Anxiety is the most common group of mental disorders experienced by Australians aged 16 to 85, according to the latest ABS figures.i Could psychedelic assisted therapy hold the answer to our mental illness epidemic? This is the question explored in Psychedelics: Stepping into the Unknown – the thrilling final instalment in the third season of Australia Uncovered.

As the head of Australia’s first clinical psychedelic laboratory, Dr Paul Liknaitzky is fast emerging as a leader in this ground-breaking area of research. In a world first, Dr Liknaitzky and his team at Monash University trial the use of psilocybin (the active ingredient found in ‘magic mushrooms’) in psychedelic assisted therapy to treat Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). For two years, Psychedelics: Stepping into the Unknown is granted exclusive access to what unfolds.

We meet the participants before their treatment begins and witness their daily struggles living with anxiety. We follow them through treatment, including extraordinary psychedelic dosing sessions, and intense and intimate therapy. Their experiences are raw, courageous, and life changing.

After two eventful years, the trial concludes, and the brave participants reflect on the impact it has had on their lives. For Dr Liknaitzky, the Monash team and the many Australians seeking relief from their mental health struggles, the future of psychedelic therapy is only just beginning.

In early 2015, I got a call out of the blue from the talented film maker Naina Sen, who had been working with communities in Central and Northern Australia for many years.  She had a new project to film the freshly  reformed Central Australia Women's choir and was looking for a DOP.  It was extremely short notice but we made it happen, and I met her at the airport in Alice Springs to start the journey a week later.  It was a brilliant trip, as we followed the 'one and only' conductor extraordinaire Morris Stuart who travels to remote communities to run practice sessions with small groups in remote communities, who eventually meet in Alice Springs to form the choir.  Will post video elements when they're complete, a big thanks to Naina, Morris, and Morris's wife Barb for having me along.

“This is Reality” is an abstract exploration into the lasting impact of conflict, set in the independent nation of East Timor.  East Timor endured a brutal 24-year Indonesian occupation from 1975-1999 in which around 200,000 people were killed or disappeared.

Few carry these scars more distinctively than Osme Gonsalves, a celebrated artist, singer, poet, actor, and prominent ex-resistance fighter, who struggles to find peace despite the goal of sovereignty being reached. Frustrated by his nation’s perceived apathy, Osme creates a fake reality television show to travel the districts and interview the population about the contemporary reality of their lives.

Although tribal fighting has long been present in the Papua New Guinea highlands, the influx of modern automatic weaponry in the 1990s turned local disputes into swift lethal exchanges which threatened to permanently reshape highlands culture.

Bootlegged copies of the American film Rambo circulated in remote communities, becoming a crude tutorial on the use

of such weaponry. The influence of the film was so pronounced that the term Rambo is now used in Papuan dialects to describe hired mercenaries who are paid to support local combatants in violent tribal disputes. The services of Rambos were suddenly in high demand as a variety of M16s and Indonesian military weaponry found its way down the Sepik River through swap-laden smuggling routes.

Coal miners and climate activists regularly face off in heated and sometimes violent confrontations in the coal mining towns of Australia’s Queensland. On one hand, Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal, and on the other, it’s becoming a social pariah in a world going more green.

In the midst of a nation on fire, Australian photographer Matt Abbott immerses himself in an unprecedented environmental catastrophe to deliver imagery which reverberates around the world. Matt Abbott is among the closest witnesses to one of the worst environmental disasters of the last decade. His photography propelled the Australian bushfires to the top of the global news cycle and saw him nominated for highest international photography awards. The daily dose of toxic smoke left him with an entrenched lung infection; his personal health symbolic of the accumulating pain this fire season inflicted. This is an immersive first-hand account of Australia's black summer through Matt's extraordinary lived experience and a glimpse into the role of photojournalism to affect the international climate debate.

