The Filmmakers Podcast Mental Health in Filmmaking: Creativity, Burnout & Balance with Matt Follows & Conor Boru
Today’s episode of The Filmmakers Podcast takes a slightly different turn. Instead of focusing on a particular film, this conversation dives deep into a topic that affects all creatives - mental health.
Host Dom Lenoir is joined by director Conor Boru and former filmmaker Matt Follows for an open, honest, and insightful discussion on what it means to take care of your mind while navigating the challenges of the creative industries.
After 20 years as an award-winning creative director and writer at agencies like Wieden + Kennedy and M&C Saatchi, Matt transitioned from advertising to filmmaking, directing commercials and branded content for Nike, MG, and Gymbox, among others. He also wrote screenplays, sitcoms, and a sports documentary featuring Paralympic champions Ade Adepitan and Stacy Kohut. Realising the production life wasn’t quite paradise, he retrained in NLP, Clinical Hypnotherapy, and advanced psychotherapies, becoming a Complex Trauma Specialist in Harley Street. Today, he’s a sought-after coach, trainer, and speaker for major brands like FOX, Bentley, and Toyota, helping top creatives unlock performance and resilience.
In this episode, Dom, Conor, and Matt explore why mental health is just as important as talent or hard work, share practical strategies for getting through tough times, and even offer simple tricks - like how to put your phone away to focus on creative projects.
Get in touch with Matt here: Matt Follows Peak Performance Psychologist & Coach For Creative Brains
Find Conor Boru's work here: Conor Boru | Director | London
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CREDITS
The Filmmakers Podcast is written and produced by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson
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