Welcome to the Reality Check podcast. Psychosis is Real, so is Recovery.

On this episode, Ashley Weiss and Serena Chaudhry speak with Dan Jones, the Founder of Fireside Films.

As a writer, director, and cinematographer, Dan is a visual storyteller who has created a wide range of powerful work collaborating with Calm. He reflects on the creative journey across multiple projects with one common objective: to try and dismantle the stigma around mental health issues.

To view the latest Choose your Delusion video referenced in this episode visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8MfGz1z0OU

Subscribe for more episodes of Reality Check, where we uncover the truth behind mental health, one story at a time.

For more information about Clear Answers to Louisiana Mental Health (CALM) and their Early Intervention Psychosis Program (EPIC NOLA), visit the website: www.calmnola.org

Find out more about Dan and Fireside Films, visit - www.fireside-films.com

Podcast produced by Red Rock Branding – www.redrockbranding.com

Right, good afternoon. I'm so excited to be here today, Ashley.

Me too. Yes, very excited. It's one of my favorite people.

Yes, we're here today with Dan Jones, the founder of Fireside Productions, and he is going to talk about his work in general, and we together are going to talk about our projects that we've been working on for the past couple years together. Hi, Dan. Thanks for coming on Reality Check. Tell us a little...

Hello, thanks for having me.

Yeah, well,

when we were being asked who we wanted to bring on this podcast that put us outside of our comfort zone, you were one of the first people that came to mind because Calm and our work kind of building out this campaign has integrally involved you in this.

Mm-hmm.

I I'm gonna say serendipitous way because I was thinking back about how we even like came together and I remember looking at, know, I remember like learning a lot from Glenn with Red Rock and then thinking about this idea of content creation like that that's was the words that they would use and how we would go about creating content which

Mm-hmm.

You know, I'm not, this is not my forte, but I was thinking like photographs and stuff like that, or like video. And I was imagining like social media people taking little video. And I was thinking like, God, it'd be so much cooler though, if it was like meaningful video. And then I was kind of Googling like people that help with brand building, but it's more than just.

like a commercial, it's not a commercial. And I thought that the name Fireside Films had such a nice ring to it. And then was reading on the website about the storytelling. And I was like, ah like that's kind of what Sarita and I, like, what we envision for our content is to really be like storytelling. And anyway, I just was thinking about that and kind of what's come to be.

Yeah, that's really great to hear. And it's been a great relationship for us too, because we've learned so much from you guys. So we appreciate the collaboration.

Well, tell us a little bit.

I've got so many

about you and fireside and how you came to build this, you know, company that helps people like us tell stories that are meaningful.

Yeah. Well, I got started about 25 years ago in a bit in event video. But the whole reason I got into it was because I loved movies. You I had the storytelling bug as a kid and so gradually found my way into commercial cinematography and marketing in particular. And, you know, our work is kind of all over the map.

So we work with people who have products that they want to sell, small businesses, large businesses. And every so often we run across people that have a really meaningful message. And that's always nice because, you know, the work is hard sometimes, long days, sometimes 12, 14 hours. And, but when you,

You go home at night and your bed hits the pillow. It's always nice when you know you've, for lack of a better word, made the world better using your skill set. So it's been great.

And I guess a little bit about me, I'm a commercial, well, I'm a DP by trade. So a DP is a director of photography. Cinematographer is another name for it. And that's that basically has to do with using light and framing and and camera movement to evoke an emotion. And so that's that's what we hopefully bring to the table for a com.

And you totally have. I'm remembering our first work together, our first projects were right before, I think, our first...

in my mind, is right, our annual fundraiser, an event to support people in recovery from psychosis and your presence there and your team's presence at that event, which is ⁓ clearly very close to our hearts and brings together our patients in recovery, your presence there was so calming. It was like this total affirmation that this professional collaboration

in my mind.

was so right. You were there capturing our patients singing, playing music, doing spoken word, and the ways in which you captured them were so thoughtful and clearly filled with compassion. And I think that is a huge piece that you contribute to this work and this world.

through fireside and we're super grateful for that.

