Stories
News, project launches and thoughts from our team.
Project Launch: McMaster IBEHS Program
“Healthcare challenges are one of the biggest problems facing today’s society”
McMaster University is transforming these healthcare challenges into new learning experiences. Bringing the Health Sciences and Engineering faculties together, into a hands-on, project based 5-year program – the new Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences Program.
“Biomedical problems are very complex. There is the human element and the technological element and in order to solve these types of complex problems you need experts of many different areas of study and many different backgrounds, this program is going to produce such graduates.” – Colin McDonald, Assistant Professor, McMaster University
McMaster has a world class reputation in both health sciences and engineering. Consistently ranked internationally among the top 40 universities in the world for medicine and health sciences and rated one of the top ten engineering schools in Canada. At Double Barrel, we were thrilled and honored to help McMaster launch this groundbreaking program, which is the first of its kind in Canada!
“Double Barrel helped bring our vision to life. The team’s creativity and diligent work resulted in a stellar product that helped raise the profile of our new Integrated Biomedical and Health Sciences Program.” – Monique Beech, Manager, Public Relations, Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University
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Project Launch: Team Unbreakable – 30 Second Spot
Team Unbreakable is a therapeutic teen running group operating out of Hamilton, Ontario. Their goal is simple: to decrease anxiety and depression among our teen population by providing access to a proven mood-booster: exercise! Running has been proven to decrease depression and anxiety by suppressing stress hormones, while boosting feel-good hormones like endorphins.
The Hamilton Family Health Team is looking to add to its roster of runners and volunteers for this program, and would like to spread the message to #HamOnt teens. If you or anyone you know would benefit from either volunteering or running with this amazing organization please reach out!
We are proud to say that this piece will be screening in clinics across the City of Hamilton. Thanks to the Hamilton Family Health Team for involving us in such a great project!
**This piece is an accessible, shortened and animated version of the longer three minute promotional video we produced back in 2016.**
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PROJECT LAUNCH: Hamilton Family Health Team
There’s something so special about telling the story of an team that really goes out of its way to care for people. There’s a genuineness, a depth of character that the camera seems to magnify.. and it’s always a beautiful thing.
At Double Barrel, we’ve been lucky to create content for a variety of healthcare organizations. In all honesty, its one of our favourite industries to work with.
We met the Hamilton Family Health Team in the middle of May. They were in need of a mandate-driven video – one that would set the tone for a series of visioning exercises at this year’s AGM.
Under tight timelines we dove quickly into the project, filming at numerous locations around the city to showcase the breadth of the Health Team’s work. From mental health running groups for teenagers to cooking classes for diabetics, to film therapy classes for the general public. We documented as much as we could in the few days that we had, knowing that it would be impossible to show every facet of the impact the Hamilton Family Health Team has on our community.
Ultimately, this piece hit its mark, showcasing the diversity of approach and the warmth of the organization. It’s a video that everyone is wonderfully proud of – and from what we hear – went off smashingly at the AGM!
Thanks so much to the team at HFHT for allowing us to peek behind the curtain, it was our pleasure to shed some light on your fantastic organization.
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Taking the Stigma out of Student Mental Health
For parents, talking about mental health with their teens can be a seemingly uphill task. Oftentimes, kids suffer and keep their struggles hidden for far too long – and by the time they finally ask for help, it’s much harder to intervene.
Many parents aren’t aware that help exists within the school system, that trained professionals are waiting and willing to lend a hand if they’re given the opportunity.
The Halton District School Board is one of these school boards – progressive in their approach to student mental health. When they came to us with the important task of creating a video that would raise awareness amongst parents of the mental health services that they offer to students in the district – it was a challenge that we took very seriously.
“Mental health and well-being is everyone’s responsibility and requires a whole-school and community approach,” says David Euale, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. “We know positive mental health and student achievement are closely connected. We hope this video helps to create awareness of mental health issues and an environment that supports our students to succeed.”
Written and directed by Tyler Tekatch, stunningly shot by Christoph Benfey, crafted in the edit suite by Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay and sound mixed by the lads at Hive Studios – this is a piece that we are exceedingly proud of.
“This project was compelling to me because it was a chance to collaborate with drama students from the HDSB, all of whom were eager to participate, and to work with a school board that wanted to open up the conversation about mental health,” says director Tyler Tekatch. “The stigma regarding mental health is something that our society as a whole needs to break down, and the HDSB is taking the necessary steps to do that in their schools.”
Marnie Denton, Manager of Communication for the HDSB, had this to say about working with us ~ “Double Barrel Studios found a creative way to present the topic of Mental Health awareness for us. They took all our information and distilled it down to the essential points that needed to be communicated. From our first meeting to the final edits it was a pleasure to work with their team.”
