Create4mentalhealth was borne out of a love of the creative arts, and a grounded understanding of the struggles of living with an invisible illness. Working in partnership with Royal borough of Kingston, Time to change, Mind and Banquet records, the organization delivers real-time content via social media networks to global audiences, reaching well beyond the shores of UK.
Founded by a team of creatives with a passion for the arts, and wanting to raise awareness for invisible illnesses, Create4MentalHealth leverages live streaming workflows to connect with global audiences and deliver real-time content via social media networks. The UK-based nonprofit organization engages with youth around the world through live content and produced videos that deliver positive messages and offer mental health support. AJA’s standalone HELO H.264 streaming, recording and encoding device is central to the organization’s workflow to streamline reliable capture and delivery.
AJA’s HELO allows users to simultaneously stream video signals to Web Content Delivery Networks while encoding and recording H.264 files to SD cards, USB storage or network-based storage with the push of a button. Supporting a range of professional workflows, the H.264 streaming, recording and encoding device includes 3G-SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs and the power to handle up to 1080p recording formats among other features.
In a nutshell, HELO offers simple integration and flexibility for streaming workflows, facilitating rapid delivery of live and recorded content, which is essential for Create4MentalHealth’s work. Under the direction of CEO Justin Howard, the team uses Panasonic HPX 500E broadcast cameras with HELO to capture each feed and stream footage in H.264 to a predetermined CDN, whether Facebook Live, YouTube or the organization’s website. Along with the livestream, HELO simultaneously captures a live encoded recording to be shared with production partners to create auxiliary video content with quick turnaround; final deliverables are completed within a few hours.
“When working in a live production environment with no margin for error, HELO is one less thing for us to worry about,” said Howard. “Many streaming solutions are complex and require additional equipment, time and stress to get up-and-running. HELO is a robust one-stop-shop that offers full streaming capabilities without requiring any extra tools or resources.”
Versatile and user-friendly, HELO is a straightforward tool for many of Create4MentalHealth’s young and student volunteers to quickly adopt and begin working with. Organization leaders use HELO to teach streaming techniques and education on best practices to help prepare volunteers for careers in video production industries. HELO’s intuitive web browser-based UI for simple control and configuration streamlines use for beginners and video professionals at any level.
Create4mentalhealth is made up from film, marketing and communications professionals working along side metal health experts so we can deliver caring and supportive content to those young people who struggle. Our trustees are from a wide section of all industry sectors both business and creative. Create4MentalHealth’s mission is to take current advice and rework it into engaging short films. Breaking the stigma of mental health, creating videos that viewers are invited to share, because its important to spread positive mental health advice.
In the future, Create4MentalHealth intends to expand workflows with additional HELO units from AJA to create more content targeted at ending the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Integrating additional HELOs will aid in increasing content production to further build social media networks and engage with a wider global audience. In closing, Howard stated, “We can’t go wrong with HELO. It’s easy to use and offers amazing picture quality.”