Well, thank

you for that. Thank you for that. It was it was an awesome event. We talked about it for weeks afterward. So we love we love what you guys are doing. And, you know, psychology is something that a lot of filmmakers are secretly obsessed with secretly, maybe not so secretly. You know why why people do what they do, how they see themselves, how we fit into the world. So there was that overlap between Com's mission and our freedom of interest that was.

That was real.

So looking back on our projects, remember

I remember wanting to do the, like memorial for, you know, people that have died by suicide and how, and, know, and then I think about for you guys coming to work with this new team where everything might've felt a little heavy, but there was this like levity and like beauty to it that, and I think you said the right word.

serenely, compassion, the compassion came through. And how we, I had it displayed up on that wall and it was just so amazing to like bring things together like that. And to have, you you involved longitudinally over time to, as we've sort of developed

or thought about what messages we are wanting to bring to the public.

has been, I think, awesome for us too, because it's like all of us working together have a little bit of a different perspective.

And yeah, and so as you know, think Sarita and I get asked often about like budget and how we're moving dollars and what dollars are spending on certain things like this, like I cannot.

like a little bit can go a very, very, very long way if you like put the thought and intention behind it. And, you know, so we've been able to create these really meaningful pieces and use them a little bit differently. You know, now this year it's our 10th anniversary of the clinic. Like we're coming back and actually like the band that was the music for the memoriam the first year is actually gonna be there playing. And we were able to use a lot of the content.

for current, like, because it's withstood the test of time. Like, it's like an evolution and it's still relevant. And that's just...

Yeah.

I realize this podcast was just going to be a walk down memory lane. I don't want it to be, but I could go on and on and on.

Hehehehehe

Hahaha

You know, just thinking back, I think that one definitely was a standout. The first roundtable that we did was a big one for me, too. You know, the group of moms talking about their experiences with their kids, their loved ones who have experienced psychosis. After we left it,

It struck me how valuable that space was. And I'd never filmed anything like it before and hadn't seen anything like it before either. So yeah, I I've loved working with you guys. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, that was like our roundtable before the roundtables, right? mean, before. Yeah.

That was at my house.

Yes, it was super powerful. Yeah, I think it took, I will say it also sort of took me by surprise, the power of bringing that together on film. It takes a lot to be in a room with these stories. They're hard and there's a lot of raw emotion.

and also coupled with a lot of courage and inspiration. I just wonder how that's been. You've spoken a little bit about it, but if you have anything more to say about how that's been for you being in the room with that and what you do with it when you leave the room with us.

Yeah, that's a good question.

Growing up in the culture that I grew up in, which I have a lot of great things to say about, you hear phrases, just speaking about mental health in general, you hear phrases like ⁓ nervous breakdown. And even as a kid that didn't quite sit right with me because it doesn't explain anything, it felt reductive.

but I think it was ⁓ kind of a catchall for experiences that we just didn't have the words for at the time. It wasn't said with cruelty, but there just wasn't much understanding. working with you over the last, how long has it been? Five years, four years? Yeah, yeah.

Four years, five.

five years

well probably four and a half ⁓

Yeah.

Yeah, it's let me see how much work has to be done, but it's also been a really educational process, experience that's been really valuable for not just me, but the whole team.

Yeah, I'm going to reflect back to you something that I just remembered is that you and different members of your team, think have.

upon reflecting on what you've heard in the conversations we've had together, you've come back to us with questions about maybe symptoms, maybe signs, maybe signals that you've observed about psychosis and or for referrals for friends, family, people in your community. And that's such a cool example of symbiosis, right? That we're all, we're there together learning from each other and helping each other. ⁓

Exactly.

And

that's, yeah, I very much valued that. I love that that just came to mind as we were talking.

Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's been it's been amazing. In fact, I think well, that's a question for another time. Someone someone reached out to me about asking what they could do to be a part of in my mind as a person with lived experience. So. Yeah.

No.

Hmm. wow.

Well, we should definitely talk about that because that's what it's about. The whole event is centered around people with lived experience.