I was thrilled to get the call from my good friend director Naina Sen to shoot this SBS Food series in Darwin in 2019. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Darwin’s vibrant food community each day, particularly the main man Jimmy Shu, the gentle, humble and (and hilarious) host with the most. Premieres on SBS Food at 8:30pm Thursday, April 23rd 2020

Midway through 2014, the Animatism project received funding to bring out three of East Timorese's finest artists to make a mural and projection installation for the Gertrude Projection festival.  Tony, Alfe and Etson are all renowned painters in East Timor, although projected art installations are yet to appear back home.  So to capitalise on their artistic skills we set up a studio at the Fitzroy community art centre and had them freely pain the reverse of the glass.  The project won the 2014 Walker Abercrombie Judge's Award.

In 2013 I worked closely with Plan Australia to create a series of 7 short films for the launch of a new campaign based on child rights.  We kicked it off in Ethiopia with the first brief being centred around the 'Right to Play,' and luckily we found just the kid to demonstrate how important play and interactive learning are in early childhood development.  

We had two and a half days with Hennock, and spent the initial time getting to know him, before writing a story and filming during the next two.  I actually ran the race with him six times, and he won 5 out of 6 of them (a sandle mishap cost him the first race). Here's the story of Hennock, more to come soon. 

The first campaign I did for the TAC was around motorcycle safety working with the agency Isobar.  We selected two everyday stories to illuminate a variety of safety messages, and capture a diverse range of online audiences.  

In 2017 TAC wanted to create a handful of content stories to launch at the Cadel Evans Road race.  Matt Keenan and Peta Mullens came on board to offer their experience and enthusiasm, as well as some detailed safety tips for a variety of riding situations.   

In August 2014, the Animatism project lead us into an involvement with East Timor's first ever public art festival named Arte Publiku.  The festival was a combination of music, art, dance, performance and all things creative, encouraging nation building and creative exchange through a week of workshops and performance opportunities.  I was lucky enough to hold a camera to the event, and collaborated on two projection pieces for the festival.  

In the field of branded content, Redbull has to be one of the most exciting brands to work for -  their commitment to making extreme sports videos has grown a content empire which is fast overtaking their original energy drink product.  In early 2013 I presented concepts for two rider profiles to the Redbull team with the agency Hotglue, and luckily we got the all clear to put them into production later in the year. This is the first video, with two time Snowboard Cross World Champion Alex Pullin.

During Easter in 2014 I was lucky enough to spend a few days at the Rip Curl pro with Joel Parkinson, filming a piece for the car company HSV.  The shoot was jammed in the middle of competition which was a big challenge, but Joel was kind enough to allow us a great insight into a life it's easy to envy.  This is the first in a series of 4 to come between 2014-2015.

The culture of tribal fighting has long been present in the Papua New Guinea highlands, a bizarre obsession in an area of such beautiful landscapes and equally beautiful people. A simplistic mentality for revenge often drags out conflict for years and generations, as the logic of peace is overlooked in favour of instability.

The second campaign I did for the TAC was designed to launch at the 2016 MotoGP in Philip Island.  We spent time with a handful of motogp legends to discuss their careers, their passion, and of course a few safety tips allow the way.  

After getting to know the Nike team on the 2015 Tech Pack campaign, I was engaged by the sportswear division to put together a range of photoshoots for Air Max day 2016.  My job was to fulfil  the role of an agency in concepting, preparing and producing the shoots in Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Sydney.   I decided to engage the talented Andrew Diprose to shoot the content, and we travelled through the east coast to cover two executions.  Firstly the traditional Air Max shoe hold shot featuring AFL stars Gary Ablett and Patrick Dangerfield, NRL star Michel Jennings, and ultra marathon runner Bec Wilcock.  Secondly to an extended photo series and written article featuring Bec Wilcock for the digital magazine Limit'd created by Hype DC.

In the field of branded content, Redbull has to be one of the most exciting brands to work for -  their commitment to making extreme sports videos has grown a content empire which is fast overtaking their original energy drink product.  In early 2013 I presented concepts for two rider profiles to the Redbull team with the agency Hotglue, and luckily we got the all clear to put them into production later in the year. This is the second video with the 19 year old snowboarder Scotty James, who's set for a big few years after stepping up onto the professional circuit.  

