Deuzevlog

As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Amantha Perera, journalist, researcher, and Director/Consultant at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, Asia Pacific region.Amantha is a veteran of news reporting, starting in his home country Sri Lanka, including work for TIME, Reuters, the Washington Post, the Guardian and al-Jazeera. At the Dart Center he works on developing peer support networks and trauma awareness skills for the Asia Pacific region.As a researcher, educator and trainer he focuses on the impact of online and digital trauma on journalists. Specifically, Amantha explores the impact on the lives of journalists when their personal and professional online and digital profiles collapse on to each other, proposing a 'digital flak jacket' as a resource for reporters online. The interview touches upon his flak jacket idea, as well as experiencing trauma as a journalist when his colleague and mentor got killed while reporting a story, and his subsequent work at the Dart Center to support fellow newsworkers in need. These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more interviews and updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).

As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Anna de Beus (owner, Backbone Film Collective) and Rosan Boersma (film producer and owner of Rosans), who together in 2024 founded the organisation Cinemind to promote and support mental health in the Dutch film industry.

Key issues in our conversation include coping with what they consider a 'circus existence' as a precariously employed worker in film and TV, the mismatch between people's dreams about their work and the competitive nature of the industry, and the need to create space for difficult conversations during a shoot - not just afterwards.

These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).

As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Tamir Nadav, Head of Creative at Kokku in Brazil, Latin America's leading external development studio.

Tamir is an outspoken advocate for tackling health and well-being issues in game development. Key issues in our conversation include the significant role industry events and social support play in mitigating work stressors such as poor management, crunch, and toxicity in teams and online; differences between individual and group mentalities in North American versus LatAm game studios, the risk of turning well-being interventions into 'performative practices' if such policies are not aligned with the culture of the team, and the dark side of working in an industry that all too often sees people as dollar signs.

For more information about Tamir: https://tamirnadav.com/

These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.

More info on the book:https://www.intellectbooks.com/well-being-and-creative-careers

For the US publication:https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/W/bo257335467.html

For the video version of this vlog, please check my Deuzevlog on YouTube.

Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).

As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode of my combined vlog/podcast/blog series I sit down with Lori Rubinstein, Executive Director of the US-based Behind The Scenes Foundation.

Our conversation focused on the efficacy of all these resources and on the media industry survey the foundation initiated, showing for example that 78% of almost 3500 respondents identified fatigue as the primary source of work-related stress. The majority of professionals working behind the scenes also reported feelings of anxiety (91%) and depression (82%).

These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.

More info on the book:⁠https://www.intellectbooks.com/well-being-and-creative-careers⁠

For the US publication: ⁠https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/W/bo257335467.html⁠

Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (⁠markdeuze.substack.com⁠).

As part of a series of conversations with professionals and scholars in the field of media, in this episode I sit down with Karen Percy, former Federal Media President and member of the Wellbeing Committee of the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA, Australia).

Some highlights of the conversation include a discussion on the relentless nature of media work and the inability to switch off, how to deal with the “toughen up, princess” culture in the industry, counteracting the destructive ‘churn and burn’ of creative talent, and how to step up for your values and being an authentic human being at work.

For more information about the MEAA Wellbeing Committee: https://www.meaa.org/campaigns/wellbeing/

These interviews in part support the publication of my book (titled: Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick, out late 2025 with Intellect) on health, well-being and happiness in media work, and to showcase and celebrate the work so many people around the world are doing to advocate and promote these issues in media workplaces.

More info on the book:https://www.intellectbooks.com/well-being-and-creative-careers

For the US publication: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/W/bo257335467.html

Please follow, leave a comment, and check more updates on my Substack (markdeuze.substack.com).

In this episode of Deuzevlog a podcast, AI-generated by Google NotebookLM, summarizing the draft manuscript of my 2025 book (published with Intellect), titled: "Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick." This conversation briefly touches upon some of the key themes of the book, especially the tensions between a labor-of-love work ethic, precarious working circumstances, and a prevailing stigma around mental health and (lack of) well-being at work - in journalism, film & TV, advertising, music, games, and social media.

In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit  down with Bregtje van der Haak, documentary filmmaker and journalist at VPRO Backlight, and Michel Reilhac, director of Submarine Channel and  Head of Studies for the Venice Biennale College.  

In this interview we talk about innovations in documentary film and digital storytelling (such as interactive, immersive, VR, and the metaverse), how you define 'success' as a media professional, and how to support and maintain an artistic practice amidst commercial and technological challenges.  

Recorded on Monday, February 21, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube.

This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the  field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as  featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising. Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research. Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe,  share and comment!  

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In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Monique van Dusseldorp, Amsterdam-based curator and moderator of events on media, technology, and innovation (such as NEXTconf, CrossMediaCafé, Basecamp, New World Same Humans) and Taco Rijssemus, CEO of All3Media Germany (before this CEO of idtv, and managing director of broadcasters KRO-NCRV and SBS).  

In this interview about 'the' media topics discussed include the challenge of managing creative talent, staying on top of a rapidly changing industry, and finding out who you are and where your passion lies.   

Recorded on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising. 

Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research.  Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!  

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In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Angie Smets, studio director at Guerilla Games (Killzone, Horizon Zero Dawn) and Christian Allen, game designer and Unreal Engine 5 evangelist at Epic Games (Fortnite).

In our lovely conversation we talk about their experiences and views on the exponential growth and rapid professionalisation of the games industry in the last few decades, the challenges of managing complex projects with teams scattered across continents and time zones, and what creativity and being creative means in a highly competitive industry. 

Recorded on Tuesday afternoon February 1, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising. Please feel free to use this in your teaching and research.  

Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!  #deuzevlog

In this episode of my combined vlog/podcast series of conversations with inspiring media scholars and professionals from around the world, I sit down with Christine Kearney of SBS and The Guardian Australia, Freek Staps (editor-in-chief at Dutch national news agency ANP, formerly at Dept Agency and NRC Handelsblad), and Amy Zerba, senior editor at the New York Times.  

Across four time zones we talk about - among many other things - how to manage creativity, achieving work-life balance, and how excited we are about the future of journalism.  

Recorded on Thursday evening January 27, 2022. The vlog version of this interview is available on YouTube. This vlog/podcast intends to meet the authors of the literature in the field of media studies and communication scholarship, as well as featuring prominent media professionals from journalism, film, television, music, digital games, and advertising about what it takes to 'make it work' in their various industries and jobs. 

Feel free to use this in your teaching and research.  Please also check out other interviews in this series, like, subscribe, share and comment!  

#deuzevlog