Yeah, and, ⁓ right.

Mm-hmm.

What are you gonna say?

What

was it like going, I mean, you did, you did our patient, some of our patients wanted to share their story and we, you know, from their home, from, what was that like for you sort of going in? I mean, that's, that's even a different vantage point than some of us ever have of, you know, them and their home and what life is like. So I was just curious what that part.

has been like.

Yeah, that's a good question. think I can speak for Daryl and Caitlin. There were two filmmakers who were working with me at the time. They've since gone off and they're doing their own thing, doing great work elsewhere. I think we, number one, felt honored because it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out like that.

⁓ this is terrifying for me being in front of the camera. so, so we respected that. And then also, you know, it's, we realized we were giving something, given something of tremendous value and worth. And so we just wanted to do it justice. and then on the brand side, you know, we're always trying to balance respecting the subject matter with.

Yeah.

creating something that's engaging and compelling. But it wasn't difficult because all of your patients, the people who are working with you, they have such a... ⁓

rich, creative vocabulary. So it was easy to collaborate with them too. So yeah, it was a great experience.

Yeah, it was really, I'm recalling I was on set with y'all for a lot of this and I'm thinking of Jacob's story, which is on our YouTube and on social and we were at the cafe with him and then we went to his apartment and it was right such an intense. It's a lot right to be in.

the story and then in people's space and Jacob was so gracious to let us in. But there was also a lot of levity in that too. you know, because there's the illness and then there's the recovery and then there's all that happens in between. And I think being able to see, hear, feel and touch all that on set was really, really meaningful.

Yeah, it really brought it closer to home. we saw what the stakes were. We connected with the people who were involved. And sometimes this work, it feels a little distant. you're in your head a lot. I guess you're, the, am I trying to say? You're using your imagination to put yourself in the audience's shoes and you don't know exactly if it's landing.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

And through experience, you just get better at that. But with this, we could tell pretty quickly whether or not we were making the right choices. And so that instant feedback was really nice too, just from a creative standpoint.

Well, I appreciate what you just said about, where so many people are left to their imaginations about mental illness and the symptoms of psychosis in this, in the context of the work we do. And what these round tables and these personal interviews have done is they've taken the guessing and the imagination out of some of that. And they've allowed people with their own lived experience to fill in the gaps with what has been real to them. And it's not real to everyone, but it is real to them. And that is super, super,

important in breaking stigma.

And letting their like uniqueness shine through, like that they're individuals. That's sort of what gives me bad vibes from some videos where it seems, you know, where maybe it's in a clinical space or it's, um, uh, it feels kind of cookie cutter sometimes. And I did not want, I did not want that to happen at all because everyone is so

Mm-hmm.

cool in their own way and, you know, us thinking through, we do this at the clinic? You know, where should we go to a park or like where should they go and kind of letting them, letting them figure out where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do. And

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

recovery is what's happening in the world. I mean, the clinic is a component of it, but it really is out in the world how people are experiencing others and functioning or not in relation to what's around them. So it seems like,

Yeah. I'm curious too.

of feedback did you get from them, from the folks who worked with us?

I think we've spoken a little bit.

I mean, everybody loves

you guys. think most people assume that you guys are part of the clinical team. It's like, well just, I remember Michael was just like, call Dan.

Mm-hmm

our team.

But then the feedback from like, especially the mom's group and the families like loved getting together and loved having that be a, and everybody that participated in the round tables, like all the feedback was great. And then the general feedback is how

Yeah.

beautiful the videos are. Especially where we discovered that you have this creative streak

Yes.

Ha

came to

Yeah

integrated into our research, not poster, but our research video. And that has gotten us just like super thinking about, you from a brand standpoint, like how we're sort of layering in and gonna keep people try to to keep people's interests, like evolving, you know, this idea of like a unique person with lived experience walking in the world.

and you kind of showed us that through the imagery. And then now with our new, with the Choose Your Delusion campaign and that figure who has no name, but she's this beautiful created figure that just came from your imagination, which is just like flabbergasted.

to see your delusion campaign.

