Meet some of the amazing people who are contributing to the creation of this film.
Director
Kevin Hines is an award-winning global storyteller, bestselling author, documentary filmmaker, suicide prevention, wellness, and mental health advocate who reaches audiences with his story of an unlikely survival and his strong will to live. Two years after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, at the age of 19, he attempted to take his life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge.
He is one of only thirty-six (less than 1%) to survive the fall. He is the only Golden Gate Bridge jump survivor who is actively spreading a message of living mentally well around the country and throughout the globe.
He was awarded the Clifford Beers Award this year from Mental Health America. It is widely considered the most prestigious award given to an individual with lived experience within the mental health field. Kevin was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health & Eli Lilly. Kevin has been named by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, the US Government arm of Mental Health) as a Voice Awards Fellow and Award Winner, an Achievement Winner by US Veterans Affairs and he has received over 30 medals of excellence from the United States Military as a civilian.
Kevin sits on the boards of the International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF), the Bridge Rail Foundation (BRF) the Mental Health Association of San Francisco (MHASF), and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s Consumer Survivors Committee..
Previously, he was a board member of the San Francisco Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Kevin was a two-term member of San Francisco’s Mental Health Board and has spoken in congressional hearings alongside Patrick Kennedy in support of The Mental Health Parity Bill.
In the summer of 2013, Kevin released his bestselling memoir titled Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt. Still selling out today. He is currently producing a documentary called Suicide: The Ripple Effect.
Kevin’s will to live and stay mentally well has inspired millions of people worldwide. His compelling story has touched diverse, global audiences within colleges and universities, high schools, corporations, clergy, military, clinicians, health and medical communities, law enforcement organizations, and various conferences. Hundreds of thousands have communicated to Hines that his story helped them, and thousands have said his story helped save their lives.
His story was featured in the 2006 film “The Bridge” by the film director and producer Eric Steel. Thousands of people have reached out to him expressing thanks for his message of hope within the film. The story was most recently picked up by Buzzfeed, and within less than a month of being posted on Facebook, received 31.4 million views, across all social media platforms it has received over 34 million views.
Kevin believes in the power of the human spirit and in the fact that you can find the ability to live mentally well. His mantra: “Life is a gift, that is why they call it the present. Cherish it always.”
Producer
Greg is a native of Louisiana who in 1993 moved to Hollywood and began living his vision of working in the film industry. Several years later that career path was derailed by mental illness and drug addiction. For the last 9 years he has been leading one of the nation’s leading youth programs focused on empowering young people with mental health, substance abuse and foster care challenges. Since 2010 Greg has been combining these two passions and has produced, directed and edited numerous mental health related PSA's and videos designed to educate and inspire.
In his previous film career Greg held a variety of positions including production assistant, assistant director, director, and producer on independent, and major studio feature films, music videos, commercials, and short films. Greg has produced, and directed numerous commercials, film, and video projects including the TV pilot Tribe TV, which received a regional EMMY Award. He produced Heroin the Real Deal, a prevention film featuring surviving members of the band Sublime. Go Cat Go – an EPK for music legend Carl Perkins, and a 35mm music video.
Greg has continued to sharpen his producing skills by producing large scale youth festivals MY Fest, and other community events throughout the country. He has produced 20 MY Fest events nationally with budgets totaling over five hundred thousand dollars. They have attracted over 50,000 attendees and reached thousands more via social media and news coverage from Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, COX and Comcast TV affiliates, as well as numerous major radio networks.