2 Gabes in A Car Sharing Mental Health Stories - OC87 Recovery Diaries

2 Gabes in A Car Sharing Mental Health Stories

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Gabe Nathan and Gabe Howard are two different people who live in two different states (Gabe N – Pennsylvania, Gabe H – Ohio). One grew up in an upper middle class environment, the other in a working class neighborhood. One worked in a psychiatric hospital, the other was a patient in one. No doubt that each has had, and still has, his share of challenging days and nights.

In addition to sharing a first name, they also share a passion for busting stigma about mental illness.  Gabe N lives with anxiety and depression and he is the Editor in Chief of OC87 Recovery Diaries. Gabe H is the host of two podcasts: A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic and a Podcast and The Psych Central Show. He is a writer and speaker who lives with bipolar and anxiety disorders.

Mental health advocacy brought them together, but something deeper created a connection.

So one fall day, armed with three GoPro cameras, a chase vehicle and an audio engineer stuffed into the way back of Gabe N’s van, we set off to explore this unique relationship, and record a day of driving and talk. And these fellas can talk. Conversation ranged from depression to anxiety to the trauma of high school bullying to theater to vasectomies to suicide to psychiatric institutions to the business of being a mental health advocate to the nearest location where Gabe H could score a Diet Coke. At times it got deep and serious, and other times just plain silly.

The two didn’t always agree with each other, but they were respectful when they disagreed, and most importantly, were comfortable being vulnerable together—which may be the foundation of friendship.

While both Gabes are skilled orators, and each writes with beauty and passion about his individual journey of mental health, there is real power when the two come together. Put them both in a car with a camera, press “record” and you’re bound to capture more than mental health advocacy—what you get is wonderful storytelling, artful conversation, heartbreaking realism and a portrait of a friendship based on deep, mutual respect.  Enjoy this ode to friendship; OC87 Recovery Diaries’s holiday gift to you.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Gabriel Nathan | EDITOR: Glenn Holsten | DESIGN: Leah Alexandra Goldstein | PUBLISHER: Bud Clayman

See Related Recovery Stories: Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Mental Health Short Films

Glenn is an award-winning director who loves to create compelling documentary story experiences of all lengths for screens of all sizes. He is an avid reader, studied literature in college, and his passion for stories with strong characters and interesting narratives stems from those years. His career as a visual storyteller began at WHYY (the public television station in Philadelphia) where he worked for 15 years before becoming an independent filmmaker. In addition to his PBS documentaries about arts and culture, he has directed films about justice and human rights, and now, mental health. He was emboldened to undertake his current documentary project, Hollywood Beauty Salon, a colorful feature-length documentary about surviving mental illness and finding the courage for recovery, after his transformative experience directing OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie, along with Bud Clayman and Scott Johnston.

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