California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Tiffany Haddish, Rachel Platten, Daniel Ezra, Tay Lautner, and advocates discuss lived experience, advocacy efforts and frameworks for ways the creative community can help alleviate our crisis of loneliness
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hollywood & Mind, the venture positioned uniquely at the intersection of the entertainment industry and the mental health sector, partnered with social connecting app BUMBLE on Wednesday, September 6, to host curated conversations that placed a spotlight on loneliness and outlined solutions to help foster social connection both within the creative community and the general population. In May, the Surgeon General issued an Advisory highlighting our epidemic of loneliness and social isolation.
Among highlights were a moving and hilariously candid discussion among actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish, Bumble VP of Global Public Policy Payton Iheme, and founder and board chair of the Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness Andrew MacPherson, who noted that loneliness and social isolation increase mortality by up to 29%. The conversation was moderated by Hollywood & Mind founder Cathy Applefeld Olson.
"In the worst times in my life, in the most difficult times in my life - at those times I felt like I was all alone. Like nobody could relate to what I'm going through, nobody has any idea what I'm experiencing. There's no way anybody could ever have had this happen to them before on this planet, because it's happening to me," said Haddish, who was placed in foster care as a child after her mother was in a car accident. "And then I ended up in these court-ordered counseling groups with all these other kids going through if not the same thing, something even more devastating than what I was going through. And it made me realize that I'm not alone and there must be some reason for it." After a counselor encouraged her to research successful people who had experienced hardship, Haddish said, "From that, it made me look at every person I've ever looked up to and realize, No one is successful without drama, trouble, stress, angst, loneliness."
Haddish also urged the audience, "Be present. We are here on this planet to be amongst each other, to learn from each other and to grow from each other."
"Spotlight on Loneliness: Advocating for Connection in a Time of Social Isolation" kicked off with an intimate conversation between California First Partner Jennifer Newsom and Payton Iheme, moderated by Elise Loehnen, author and host of the podcast Pulling The Thread. During the chat, Newsom said that while the pandemic exacerbated the situation, "I'd already had enough lived experience with family and friends and extended family to then witness what was happening in our society... The fact that our society has evolved away from a care society, it's not a surprise that we've landed where we are in this capitalist society that's been so invested in the individual and individual success, and not valued the feminine and care and community and empathy. And I think we have this incredible opportunity to right the ship, but it's everywhere all around us."
"The inability to admit that you don't have friends and that you are lonely brings shame and silence. That ranges from the person who's eating her lunch in the bathroom in high school to the the person who's struggling in advocacy raising money and changing laws to someone who also has the strength to tell their personal backstory," Iheme said, "The reason that's so important is for people who haven't been able to lift their shame and tell their story, they can live through others' advocacy work, and through people who are brave enough to tell their story - and know there's something positive on the other side."
Bumble recently launched its Bumble for Friends offering as a separate app "as part of our larger efforts to support kind connections," Iheme said. A recent Bumble For Friends survey in the U.S. found that more than 1 in 3 respondents have met their friends online, whether through apps or social media, amd 67% of Gen-Z respondents shared that making new friends online lessened their loneliness
A panel with actor/director Daniel Ezra ("All American"); Tay Lautner, RN and co-host of the podcast The Squeeze with her husband Taylor Lautner; and music artist Rachel Platten ("Fight Song") concluded the event. They each shared their own experiences with loneliness and the ways they care for their mental health while being in the public eye. "It's supposed to be messy, it's supposed to be hard at times, and this struggle and discomfort is part of the whole story," Ezra said.
The event marks Hollywood & Mind's second event. Earlier this year, during Mental Health Awareness Month, the organization held its inaugural Summit at UTA, where it brought together executives and talent across television, film, music and tech with mental health experts for conversations on topics including mental health storytelling, the power of song, opportunities to elevate mental wellness through technology, and the evolution of partnerships among mental health organizations and creators. More information is available at www.hollywood-mind.com.
High-resolution photos from the Spotlight on Loneliness are available HERE
About Hollywood & Mind:
Born of our global mental health crisis and steeped in the unrivaled influence of the entertainment industry, Hollywood & Mind is a first-of-its kind venture focused on leveraging the power of talent and executives across music, film, TV, digital, tech, sports and brand—together with brain health experts—to destigmatize mental health, elevate wellness and save lives. Hollywood & Mind is focused both on the content and culture that emanates from Hollywood as well as elevating the wellness of those who are part of the industry ecosystem. Its core tenets are: Connection via events that bring together stakeholders from across the entertainment and mental health purview; Creation of solutions for key gaps identified at the intersection of entertainment and mental wellness; and Collaboration with partners to optimize opportunities and drive action.
About Bumble app:
Bumble, the women-first dating and social networking app, was founded by CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014. Bumble connects people across dating (Bumble Date), friendship (Bumble BFF) and professional networking (Bumble Bizz). Bumble is built on the importance of equitable relationships and how crucial they are to a healthy, happy life. They've built their platform around kindness, respect, and equality – and their community plays an important part in that. Bumble holds its users accountable for their actions and strives to provide them with an experience free from hate, aggression, or bullying. Bumble is free to download and is widely available in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and the web.
Bumble's public policy team has focused on non-consensual intimate image abuse (NCII) since 2019 when they passed their first law prohibiting the sending of unsolicited lewd photos in their home state of Texas. The company has since passed similar laws in California and Virginia, and introduced bills in Michigan, Wisconsin, DC, Maryland, and New York. Bumble's mission is to create a world where all relationships are healthy and equitable by creating a safer, kinder internet. Over the last few years, Bumble's Public Policy team has launched a new NCII-focused coalition with Panorama Global aimed at building the capacity of existing global NCII NGOs, advocated for stronger NCII laws, and facilitated a channel for industry-NGO collaboration. Bumble also joined as a founding member of the Partnership on AI's "Responsible Practices for Synthetic Media: A Framework for Collective Action" to promote responsible practices in the development, creation, and sharing of media created with generative AI.
Media Contact
Dominique Wright, Hollywood & Mind, 1 818-763-9800, [email protected], https://www.hollywood-mind.com
SOURCE Hollywood & Mind
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