Let’s Talk

A mental health project where men talk about their feelings

This might be a simple concept, but it’s not an easy one. A joint project between YouNeek Productions and clinical psychologist Dr Suzanne Brown (Emotionally Connected), Let’s Talk gets a group of men together to be vulnerable and open up about their deepest emotions and thoughts.

What is Let’s Talk?

Let’s Talk is a safe environment where a group of men meet a clinical psychologist to discuss and support each other with their mental health issues. All the participants have volunteered to join the group discussions. Each of them shares their own stories and experiences to try and understand, accept and grow from them.

Complete strangers to each other, they all share the desire to improve their own mental health by being open about their feelings. In doing so, they help each other.

What topics are discussed?

There’s no limit on what topics are brought to the table. It is a free-flowing conversation that allows for regular questions and feedback from Dr Suzanne Brown. She brings in theories and concepts to help the men understand what they’re feeling, saying and thinking. 

Each episode focuses on the story of one individual in the group. Over the series, the group bonds and individuals show real growth. The topics covered include addiction, racism, miscarriage, parenting, family and suicide.

How is it being produced?

Let’s Talk is being produced with everyone’s wellbeing as a top priority. Firstly, and most importantly, the individuals know the reasons behind the film. We needed to be transparent so the group could concentrate on being authentic and honest. All individuals are prepared to be vulnerable to help others. That alone is powerful.

On set, we’re focused on helping the group feel comfortable, for example keeping the cameras out of sight where possible. This has influenced the choice of the homely location, warm lighting and half-open circle seating arrangements.

Two main cameras are covering the content, with a mobile handheld camera picking up other close-ups and reactions. Alongside camera operators, we have a sound recordist, photographer, production assistant, content creator and hair and make-up artist. The production team are warm, friendly and carefully briefed to make the guys feel at ease.

Due to the sensitive content topics, YouNeek Productions and Emotionally Connected offer post-production support for the crew to digest and talk about their own emotions. This is crucial to protecting their wellbeing.

The first series of Let’s Talk

Seven sessions have produced 21 episodes. These are available to view on YouTube or listen to as a podcast on Apple and Spotify. They include:

• An introduction episode that explains the project, its missions and structure
• Individual episodes which focus on the stories of each participant 
• First-hand experiences of key mental topics with professional feedback

More than a series of mental health videos, Let’s Talk throws a spotlight on the key issues around men’s wellbeing. By showing the benefits of being vulnerable and authentically presenting the individuals’ stories, the project has huge potential to make a real impact on people’s lives. 

We’re more than happy to chat about this project, so please feel free to get in touch.