Shukree Tilghman, Producer and Writer of THIS IS US, Signs On to Executive Producer the BeMeBeFree Campaign

Shukree Tilghman, producer and writer of "This is Us," has signed on to be the executive producer of the BeMeBeFree Campaign to encourage youth to share their personal anxiety stories through creative expression - written essay, poem, video or song.

"Companies certainly have a duty to be socially responsible. But more importantly, people do. And people make up companies. People have a responsibility to be good to each other, both in the micro and macro sense. It really is that simple," said Shukree Tilghman, a producer/writer of the hit NBC Show "This Is Us." "Being able to help tell the stories that are entertaining and socially relevant are always important to me. And stories that reflect the lives of young people, the people who'll make decisions about our society in the near future, have a particular resonance. Shedding light on mental health is an important endeavor that I hope will touch many corners of our society."

According to The National Institute of Mental Health, 38% of teen girls and 26% of teen boys have anxiety disorders, yet data shows that 40% of students with mental health concerns never seek help. Launching September 5, the BeMeBeFree Campaign encourages youth to share their personal anxiety stories through creative expression - a written essay, poem, video or song. A team of mental health professionals specializing in anxiety will then select one story that will inspire a Lifetime Original Movie to premiere in 2019.

BeMeBeFree is a campaign to raise public awareness about the urgent challenges teens and young adults are facing with anxiety, and to create a safe space for dialogue on the topic. From September 5-October 5, 2018, anyone ages 12-24 is invited to submit their anxiety stories to the BeMeBeFree website. The site also provides easy ways to connect with critical resources to address anxiety effectively.

"Anxiety has become a national epidemic, and teens are feeling pressures like no other generation before," said Darryl Roberts, creator of the BeMeBeFree and founder and CEO of Harley Boy Innovative. "We created BeMeBeFree to give young people a platform to reach out, share their authentic stories, and find a community of people who are going through similar experiences so they don't feel so alone."

"Teen anxiety can be debilitating for the person experiencing it, and parents can feel helpless and unprepared to deal with it," added Mekita Faiye, Manager of Original Movies, Lifetime Network. "Lifetime has such a strong relationship with mothers, which is why we wanted to support BeMeBeFree. It's a campaign that not only helps to shed light on a very important and timely topic, but allows us to do our part to heal families in the process."

"The number of teens suffering from anxiety has grown exponentially in recent years, along with the degree of their suffering," said Dr. John Duffy, clinical psychologist and best-selling author of The Available Parent. "I'm exceptionally excited about the potential of this campaign. The power of personal story can exert a profound positive impact on teens suffering from anxiety. This is the first project I've seen that really digs into story in a way I am convinced will make teens feel empowered, hopeful and less alone."

BeMeBeFree is collaborating with 20,000 high schools, 3,000 universities and over 800 mental health organizations to build awareness around the campaign and to create a positive shift in societal stigma around anxiety and mental illness.

The panel of judges who will select the winning story includes:

• Darryl Roberts, founder and CEO of Harley Boy Innovative, a consulting firm that focuses on programs that address social issues affecting teens and creator of the BeMeBeFree Campaign. Roberts launched the "Are You an Ally?" bully prevention program sponsored by Abercrombie and Fitch and featuring "Pretty Little Liars" actress Lucy Hale and the popular band Echosmith. He also wrote and directed the documentary America the Beautiful, which deals with America's unhealthy obsession with beauty and is now available in the libraries of 2,700 universities.
• Lauren Neaman, licensed clinical psychologist at the Depression and Anxiety Specialty Clinic of Chicago and board member for the National Social Anxiety Center (NSAC).
• Carolyn Costin, founder of Monte Nido, the first licensed residential eating disorder treatment facility in a home setting. Costin was the first to combine state-of-the-art eating disorder treatment with eastern healing modalities, such as yoga and meditation.
• Don Vardell, Executive Director of the nationally recognized Mountain Valley Treatment Center, specializing in the treatment of adolescent and emerging adult anxiety and OCD.
• John Duffy, clinical psychologist, certified life coach, parenting and relationship expert, and best-selling author of The Available Parent. Duffy is a regular contributor to WGN Radio and Chicago Tribune, served as a parenting expert for the "The STEVE HARVEY Show" for five years, and hosts the podcast "better."
• Alexandra Talarico, Director of Marketing for the Selective Mutism, Anxiety, & Related Disorders Treatment Center (The Smart Center) and director of the Smart Center's Intensive Group Treatment Program, CommuniCamp™.
• Patrick McGrath, assistant Vice President of Residential Services for AMITA Health Behavioral Medicine Institute and Executive Director of the Foglia Family Foundation Residential Treatment Center and the Clinical Director for the Center for Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders and School Anxiety and School Refusal Programs at AMITA Health Alexian Brothers.

Join the BeMeBeFree community on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and use the hashtag #BeMeBeFree.

About the BeMeBeFree Campaign

Launched in 2018, BeMeBeFree is a campaign to raise public awareness about the anxiety that teens and young adults face today. The campaign's goal is to improve the culture of mental health in America and connect youth to the critical resources they need to address and overcome anxiety effectively. For more information, visit www.bemebefree.org.

About Lifetime Network

Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning scripted series, non-fiction series and movies. In 2015, Lifetime launched Broad Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers to make its content which totals over 450 original hours. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

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