MENTAL HEALTH Part 1:
The Pandemic & The Pulse of Our Members
(where we are, and where we wish to be, going forward)

WITH

Psychologist
LISA CHESTER SCHYMAN
DR. HOWARD LEIFMAN Ph.D.

Composer
CATHERINE JOY (AWFC President)

Coversation Led by
JOEL DOUEK (SCL Vice President)
JACK D. ELLIOT (SCL Seminar Chair)
RUSSELL BROWER (SCL Game Music Chair)

Screening Link available upon Registration

YouTube Live Stream Q&A:
Monday, September 27, 5:00-6:30pm PT // 8:00-9:30pm ET

As predominantly freelancers, our composer community has been facing extreme and protracted challenges throughout the pandemic. Personal and creative issues, as well as financial concerns, have become amplified, while we have had to grapple with the often precarious nature of our chosen profession. The feedback from our anonymous survey on the mental health of the SCL membership has strongly confirmed this and will form the basis for this seminar’s panel discussion. We will dive deep into these experiences to draw out useful insights and points of guidance to help us heal, grow, and face the future. 

Lisa Chester-Schyman works through her practice to help people develop a deeper understanding of themselves, allowing them to navigate the murky waters of life, manage transitions, and live a life filled with meaning. She teaches tools to overcome obstacles to one’s emotional well-being, allowing people to move through the more challenging times in life with a greater sense of ease. Her approach is humanistic while drawing on other theories such as Jungian and Gestalt. Additionally, Lisa is trained in TRM and SE Somatic Experiencing models. 

Dr. Howard Leifman is an internationally recognized expert in the area of human development. He currently advises and consults with corporate clients, consulting firms, nonprofits, and individuals specifically on: executive coaching, career development, change management, counseling, psychotherapy, human resources, outplacement, training, recruiting and staffing, and time management. He specializes in helping organizations and individuals work through their personal and human resources issues. He has been in private practice for over twenty-five years, specializing in work-related and anxiety issues.  

Dr. Leifman is a member of the Conference Board, Society for Human Resource Management, National Association of Social Workers, and on the board of a number of charitable organizations. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, a Master’s degree in Communications Management also from Syracuse University, a Master’s in Social Work from New York University, and a Ph.D. also from New York University. His dissertation is on Family of origin roles and adult work roles in relation to employee adjustment, satisfaction, and success. He has guest lectured at Harvard, MIT, NYU, CUNY, Stanford, and the College of Aeronautics.  He has worked and lived internationally.

Catherine Joy is a composer for film, media, and live performance with a passion for music and collaboration. She won Best Documentary Score for the uplifting feature documentary Gold Balls. Her score for the documentary Naughty Books (Hulu), which features narration by Aisha Tyler, Allison Tolman, and Aimee Garcia, resulted in an ASCAP Composers Choice Award nomination. Her latest narrative feature, Potato Dreams Of America had its world premiere at SXSW 2021 and will be in theaters in early 2022. More recently she scored the documentary Prognosis: Notes on Living about the final journey of Oscar-winning social justice filmmaker Debra Chasnoff. Catherine was also the score producer and lead orchestrator on the Oscar-nominated score for Minari. In 2021 Catherine was awarded the New Music USA Reel Change grant for her score for the documentary Women In The Front Seat, directed by Indy Saini. Catherine is the founder and CEO of Joy Music House, a full-service score production company, and the President of the Alliance for Women Film Composers.

Joel Douek is an award-winning composer and instrumentalist, whose music has appeared in hundreds of TV episodes, major documentary specials, as well as numerous films and national commercials. Specializing in orchestral drama, he also brings a fascination with world music and electronica into many of his scores. From big-screen IMAX features such as the BAFTA-winning film Flying Monsters 3D and the Liam Neeson-narrated Everest adventure: The Wildest Dream, to the multiple Emmy-winning First Life with Sir David Attenborough, thrilling features such as Manhattan Night, Trust, and The Tall Man with Jessica Biel, and iconic animations such as Yu-gi-oh!, Sonic X and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Joel’s music has brought many a scene and story to life.

Joel serves as Vice President of the Society of Composers and Lyricists and is also an exhibited artist and sculptor. 

Jack D. Elliot is an innovative industry veteran who has diverse and distinctive discography packed with artists like Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Kelly Rowland, Lo Fidelity Allstars, and Dolly Parton. He has over 20,000 compositions in television shows around the world including NAVY NCIS, Impractical Jokers, American Idol, America’s Next Top Model, Real Housewives of Orange County, Access Hollywood, E! News Live, and Good Morning America; has created original scores for networks ABC, CBS, Discovery, Lifetime, Bravo, and more; worked with advertisers such as Progressive Insurance, V8, and Dr. Pepper, and composed music for video games like Feral Rites for Insomniac Games/SONY. Jack has produced for award-winning songwriter Diane Warren for eight years and produced and wrote with superstar David Foster.

As a board member for the Society of Composers & Lyricists, Jack plans and hosts educational seminars in Los Angeles covering a range of subjects relevant to media composers. He is also actively involved in organizing the SCL’s annual Oscar and Emmy receptions, the inaugural SCL Awards, and writes product reviews for The Score magazine.

Russell Brower is a three-time Emmy Award winner, Composer, Musical Director, and Conductor. For over a decade, Brower was the Senior Director of Audio and Lead Composer at Blizzard Entertainment, developer and publisher of the World of Warcraft, Diablo III, StarCraft II, Overwatch, and Hearthstone franchises. Previously, Brower served as a Principal Media Designer and Music Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, creators of Disney’s theme parks worldwide. As an independent composer and sound artist, he has worked on such projects Mentas Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series, and many other series, specials, and films. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of Composers & Lyricists and is a member of NATAS and NARAS. “Invincible”, from his score for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, made its first appearance in the Classic FM Hall of Fame Top 300 in April 2014 at #52.

*** IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ ***

FREE for current SCL members (click HERE to check membership status).

Attendees will be emailed a Screening Link upon Registration and a Q&A YouTube Live Stream link on Monday, September 27, 10 minutes before Q&A start.

Attendees can ask questions on YouTube chat, and the SCL Host will pass them on to the Moderator. The SCL Member Code of Conduct applies to online Q&As.

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