“People want better”: a qualitative exploration of stakeholders’ views on introducing well-being coordinators in the screen industry

ABSTRACT

Purpose

There are several factors that negatively impact the well-being of those working in the screen industry. Consequently, the need to introduce Well-being Coordinators has been identified. This study explored the experiences of participants who undertook a Well-being Coordination course tailored for the screen sector. Additionally, it sought to delve into perspectives regarding well-being within the screen industry.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study was guided by an interpretive descriptive approach. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse data.

Findings

Five themes were identified: Opportunities and challenges working in the screen industry, co-existing with harassment, the need for change: importance of wellbeing, becoming a well-being co-ordinator: learning from the course, and the future of the well-being co-ordinator role: opportunities and challenges. The reality that cast and crew co-exist with several forms of harassment within the industry was noted. Despite this, there is hope for the future of the screen sector, particularly the positive impact the role of the Well-being Coordinator could have.

Conclusions

The experiences of professionals across the screen industry vary; however, a pervasive culture of bullying and harassment is commonplace. Through the introduction of Well-being Coordinators, there is the potential to enact positive change.

KEYWORDS:

• Creative industry
• film
• TV
• interpretive description
• mental health
• qualitative
• screen industry
• well-being

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval statement

Ethical approval was granted by the Social Research Ethics Committee, University College Cork; approval number: Log-2023–056.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Award from the College of Medicine and Health, UCC.

Notes on contributors

John Goodwin

John Goodwin is a lecturer in mental health nursing and programme lead for the undergraduate mental health nursing programme, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork, T12 AK54, Ireland; email: [email protected]. His research interests include mental health help-seeking, media depictions of mental illness, public perceptions of mental health care environments, the use of the arts and creativity in mental health, young people’s mental health, and mental health stigma

Eleanor McSherry

Eleanor McSherry is a lecturer, head of autism studies, programme designer, and coordinator in Adult Continuing Education, The Laurels, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, T12 EH31; email: [email protected]. Her research interests include mental health and autism, autism and policy, practice and the law, intellectual disability and autism in the Irish educational system, representation of autism and neurodiversity in the screen industry, wellbeing in the screen and creative industries, the processes of scriptwriting, the models of disability and advocacy.

Ryan Goulding

Ryan Goulding is a lecturer in the mental health nursing programme in the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork, T12 AK54, Ireland; email: [email protected]. Their research interests include the health disparities that exist across healthcare services for transgender and gender diverse youth. They also have an interest in the mental health of minority groupings and their experiences of the healthcare system, with a focus on intervention development to combat these health disparities and negative experiences

James O’Mahony

James O’Mahony is a lecturer and Programme Lead for the MSc/ Pg Diploma in Cognitive & Behavioural Psychotherapy in the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork, T12 AK54, Ireland; email: [email protected]

Rachael O’Callaghan

Rachael O’Callaghan is a student at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork, T12 AK54, Ireland; email: [email protected]

Ciara Chambers

Ciara Chambers is Head of the Department of Film & Screen Media, O’Rahilly Building, University College Cork, T12 K8AF, Ireland; email: [email protected]. Her research interests include film history and education, newsreels, amateur cinema, archival appropriation and creative reuse, documentary production, archiving and digitisation.