Midway through 2015 I pitched for a new Nike apparel launch, which was probably a little over ambitious given the scale of the job and how quickly it needed to be completed.  But it turned out to be a ripping task shooting first in New Zealand with fitness trainer Kirsty Godso, then flying to Perth for AFL star Nic Naitanui and hockey player Anna Flanagan, and finishing off in Sydney with NRL player Michael Jennings.  It was a very challenging campaign in part due to the locations, also because I was silly enough to simultaneously direct and produce it.  But it was an enjoyable challenge, and I loved working with some extremely talented friends to shoot it in Australia and NZ. 

After spending almost a month in the Northern Territory travelling with a friend, we found the conditions for indigenous communities particularly hard to comprehend, and even harder to justify. Homes have been displaced, a sense of purpose lost, and a culture that has been strong for over 40,000 years suddenly looks beyond repair, after just a few centuries of western influence.

I was lucky to spend some time with Robbie Maddison early in 2016, a few months after he'd completed the game changing video "Pipe-Dream."  Robbie was taking some time out between shoots for a new Vin Diesel movie, and graciously took us into his home to share his everyday life.

Rabaul was once the most beautiful town in all of PNG. Settled around the profitable Simpson harbour, the town enjoyed all the relaxed qualities of PNG island life, with a stable economical base from harbour trade. 

East Timor has been a place of immense creative inspiration over the years, starting during my first trip with the Oaktree Foundation in 2010. I've worked on a variety of creative development projects with Dili's free art school Arte Moris, using small grants to facilitate exchanges and workshops between Dili and Melbourne.  The project has introduced me to some unforgettable characters, and will likely be a part of my life for many decades to come with many new projects currently in the pipeline.  

A short video made in collaboration with a handful of Timorese artists, lead by the brilliant Etson Caminha.  The idea was to film a handful of artists across different mediums responding to the theme of national identity to coincide with the national day of celebration.  

Early in 2016 I got a call from an old friend Dan Holland who was working as the Bendigo Bank Creative Hub manager and had written a TV script with a rapidly approaching deadline. It was the first time I’d worked on a script pre-written by an internal creative division, which turned out to be a hugely positive experience. It ensured everyone was on the same page from day one, and I was free to put all my attention on the storytelling and visuals - the first task being to concept up a handful of "regret" scenarios.  

I've been lucky enough to work in East Timor on a handful of jobs over the last few years, but the stand out has been working with the inspired crew from the free school Arte Moris.  I returned there in late 2013 to record a greatly expanded project covering dance, music, performance and visual art with workshops leading to a large scale exhibition at the Arte Moris facility. 

After a great experience working on the ‘No Regrets’ Bendigo Bank campaign, it was time for a different approach in 2017.  This time we wanted to really show the broader point of difference of Bendigo Bank, in particular the enormous contributions that go towards projects around each bank.  So we called on the beneficiaries to come forward with a bit of a surprise for customers.  Yes it was terrifying to shoot. 

In response to a critical food shortage in West Africa in 2012, I received a brief from Plan Australia that they had signed celebrity chef Manu Feildel as an ambassador, and were planning to work with him in the field in Niger.  Instead of creating event based videos I decided to design a campaign where we could stage release each part of the journey as episodes and build up buzz in line with his media schedule.  I was also lucky that my old friends at Visual Jazz agreed to build the site for free, so Plan had a full campaign at a minimum of cost.  The campaign later included online advertising and paid search, I also directed and edited a follow up with Manu in Sydney about his feelings one year on.  

After spending almost a month in the Northern Territory travelling with a friend, we found the conditions for indigenous communities particularly hard to comprehend, and even harder to justify. Homes have been displaced, a sense of purpose lost, and a culture that has been strong for over 40,000 years suddenly looks beyond repair, after just a few centuries of western influence.

I’m freelance creative working out of Melbourne. I feed off a balance of commercial work and development / social justice projects, with a goal to use my trade to push brave positive ideas across any medium. I've spent most of my recent years working as a creative director / film-maker / creative producer. Anything from coming up with large scale film ideas for Red Bull, to travelling solo with a camera kit. I've worked on documentaries, ad campaigns, online videos, projection installations, print design and motion graphics. I also made a wooden bookshelf the other week and it's mostly straight, but given how long it took I’d suggest only getting in touch if you need the other things.