Wanna' read along? Here’s a machine-generated transcript you can use. Yes...expect a few mistakes, especially with funky industry terms, interesting names and tagging whoever's talking. If something sounds weird, trust your ears. But...sometimes that really is what we said!
Biagio: Hey, everybody. She is joke.
Joke: He’s Biagio.
Biagio: We’re married. We make unscripted film and television and want to help you do the same.
Joke: Hopefully by teaming up with us.
Biagio: Well, welcome to our May podcast. And I got to tell you, we had a lot of ideas for what to do this month, but it was pointed out to us that May is actually Mental Health Awareness Month. And, you know, while you certainly know a lot of creatives, you know, in the music industry and actors who are very open about dealing with mental health issues, for instance, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, who’s very out there about it, you hear about it less, you know, and sort of like the producing side. And there are a lot of stresses and difficulties that come with this job in this business. So we thought we’d maybe offer some, you know, some advice based on what we’ve discovered over the years now. I want to say, and I think Joe Hill back me up on this. We are by no means experts on mental health. If you are suffering from mental health issue, please see your doctor.
Joke: We’re not here to fix anyone’s problems, but we are here to share some of the tips that we’ve learned and put in place over the last 20 years of working in the industry. Things that sometimes we learned a hard way. Ways to help us stay mentally healthy. But, you know, again, we’re by no means experts. It’s just this is a very crazy business and it gets very stressful at times. And there’s a lot of rejection and there’s a lot of hurry up and wait. And then there’s a lot of pressure to perform in certain situations, you know, whatever it’s in the field or in post and delivery and making air dates. And so not just for ourselves, but also the people we’ve worked with. We’ve seen a lot over the years about what works and what doesn’t work. And I think the number one piece of advice would be it’s a journey and you have to figure out what works for you, because not not every quote unquote healing tip works for everybody.
Biagio: Now, I do want to point out in the past we’ve discussed avoiding burnout. We did a podcast called the seven Weird Tips to Saving Your Sanity, or something like that. I’ll put a link to it in the podcast notes. And those are very sort of like practical do this, don’t do this. Tips to to help you deal with some of the pressure and stress that comes when your life gets eaten up by a production. But we didn’t really talk about the emotional side of things, and so that’s what we’re going to get into a little bit more today.
Joke: I think number one, you need a buddy, you need to support buddy. And for me, that’s you.
Biagio: And for for me. You for sure. Everybody knows that.
Joke: But it’s one of those things where you need someone that you can confide in and that you can share with, and that has your back. And that doesn’t necessarily tries to fix things for you. It just lets you vent when you need to. Or that can bring you perspective. Because I think a lot of times what happens is when you’re really stuck in a job or you’re stuck in production, it’s hard to keep perspective because every little thing just getting that cut out or just getting those notes done or just getting that shoot in the can just becomes so, so much of a pressurized situation that you kind of lose the bigger picture. And so, so to have that person with you on this journey. What are that significant other or a best friend or a roommate or a parent? And maybe that that support buddy changes over time, over the years. And it’s not always the same person for you to know that you have that person that you can go talk to that will be there, I think. I think that’s huge.
Biagio: Yeah. I mean, because honestly, you’re going to be in production whether you are, you know, running the show like we are or whether you’re working in a job in production and being giving lots of responsibility. And at the end of the day, sometimes you feel so stressed out, unable to focus, really upset about something I probably shouldn’t be upset about. And luckily I’m able to talk to joke about those things. But I think it’s important to know that a lot of times when you’re experiencing stress on set because production is stressful, you’re going to be better off venting about it. To that someone who understands this lets you get it, gets it off your chest.
Joke: I think equally important to having that outside person that you can vent to is understanding when there is an issue that actually needs to be acknowledged and fixed, when it when it’s not just stress, when you’re when you are seeing what I often call in the office, you know, I spur straight ahead, you know, where it’s like, oh, I’m stressed, but there is an iceberg and we’re going to hit it. Guys. Like if you actually see issues that need to be acknowledged and need to be addressed, then I’m very much for the see something, say something. And so I think it’s important to to find the people, you know, you have your outside buddy that you can, that you can vent to and that, you know, sometimes we all just need to let off some steam and be frustrated and that’s fine. But when that frustration is about an issue that really will impact the production and will impact people on it and or people’s well-being or safety, first and foremost, you you have to speak up and you have to find what are it’s your supervisor or a peer or somebody who has the ear to the higher ups. If you can’t get in front of them directly, but you need to find that person within the production or within the company that you can speak to who can help you get that issue addressed, or bring it to the people who can address it.
