Rainn Wilson Headshot - P 2013
Getty ImagesMTV and The Office vet Rainn Wilson have partnered for a one-hour special focusing on mental health.
Life Continued: Defeating Depression, produced by Wilson’s media and production company SoulPancake, will air on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, which is World Mental Health Day, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
The special will focus on the lives of two college students, 21-year-old Devin (first photo below) from Indiana and 20-year-old Sarah Virginia (second photo below) from North Carolina, who fought their way through severe mental health struggles, but found hope and a path to recovery by taking steps to feel better and drawing strength from those around them. With suicide the third-leading cause of death among people aged 15-24, Life Continued’s goal is to empower viewers facing emotional struggles to get help or support friends in need.
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“Life Continued: Defeating Depression builds on MTV’s deep-rooted history of tackling issues young people are facing, and we’re proud to partner with Rainn Wilson and his team at SoulPancake to use the power of storytelling to connect with the audience on this important issue,” said Susanne Daniels, president of programming at MTV. “We hope that by sharing the stories of these incredibly brave young people, we can empower viewers who are struggling to understand that they are not alone, and that things can get better.”
Added Wilson: “SoulPancake is excited to partner with MTV to tell the brave stories of two college students who found their way out of the darkness. We hope this special can inspire viewers to seek help and support, and find the courage to heal.”
MTV and SoulPancake, which produces content that is “joyful, thought-provoking, quirky, cinematic and full of heartfelt emotion,” are also partnering with non-profit organization The Jed Foundation to help viewers who relate to the stories featured in the special with a custom resource center on the Half of Us campaign website through the “Love Is Louder” campaign.
Life Continued is executive produced by Wilson, Golriz Lucina, Shabnam Mogharabi, Sarah North and Bobby Pura.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
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