Scott Mills to host the 20th Mind Media Awards sponsored by Virgin Money Giving
Mind, the mental health charity, announces Scott Mills from BBC Radio 1 as the host for the Mind Media Awards 2013, sponsored by Virgin Money Giving. The event will be held at The British Film Institute on Monday 18 November.
Actress Olivia Colman will also guest present an award at the event, which honours the best portrayals and reporting of mental health problems across broadcast, print and digital media.
Through candid press interviews and his autobiography Love You Bye, Scott has detailed his own battles with anxiety and panic attacks from a young age. His unguarded honesty has given confidence to many others, to in turn speak out and seek help for their own experiences.
Scott Mills said:
“The media has amazing power to inform and to inspire. It has a duty to tell the truth about mental health problems and in doing so, challenge the painfully outdated opinions that many people still hold.
“This is why I’m so proud to host this year’s Mind Media Awards, sponsored by Virgin Money Giving, to celebrate those in the industry who have stepped up to the plate, recognised the stand they can take to crush stereotypes, and told the real story of mental health.”
Olivia Colman said:
“I believe authenticity is at the heart of any drama worth its salt – it’s as true for costume design as a character’s accent, but it’s vital that programme makers understand there’s no exception when it comes to the portrayal of mental health problems. The media industry has huge influence and with that comes a responsibility to contest the stigma that sadly still exists, through accurate representation.
“The Mind Media Awards sponsored by Virgin Money Giving, challenges actors, writers, programme makers, journalists and bloggers to do just this and I am thrilled to be presenting an award at this year’s event.”
This year marks 20 years of the awards and the charity’s ongoing work to challenge sensationalism and misinformation about mental health problems in the media. The 2013 shortlist has been announced, to include Stacey Solomon’s documentary for BBC3 Depression, Teen Mums & Me, Channel 4’s My Mad Fat Diary and Glamour magazine’s print campaign Hey, It’s OK. See the full Mind Media Awards shortlist.
The winner will be announced at the ceremony on Monday 18 November. Join the conversation and see live winner announcements on Twitter: @MindCharity #VMGMindAwards