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No Ordinary Joe
 Documentary
tells story of a family, which turned a personal tragedy into action.Local Emmy-award winning director/producer Gary May brings a moving
story about teenage depression to Detroit Public TV in hopes of diminishing
the stigma attached to mental illness in the United States.
May's documentary, No Ordinary Joe, airs Monday, 10/1/07 from
3:30-4:30 a.m. ET, and was produced to celebrate the life of Joe Laurencelle,
who was diagnosed with bipolar depression at 22 and committed suicide
at 26.
The documentary brings into the spotlight the advocacy efforts of the
Joseph J. Laurencelle Memorial Foundation, established to educate young
men, women and their families about mental illness; to increase awareness
of the disease in the community; and to advocate for compassionate acceptance
for people who suffer from mental illness.
May, of Royal Oak, teamed up with the Foundation, Wayne State University's
Department of Psychiatry, which is conducting a national study on teenage
mental illness and Detroit Public TV, which is producing a panel discussion,
hosted by WJR's Paul W. Smith, to air after the documentary. The in-studio
segment will introduce viewers to Detroit-area residents who have successfully
coped with mental illness and health care professionals offering information
about local mental health resources.
May also collaborated with local writers Susan Knoppow and Kimberly
Lifton of Huntington Woods, who co-wrote the script and conducted local
and national interviews.
With experts from leading research facilities, including Wayne State,
Harvard and Johns Hopkins universities, the documentary discusses the
ongoing battle against mental illness. Also in the documentary, Joe's
friends, family members, teens and college students offer insight into
the current world of anxiety that plagues the nations' youth and their
families.
"We all know someone like Joe," said May, who hopes to air
this story nationally. "Through this family's personal tragedy,
we hope to provide new ideas that can change the way people think about
mental illness, and ultimately save lives."
Mike Laurencelle, Joe's father, is the show's executive producer, and
Communicore of Birmingham handled production and post-production services.
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SPONSORS
 Production
& outreach funding provided in part by the Joseph
J. Laurencelle Foundation. |
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