Biagio: Yeah. And listen, we know that’s going to be easier at some companies than others. One thing we’ve always tried to do, the reason we started a company and we might even do this a little bit too much. But for us, the people who work with us are family, and we try really hard to have an open door policy and make sure people know they can talk to us. We’re also the owners of the company, so we know not everybody is always going to come to us. So we make sure that all the supervising producer is and, you know, all the department heads know that they are there to listen, they are there to hear whatever comes up, you know, and then some of the stuff filters up to us through them. Some of it comes directly to us. But the important thing is that if somebody is experiencing something on the job that is causing stress, that can be fixed and it’s something to talk about now joke. How do you know the difference, though? How do you know the difference between when you’re, you know, because like we said, you get all caught up, you’re emotional, you’re tired, you know, when is the time to vent and when is it time to, you know, talk to your boss or your peer?
Joke: I think it’s very important to pick the people that you talk to carefully. And by that I mean that, you know, if you have a confidant on the outside who knows you and who can keep a perspective that they’ll also tell you, like, hey, this seems serious, or, you know, this is the third time this week that you’ve talked about this, and now I’m worried about someone’s safety or your safety. Go talk to someone at the company about this. And so that your outside person can can be that soundboard and that that check on you as well when you’ve lost perspective. But I think it’s also important that within the production, within the company, that you build relationships with your peers and your supervisors, where hopefully they do have that open door policy. Or you can say, hey, look, I’ve noticed this, or I’m feeling this way. And instead of starting a situation on the offense, meaning like so-and-so is really messing me up. I think it’s just like, look, this is a situation that I find myself in. Do you have any tips? And and from that moment on, people know that, okay, there’s a situation we’re going to try and help you and we’re going to deal with it. But you’re going to be part of the solution. And not just, you know, pointing out problems. It’s important to create a safe work environment, you know, obviously physically as well as mentally. And that starts with everybody, with each other. Because I can tell you as a company owner, there’s lots of conversations and interactions that I am completely unaware of. So, you know, amongst your peers, be kind and be safe with each other and be there for people who may need it, who may be going through a hard time or might have a difficult deadline. And if you have extra time on hand that you can help them out with or, you know, just make your supervisor aware that, hey, I think so and so struggling a bit. Just want to give you a heads up. I think that’s that’s perfectly fine. It’s much better to help people out that way than to just let someone crash and burn. But I think the number one thing that people need to understand is that in production, when everything is, is crazy, everybody has a lot of things on their plate, and everybody is very much focused on surviving and getting out and, you know, meeting the the expectations and the pressure that’s been put on them. And so what you often don’t have in a production environment, which you might have in a more corporate space, is kind of an HR slash therapist walking around checking in with everybody going, you good, you good? Like really good. Are you sure? Not just hey, you want some water? But like, are you good? Good. That person just doesn’t really exist in production. Everybody’s busy and no fault of their own. And while supervisors and definitely as company owners, we try to check in with people and try to keep our pulse on things, that’s not always possible. And so it is very important. And we tell everybody from the PA all the way on up top that you have to be honest with yourself and with the people around you. If something is not going well and if there is too much pressure or you don’t, you know, again, the iceberg straight ahead, like I’m going to crash and burn if I don’t get some help or this is not going to go the way I think it is or the way that you want it to be. So again, it’s it’s communication and there’s no shame in it. We all know how crazy it gets. And trust me, as a company owner, I’d much rather you come to me and say, look, I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know how I’m going to meet that deadline and give me the time to figure out how to help you. Then to have you just not meet the deadline, crash and burn. And now we have to clean up the mess and hope that you’re okay. So again, it’s important to to do that self-care not just for yourself, but for everyone around you.