Mm.

Yeah, it's been one of the reasons why it's been nice to work with your team in particular is that you're genuinely curious about how someone might express themselves creatively. You know, you're not just looking to check a marketing box, but you ask a lot of questions and you bring a lot of creative energy to the table. And that really empowered us to explore a bit, to take risks conceptually.

We appreciated that, working with somebody who understands the role art can play.

Well, when I think back to these years that we've worked together, the sequence of things makes sense, right? Like we came together at this event and we're, you know, witness to all these stories of recovery and you were able to revisit or visit with a lot of these patients year after year. And that has all, you know, contributed to now this figure that you've created, which I imagine is a mass of all these stories and experiences you've had, which is so

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

super cool.

Yes, that is. I'm going to think about it from that perspective, but she probably is. And if anybody doesn't want to see who this beautiful person is, should go to our YouTube channel and look at the Choose Your Delusion video, which is your watercolor treatment and putting together the figure who became. Yeah. So we have a nine. I know now what I want to do with her.

Mm. Mm.

Yeah, I'm so glad you guys liked it.

Yeah.

for the second choose your dilution. We've got it, but that'll be for another conversation.

Yes. We've got it mapped out. Yeah.

Well, I think that's a perfect ⁓ moment to bring in this collaborative team, right? So we're working closely with you and then also with our friends at Red Rock. And it's all three of us, clinical, film and content creation that come together to create these campaigns. And I love working across industries and bringing each of our individual expertise together to make messages that matter and to tell stories. And that

is honestly something I learned about when I was getting my MPH. I learned that that was possible and I was witness to it. And I am so excited that that is my job now and that is what we're doing. yes, I feel.

Mm-hmm

I definitely never thought it was possible. I remember

learning that too in my MPH and I was like, where are those people? Because the only people I'm surrounded by are...

Right, they're cool.

people just doing the public, the clinical part. I wanna show you while we're on the recent, like the poster that has our lady that we're gonna be having printed. How cool is that? She's like gaining a life of her own.

yeah.

Nice. Awesome. That looks good. Looks great.

Yeah.

Yeah, and you've seen her

You

on the billboards or have you seen pictures of the billboard stand? Yeah, so beautiful. She's out there. We're chasing her around trying to find her on billboards one night driving around New Orleans.

I have, I have. It looks good. Red Rock did a great job.

Yeah.

I shouldn't probably tell everybody that.

But right, that's maybe not, but I think it is because she's meaningful and this work is meaningful and these messages are so important and we're excited for this next round of Choose Your Delusion and for the work we have ahead because though we've made huge strides in breaking down stigma and confronting it, we still have a ways to go.

long, long, long, long journey. But

Hmm.

example of it. does take a village and takes everybody's unique talents and strengths to even for this message, it doesn't like it has to be coming from multiple perspectives. And that's when you get like the, the aha moments. And I've had a lot of those working with this team.

Same,

same.

So we will hopefully see you in my mind. And we obviously want to say thank you if we haven't said that in this past half hour. But really appreciate you being here with us and you standing on this side of the camera. I just assume you are comfortable because you make films. I should not be jumping to conclusions.

Absolutely.

Yeah, well, thank you guys, too. It's really been a blessing to work with you. And it helped me grow in ways that I didn't expect in empathy, not just because of the stories that we're telling, but because of how you guys operate, too. You know, watching how you treat each other, how you treat your patients, how you show up there. It was like going to school in a lot of ways.

It encouraged me to reflect on the way I show up to work with my team and move the creative spaces and so on. So I appreciate it.

All right, well, we will see you on November 7th, if not sooner. And for anyone who's listening, if you're interested, Dan, you and your team will be at In My Mind. Red Rock will be at In My Mind. We'll all be in the same room doing this work in person, which isn't always what happens. That's really cool.

Looking forward to it.

If anybody needs any sort of beautiful, creative video photo, then find Dan with Fireside Films. Call him.

Thanks guys.

Have a lovely day.

you.

off.

You too, take care,

Alright,

bye