for TIME, Reuters, the Washington Post, the Guardian and al-Jazeera. At the Dart Center he works on developing peer support networks and trauma awareness skills for the Asia Pacific region.As a researcher, educator and trainer he focuses on the impact of online and digital trauma on journalists. Specifically, Amantha explores the impact on the lives of journalists when their personal and professional online and digital profiles collapse on to each other, proposing a 'digital flak jacket' as a resource for reporters online. The interview touches upon his flak jacket idea, as well as experiencing trauma as a journalist when his colleague and mentor got killed while reporting a story, and his subsequent work at the Dart Center to support fellow newsworkers in need. These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more interviews and updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Anna de Beus (owner, Backbone Film Collective) and Rosan Boersma (film producer and owner of Rosans), who together in 2024 founded the organisation Cinemind to promote and support mental health in the Dutch film industry.
Key issues in our conversation include coping with what they consider a 'circus existence' as a precariously employed worker in film and TV, the mismatch between people's dreams about their work and the competitive nature of the industry, and the need to create space for difficult conversations during a shoot - not just afterwards.
These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Tamir Nadav, Head of Creative at Kokku in Brazil, Latin America's leading external development studio.
Tamir is an outspoken advocate for tackling health and well-being issues in game development. Key issues in our conversation include the significant role industry events and social support play in mitigating work stressors such as poor management, crunch, and toxicity in teams and online; differences between individual and group mentalities in North American versus LatAm game studios, the risk of turning well-being interventions into 'performative practices' if such policies are not aligned with the culture of the team, and the dark side of working in an industry that all too often sees people as dollar signs.
For more information about Tamir: https://tamirnadav.com/
These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.
More info on the book:https://www.intellectbooks.com/well-being-and-creative-careers
For the US publication:https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/W/bo257335467.html
For the video version of this vlog, please check my Deuzevlog on YouTube.
Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode of my combined vlog/podcast/blog series I sit down with Lori Rubinstein, Executive Director of the US-based Behind The Scenes Foundation.
Our conversation focused on the efficacy of all these resources and on the media industry survey the foundation initiated, showing for example that 78% of almost 3500 respondents identified fatigue as the primary source of work-related stress. The majority of professionals working behind the scenes also reported feelings of anxiety (91%) and depression (82%).
These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.
More info on the book:https://www.intellectbooks.com/well-being-and-creative-careers
For the US publication: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/W/bo257335467.html
Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Karen Percy, former Federal Media President and member of the Wellbeing Committee of the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA, Australia).Some highlights of the conversation include a discussion on the relentless nature of media work and the inability to switch off, how to deal with the “toughen up, princess” culture in the industry, counteracting the destructive ‘churn and burn’ of creative talent, and how to step up for your values and being an authentic human being at work.For more information about the MEAA Wellbeing Committee:https://www.meaa.org/campaigns/wellbeing/These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.More info on the book:https://www.intellectbooks.com/well-being-and-creative-careersFor the US publication:https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/W/bo257335467.htmlPlease follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).
In this episode of Deuzevlog a podcast, AI-generated by Google NotebookLM, summarizing the draft manuscript of my 2025 book (published with Intellect), titled: "Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick." This conversation briefly touches upon some of the key themes of the book, especially the tensions between a labor-of-love work ethic, precarious working circumstances, and a prevailing stigma around mental health and (lack of) well-being at work - in journalism, film & TV, advertising, music, games, and social media.
In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Bregtje van der Haak, documentary filmmaker and journalist at VPRO Backlight, and Michel Reilhac, director of Submarine Channel and Head of Studies for the Venice Biennale College.
In this interview we talk about innovations in documentary film and digital storytelling (such as interactive, immersive, VR, and the metaverse), how you define 'success' as a media professional, and how to support and maintain an artistic practice amidst commercial and technological challenges.
Recorded on Monday, February 21, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube.
This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising. Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research. Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!
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In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Monique van Dusseldorp, Amsterdam-based curator and moderator of events on media, technology, and innovation (such as NEXTconf, CrossMediaCafé, Basecamp, New World Same Humans) and Taco Rijssemus, CEO of All3Media Germany (before this CEO of idtv, and managing director of broadcasters KRO-NCRV and SBS).
In this interview about 'the' media topics discussed include the challenge of managing creative talent, staying on top of a rapidly changing industry, and finding out who you are and where your passion lies.
Recorded on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising.
Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research. Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!
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In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Angie Smets, studio director at Guerilla Games (Killzone, Horizon Zero Dawn) and Christian Allen, game designer and Unreal Engine 5 evangelist at Epic Games (Fortnite).
In our lovely conversation we talk about their experiences and views on the exponential growth and rapid professionalisation of the games industry in the last few decades, the challenges of managing complex projects with teams scattered across continents and time zones, and what creativity and being creative means in a highly competitive industry.
Recorded on Tuesday afternoon February 1, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising. Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research.
Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment! #deuzevlog
In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Christine Kearney of SBS and The Guardian Australia, Freek Staps (editor-in-chief at Dutch national news agency ANP, formerly at Dept Agency and NRC Handelsblad), and Amy Zerba, senior editor at the New York Times.
Across four time zones we talk about - among many other things - how to manage creativity, achieving work-life balance, and how excited we are about the future of journalism.
Recorded on Thursday evening January 27, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising about what it takes to 'make it work' in their various industries and jobs.
Feel free to use this in your teaching and research. Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!
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In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Atze de Vrieze, Dutch music journalist and podcaster, and Ben Swanson, co-founder of indie record label Secretly Canadian Records out of Bloomington, Indiana in the United States.
In this wide-ranging discussion we talk about their careers and experiences, what it takes to 'make it work' in the music industry, how technological transformations influence and shape creative practices, what it means to 'keep it real' in a world full of performance and (self-) promotion, and of course we share cool tips for new music to check out!
Recorded on Thursday afternoon January 27, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising. Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research. Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!
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In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Sharid Alles, Dutch radio station manager and childrens' book author, and Imogen Champagne, audience editor at Crikey (Australia), formerly of The Correspondent.
In this open-hearted discussion we talk about their careers and experiences, what it takes to 'make it work' in radio and online, how to balance individual passion with the (commercial and managerial) realities of the media as a business, and the meaning of innovation and teamwork in a creative context.
Recorded on Thursday, January 27, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube.
This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, radio, music, digital games, and advertising. Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research. Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!
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In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Femke Lakerveld, Dutch actress known from her work in film and television (as well as music and the theater), and Brian Steward, Director of the Colorado Film School with a long career as Assistant Director in Hollywood.
In this open, wide-ranging interview we talk about their careers and experiences, what it takes to 'make it work' in film and television, how to build a reputation and a sense of self-worth, balancing work and life, the importance of creativity and craft, as well as life beyond the industry.
Recorded on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This interview series intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising.
Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research. Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment! #deuzevlog