The architects of the Film and TV Charity’s (FTVC) mental health and wellbeing framework are stepping down from the organisation.
Head of industry engagement Anna Mishcon and head of mental health strategy Andy Glynne ran the charity’s Mentally Healthy Productions programme, which provided guidance to help ensure TV workers operate in mentally healthy environments.
The FTVC said it remained committed to upholding the programme’s principles and is now looking at the next phase of delivering its mental health strategy, building on initiatives such as The Whole Picture Toolkit, the Principles for Mentally Healthy Productions and responses to its annual Looking Glass Survey.
Mishcon, a former BBC News senior head of production, joined the charity in 2022. Writing on LinkedIn, she said: “What gives me the greatest optimism is that the conversation has changed.
“The question is no longer whether culture, leadership and working conditions matter. The question is how we continue to build on the progress already made.
“The launch and industry endorsement of the Principles for Mentally Healthy Productions was an important milestone, but the work ahead is now about embedding those principles so that they translate into practical, meaningful change for every person, in every role, on every production. There is still much to do.”
Glynne, who previously founded The Documentary Filmmakers Group and chairs the European Documentary Network, has worked for FTVC for five years.
In his LinkedIn post, Glynne said he remained committed to continuing the conversation on mental health after leaving the charity.
“I’ll continue working at the intersection of mental health, behaviour change, leadership, organisational culture and the creative industries, and I’m excited by some of the projects and collaborations already beginning to emerge,” he wrote. “So this is less a goodbye and more a ‘watch this space’.”
He added: “It’s been an extraordinary journey. What began as a conversation about wellbeing has evolved into something much bigger: a growing recognition that psychologically healthy workplaces are not a ‘nice to have’, but fundamental to how creative industries attract, support and retain talent.”
