In Season 5 Episode 5 of the More Than You See podcast, Deborah has an in-depth conversation with Brad Rushing, a celebrated musician and cinematographer known for his work on top movies on Netflix, HBO, and other platforms. This episode explores Brad's multi-disciplinary approach to life as an artist and how his identity has shaped his journey. Brad shares his experience navigating the industry, his creative processes in cinematography and music, and the importance of being unapologetically authentic. He discusses the challenges and lessons learned from the recent film industry strike, personal traumas, and the therapeutic aspects of immersing in music. Throughout the conversation, Brad emphasizes the significance of community, authenticity, and self-awareness in both professional and personal spheres, offering insights into finding one's group of people and the impact of being genuine on mental health and relationships. 00:42 Brad Rushing: A Multidisciplinary Artist's Journey 01:38 Embracing Authenticity and Finding Your Tribe 03:41 Brad's Personal Struggles and Triumphs During the Industry Strike 05:59 The Power of Collaboration and Building Your Creative Community 12:03 Exploring Musical Diversity and the Freedom of Being a Multi-Hyphenate Artist 17:33 The Therapeutic Journey of Rediscovering Music 21:47 Opening Up About Depression and the Quest for Authenticity 26:45 Navigating Misunderstandings and Embracing Authenticity 28:42 Rapid Fire Questions 34:02 The Creative Process and Overcoming Personal Struggles 45:02 Embracing the Multifaceted Self and Future Excitements 48:02 Finding Hope and Value in Commitment and Creativity 50:53 Reflections and Gratitude: Wrapping Up the Podcast About Brad: Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Brad expressed an aptitude for art and science from a very early age. He majored in fine art at Houston's prestigious High School For The Performing And Visual Arts and also college where he added filmmaking for a double major. Early filmmaking experience afforded Brad some of his first feature film opportunities as Director of Photography. After a number of years concentrating on indie feature films, Brad began to shoot high-end music videos photographing award-winning, iconic clips for artists like Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Nelly and Eminem. Brad has achieved a reputation as a gifted commercial cinematographer. Brad’s recent cinematography highlights include the Netflix Original feature films "A California Christmas" and “A California Christmas: City Lights.”, “Holiday Harmony” on Max, “Alarmed” on Tubi, and “The Island” on Starz. Brad's experience with visual effects led to an invitation to join as a full member of the Visual Effects Society. He is also a member of The Television Academy. Brad Rushing is known for being well-prepared, organized, fast, efficient, and always friendly and cheerful. He is a longtime vegetarian, animal lover, artist, musician, and songwriter. Brad's Links: Website Personal Instagram "Just Call On Me" (Song) "Dreams Are All I Have" (Song) If this episode resonates with you, please share it with your friends, subscribe, write a review, etc! It really does help spread the word of mouth! Thank you for being part of this MTYS community! Join us on social media: Instagram| Facebook | Website | Tik Tok | YouTube _______________________ Learn more about Deborah Lee Smith: Instagram | Facebook | Website ~NEWSLETTER SIGN UP~ ~ New here? Every Wednesday join me, Deborah Lee Smith (actor, filmmaker, and mental health advocate) for a conversation with creatives about their mental health journeys. We discuss the highs, lows, and in-betweens of a creative career and the tools they use to get through it all. Our hope is that you will resonate with their journey, pick up some tips and tricks for your own mental health, and most importantly, feel a little less alone. Because we’re all More Than You See.