Together with business partner Margaret Tillson, Ben Steel has officially launched Screen Well, a website and social enterprise dedicated to improving mental health outcomes for the screen industry.
Netflix, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Fox Studios Australia and Ausfilm have partnered to support a new wellbeing social enterprise led by Ben Steel, including training to upskill 60 production and post-production leaders in mental health first aid.
Given the impact of the pandemic on the screen sector, emerging from lockdown should feel like relief. However, for many, the truth is likely to be more complicated – and that’s okay, writes actor, filmmaker and mental health advocate Ben Steel ('The Show Must Go On').
For R U OK? Day, many among us were checking in on our family, friends and colleagues' mental health and wellbeing - especially as lockdowns roll on.
However, what should we do next when someone reveals to us that actually, they aren't okay? That's something actor and filmmaker Ben Steel wants to help the screen industry tackle.
"The screen industry is sadly lagging very far behind, but I’m hopeful that these webinars will be the catalyst to help change that.”
While the impact of coronavirus on the screen industry has been tough for all, producer Sue Maslin is concerned that the independent documentary sector is falling through the cracks.
When Rowan Chapman first set out to create a 'career longevity' guide for aspiring actors, offering up survival tactics to cope with the pressures of the industry, it wasn't initially clear that what he was crafting would end up in large part as a mental health and wellbeing resource.
Filmed over three years, 'The Show Must Go On' is an important and moving exploration of the mental health of the 42,000 people working in the Australian entertainment industry.