As a survivor of suicide loss, Brandon Kapelow’s passion is for exploring topics related to mental health, which has been his focus as a Documentary Film Fellow at Columbia University’s DART Center for Journalism & Trauma (the Global Center for Journalism & Trauma), and a Western Media Fellow at Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West. Brandon’s film, “An Act of Service” premiered on The New York Times Op-Docs in 2024 and documents the use of psychedelic-assisted therapies in treating workplace traumas for first responders. The film received the Best Documentary Award at the Aesthetica Film Festival, and was featured in Short of the Week, Director’s Library. He is currently in production on a feature-length adaptation of the film, which is being executive produced by Riley Keough and Clay Tweel. Brandon is a winner of the 2024 Young Guns awards showcase, whose films have screened at numerous domestic and international festivals. Brandon’s ongoing body of work, “Somewhere I Belong” focuses on the issue of suicide in the American West, which for decades has experienced the nation’s highest rates of suicide death. Brandon lives in Wyoming and has written and photographed stories for TIME Magazine, NPR, and Magnum Photos. Outside of his creative practice, Brandon is a peer-support facilitator for SOLACE and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and serves on their Ethical Reporting Advisory Committee.