Biagio: 100%. And, you know, I think obviously we’re talking a lot about the pressures of production. When you’re on a job, it gets crazy. I mean, when you are, when you are making a show, whether, again, whether you’re the lead or whether you’re in a supporting role, it is out of control sometimes as far as how busy you are. So I think another thing to really, really think about in that situation is how else are you taking care of yourself? I for one, I’m fortunately I’m a stress eater, so I have to work really hard on set to try to eat healthy and not just to eat a bunch of Kraft Service stuff. And I find that the more I stick to my diet, the clearer my mental processes are, and the easier it is for me to make quick decisions. So I think thinking about your diet, it’s not always easy when you’re in the middle of production, but it can be really important because you can be extra sensitive to the things that come along with eating too much sugar. Too much junk.
Joke: Yeah, and I for one, often, you know, when the questions come at me, I have the tendency to just want to fix it and want to solve it. And I found that taking a walk really helps me. I think that being able to remove myself from a situation and saying, okay, let’s revisit this in 20 minutes and letting my my mind calm down and let the emotions leave the situation or the fear or the pressure or anything that might come up and really go, okay, what is the best way to do this? So, you know, what are its eating healthy, taking a walk, talking to people, even if at home, if it’s like, you know, there’s a little treat at the end of the day that you look forward to what it’s having a pet. I got to tell you, having kids really.
Biagio: Changes everything.
Joke: Changes everything. In a way. It adds a ton more pressure and stress and timing and running around and all of that stuff. But on the other hand, there is nothing like two little kids looking at you and having their entire survival depend on you. That makes you forget about the stresses of work that day.
Biagio: Well, and it’s true. And I’ve got to tell you, I’ve had a couple of executives say this to me over the years, and I think it’s really true. I think it’s really the important to remember whether you’re working in a film or TV or anything. But what I’ve heard from the executives is, guys, it’s just TV now. They don’t say that all the time, but when things get really stressful, you know, my mom passed away while we were in the middle of production of our first season of Scream Queens. You know, and I remember the executive saying, I mean, obviously I left and went to the funeral. And when I came back, you know, I was nervous because I’d been gone for the better part of a week. And the executive was like, it’s just TV. You can’t. The life is always more important than what’s happening here. That’s something that’s very easy to forget when you’re in the middle of production. But life is always more important because at the end of the day, it’s just TV.
Joke: And I think that’s what great about this business too, is that it is a team atmosphere and it’s teamwork, and people are there to pick up the pieces, right? Like, you know, badges at the funeral. And I’m taking network calls in a car outside the funeral home. But but it gets done and you don’t have you can take that time and you can. Everybody else will be there for you if necessary. Like, I think that’s sometimes we feel like, oh, we can’t. And if we don’t do it, it won’t get done. But like Biagio said, it’s just TV and life is more important. And when your safety physically and mentally is at stake, trust me, everybody else will gladly step up and carry that load until you can carry it again yourself.
Biagio: 100%. Well, there you go. A little bit of a heavier episode for us this week. High joke.
Joke: Yeah, but I think it’s important to talk about. It’s often where people be like, are you guys are so busy, you guys are doing all this. And, you know, look, we have ups and downs in our business. And, you know, sometimes there’s a project we feel really strongly about and then you get a rejection and that’s that’s hard. And then we’ll look at each other and be like, all right, mental health day. Right. It’s like we’re going to get out of work a couple hours early today, because otherwise we’re just going to sit here and mope about it. And if we get out a little early, we can pick up the kids early and they’ll make us, you know, realize that, well, that was TV and their life. And, you know, we’ll make happy memories. So it’s just important to know for yourself that it is okay to take that time. And that is perfectly normal and that everyone goes through it and that whether you see a, you know, a mental health professional on the regular or once in a while, or if you’ve never done it before, but you want to, or you want to be able to talk to a supervisor about certain things, it is all encouraged because it’s much more preferred that way than when it all comes to a head and someone crashes and burns.
Biagio: Well, there you go. That was our Mental Health Awareness Month inspired podcast episode. I think, you know, the main takeaways are remember to take care of yourself. And like all things in life, remember to be honest, whether that’s with your confidant or your coworkers, those things will solve 8,090% of the issues that you might run into, as opposed to just bottling everything up. Next month, we’re going to come back with something a little more, a little more on brand for us. But we did. We did think this was important.
Joke: All right. We’ll talk to you guys next month.
Biagio: Bye bye.
Announcer: Talk soon. Producing Unscripted with Joke and Biagio.
