HEALING THROUGH HUMOUR: MIXING MENTAL HEALTH, COMEDY AND BUSINESS Professor Michael Taylor and Professor Tatiana Levit wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The author may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized or otherwise reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the copyright holder. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Business School, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 0N1; (t) 519.661.3208; (e) cases@ivey.ca; www.iveycases.com. Copyright © 2013, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: 2013-10-30 In late June 2013, Ian Morrison, the founder of Healing Through Humour (HTH), considered his options for overcoming the barriers to growth for his not-for-profit organization. HTH was a comedy school in Regina, Saskatchewan that was designed to give people living with mental illness a unique opportunity to find a positive perspective on their lives through the art of stand-up comedy writing and performing. The program culminated with a public performance. HTH’s overarching goals were to build self-esteem and life skills for people suffering from mental illness, to raise public awareness about mental health issues and to break down barriers of mental health discrimination in the mainstream community. Morrison was proud of the organization’s accomplishments, but currently class sizes were small. A general market assessment and his own experience indicated that there was a large unfilled need in the community for this type of mental health therapy. Nevertheless, few people were joining the classes. Morrison needed to find a strategy to increase the awareness of the school and thereby provide benefit for more people. Attendance at HTH’s comedy performances had varied but overall was disappointing. Morrison wondered how to better promote the shows to improve attendance. The money from ticket sales was needed to fund HTH’s performance and operating costs. As a non-profit organization with a close to zero budget for advertising and promotion, Morrison knew his promotion strategy would have to be targeted. The best he could hope for was to start a wave of word-of-mouth promotion through the City of Regina and maybe across the province. MENTAL HEALTH Research from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the Canadian Institute of Health indicates that 1 20 per cent of Canadians will personally experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime. Exhibits 1 and 2 provide an overview of mental health facts in Canada from CMHA and the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Many people with mental illness don’t like to discuss it. Their silence often means they go undiagnosed and untreated. To make matters worse, the general public has a lack of information and understanding of mental illness, 1 http://www.cmha.ca/media/fast-facts-about-mental-illness/#.UfvPbZJOQfU, accessed March 15, 2013. 53 For use only in the course Summer 2017 Introduction to Marketing – at Saint Mary’s University taught by Heidi Weigand from May 08, 2017 to June 30, 2017. Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation. 9B13A033 Page 2 9B13A033 REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN 3 Regina is the capital of the province of Saskatchewan; with a population of approximately 210,000 people, it is the sixteenth largest city in Canada. The city’s website describes it as an “oasis” in the prairies. Regina has a thriving and diverse economy including businesses in insurance, financial and data management services, telecommunications, oil and natural gas exploration and production, agricultural chemicals and equipment, electrical and electronic equipment, film and video production, call centres and potash and nitrogen fertilizer 4 production. IAN MORRISON Ian Morrison was born and raised in Regina and had strong connections to the community. Now 32 years old, he has suffered from mental illness all his life. He understands firsthand not only the challenges facing people suffering from mental illness but that many require a different method of teaching. When he was struggling in a new media college class, the instructor suggested that he enroll in a comedy performing arts program. Morrison subsequently enrolled and graduated from the Humber College of Comedy Writing and Performance in Toronto, Ontario. After graduating and reflecting on his own life experiences, he decided to start a comedy school in his home town to help change the public perceptions of mental illness and to use humour therapy to help people suffering from mental illness. Morrison did not consider himself a business person was unsure of what marketing methods he could use to promote his venture. He had successfully secured start-up sponsorship from CMHA and the Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan (SSS) and had attracted attention from the media. His own drive, with the support of CMHA and SSS, has made HTH possible and thrust him into a leadership position. HEALING THROUGH HUMOUR HTH was started in 2009 by Morrison; its core activity was an instructional program of writing and performing stand-up comedy. The program focused on providing people living with mental illness an outlet to reduce stress and enhance their self-competence, as well as build coping skills and a sense of control, through laughter and group discussion. In line with HTH’s larger goals, the subject of the comedy was aimed at reducing public stigmas, prejudice and discrimination about mental illness. Currently, there were no similar programs offered in Saskatchewan, and HTH would like to expand to Saskatoon, the other major city in the province, and perhaps offer performances throughout the province. Morrison had found a similar organization in Vancouver — Stand Up For Mental Health — that had successfully attracted funding sponsors and expanded to other locations across Canada such as Halifax, Guelph, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. Before starting up his own company, he had approached Stand Up For Mental Health with a plan to open a branch in Regina, but the licensing fee was prohibitive. As a result, Morrison decided to move forward and start his own organization, and HTH was born. 2 Interview with Ian Morrison, June 25, 2013. Statistics Canada, https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-cmaeng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CMA&GC=705 accessed June 27, 2013. 