Please join #TheActorsChoice on Monday, June 29, 2020 at 11:00 AM PST/2:00 PM EST, as creator and executive producer #MaryAlbertoli , co-creator and producer #NadiaSarmova , co-producer #SeanFreeland and ambassador #AdrienneFinch sit down with host #RonBrewington.

​

A recent headline in Time Magazine reads: Depression and Suicide Rates Are Rising Sharply in Young Americans, New Report Says - This May Be One Reason Why. The article quotes several mental health experts, who point to overuse of technology and social media as a possible culprit. But knowing this, does this solve anything? A former clinical social worker, along with others, developed a docu-series called "The Shift,' which we will discuss on the program.

​

MARY ALBERTOLI, a former clinical social worker determined to propose actionable solutions instead of detached labeling. Albertoli, who has a Master's degree in social work from Columbia University, has worked with children and adolescents for 12 years, in both individual and group settings with depression, PTSD, and suicidal and homicidal ideation. Her hands-on experience taught her that it was only through effective conversations about themselves and with each other that real growth and change took place.

​

" There's so much stigma around mental health, but the truth is not one of us is alone in struggling with something" said Albertoli. She started developing the idea for a docu-series called The Shift in the Spring of 2018 after being deeply affected by a headline about a 9-year-old girl's suicide. " I thought enough is enough. When did suicide become an option for young people?" She knew this was primarily due to a lack of dialogue about mental health. Young people were failing to bring language to their emotions and traumatic experiences and were often left to deal with haunting mental health issues alone.

NADIA SARMOVA is a 14-year veteran of the entertainment industry. She has participated on various production crews, including as a Writer, Assistant Director and Producer in Tampa Bay, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, London, Africa and the Caribbean. Nadia is best known for being a filmmaker with heart, highlighting critical issues, controversial stories and marginalized people who are often times forgotten.

​

Alongside some of the industry's elite storytellers, a few of Nadia's past feature film credits include Foreign Letters, The Investigator, 23 Blast, Russian American, Barrow: Freedom Fighter, Oloibiri, The Ninth Passenger, Like Father (Netflix) and Joseph. Nadia has also worked on reality programs, Inked (FOX) and Highway to Sell (Discovery). Nadia is the Founder & Chief Impact Producer at Beam-In Studios, an impact - driven entertainment content production studio that leverages the power of entertainment to engage and inspire audiences to participate in bringing about positive social change.

​

SEAN FREELAND is a producer, writer and SAG/AFTRA actor. Sean was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of a schoolteacher and a professional musician. He had an affinity for the arts from a young age and began performing in high school. After graduating from Florida State University, Sean opened his own restaurant, at the young age of 27, which he owned and ran for 10 years while continuing to work in the film industry. During this time, Sean also started a small commercial real estate company, which he still owns.

​

Sean now focuses on the film and TV industry full time and has worked on major television shows such as Ozark, The Walking Dead, Nashville, Constantine and The Game. Some of Sean's film credits include Smashed, A Dark Place and Electric Jesus and he has done work for companies such as Turner Classic Movies and Chick-Fil-A.

Sean was a consultant for Jacoby Development on the production studio they were developing at the OFS property in Atlanta, Georgia and has been a guest lecturer at Kennesaw State University.

ADRIENNE FINCH is a digital content creator, entrepreneur, and host of the Self-Made CEO Podcast with a social media following of 400k+. With over 32 million aggregate views, her YouTube channel "Adrienne Finch", was born from her love of storytelling and filmmaking, and the desire to make videos that positively influence others. Over the past 5 years, Adrienne has provided online marketing and branding consulting for both individuals and major companies including Google, NBC, Neutrogena, AT&T, and more.

​

Born to two psychologists, her passion about mental health awareness has become a major part of her identity and what she aims to educate teens and young people about through her social and entrepreneurial endeavors. Having suffered from mental health issues herself, she continues to use her influence and partnerships with major brands such as Snapchat and AdCouncil, to create inspiring content that will help others not feel so alone.

_______________________________________________

To see "The Actor's Choice" live-stream, please share this LINK with family, friends and others: www.facebook.com/TheActorsChoice

The Actor's Choice streams our shows LIVE on our YouTube channel on Mondays at 11:00AM PST/ 2:00PM EST. Link to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJvPjkHrhVNH00Wic_z4vVQ

If you miss the live show, we have it on The Actor's Choice Facebook page, YouTube and on our website at: www.theactorschoicela.org

You can also listen to the show on our new Soundcloud channel if you couldn't watch the Live-Stream at: https://soundcloud.com/the-actors-choice

Thanks!! Ron Brewington