4 www.Regina.ca, accessed August 2, 2013. 3 54 For use only in the course Summer 2017 Introduction to Marketing – at Saint Mary’s University taught by Heidi Weigand from May 08, 2017 to June 30, 2017. Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation. which sometimes results in people with mental illnesses being misunderstood; their actions are treated as irresponsible 2 behaviour, and they are discriminated against. 9B13A033 HTH was financially supported by CMHA and SSS. Weekly classes were held in donated space at the SSS office, a convenient downtown location on Broad Street in Regina. CMHA provided modest funding for operating expenses of the comedy class. Any expenses associated with performances required extra fundraising. The constant competition for charity dollars was an ongoing challenge for HTH. Funding for performances came solely from ticket sales. HTH distributed profits from shows to the participants who performed. Although the compensation was small and mainly symbolic, it greatly benefited the participants, who often had very little income, and gave them the satisfaction and confidence that comes from being a successful performer. The small amount of residual money left from low audience ticket sales made it difficult for HTH to generate the funds needed to promote the performances or increase the awareness of comedy classes to the community. Corporate donors in Regina were bombarded with funding requests from many worthwhile causes, and Morrison was not optimistic about the prospects of attracting corporate sponsorships. He focused his attention on increasing the audience attendance at performances as a primary means to generate funding. Comedy Classes HTH provided an opportunity for anyone struggling with some form of mental illness who was working towards bettering their lifestyle and who had the frame of mind to learn and develop social skills in a friendly and welcoming environment. Weekly classes helped participants gain confidence in a group setting by teaching them the art of comedy. The program was available free of charge. Its motto was “Once you’re ready to laugh, you’re ready to heal.” The ideal participant was one who suffered from a manageable mental illness, who was already on the road to recovery and who had a desire to fight the stigma associated with mental illness. As a result of public misunderstanding and stigma, many people suffering from mental illness do not want to admit they have a problem, do not feel comfortable talking about it and consequently are often left to live untreated. For this reason, HTH focused its comedy on reducing public stigma, prejudice and discrimination about mental illness, often with self- deprecating humour. Morrison was convinced that there were many people in Regina who could benefit from the HTH program, but they were currently unaware of it or unwilling to join. He set a goal to increase the class size by 50 per cent in the next six months. Current class participation was less than 10 people per year. Although Morrison was not a therapist and the class was not intended to be a therapy session, it was used as a form of healing, allowing people with any mental illness to discuss their illness with others of a like mindset and to make light of their situation. One-on-one professional counseling was available from health care professionals in Regina, as well as some peer support groups. Although HTH had a strong relationship with CMHA and SSS, it was not a health care organization. The weekly HTH course materials, workbooks and lesson plans were all written by Morrison. Working together, the students came up with new performance material and were able to perform in front of the class to gain practice and feedback. At the end of an eight-week session, they were ready to perform their own comedy routine, advocating against the stigma of mental illness. Comedy Performances Four times a year, HTH performed a comedy night at the Artful Dodger Cafe & Music Emporium, a café and pub in the heart of downtown Regina that provided a performance venue with a capacity of 145 patrons.5 Admission was Cdn$5 and the event was open to the general public. Performances were promoted through the HTH website and 5 http://www.artfuldodgerarts.com, accessed August 2, 2013. 55 For use only in the course Summer 2017 Introduction to Marketing – at Saint Mary’s University taught by Heidi Weigand from May 08, 2017 to June 30, 2017. Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation. Page 3 Page 4 9B13A033 The live performances were a very important part of the healing process for each participant. The comedy class was intended to be a transitional experience, a safe stepping stone, for those people who felt separated from the larger society by their mental illness. The class was a safe environment for similar minded people that allows for selfexpression and sharing of ideas, experiences and stories. The live performances were the next step, where, still as part of the group in a somewhat controlled environment, the participants could step out of their comfort zone and face the public. The next logical step was to become more integrated with the rest of the world and handle day-to- day activities on their own. For this reason, it was important that the performance attract a large enough audience so that the performers would feel challenged. The process of group support, practice during class and ultimately overcoming some of their fears to perform in public was the fundamental concept of HTH. Regina has many entertainment alternatives competing for a share of the entertainment market. One of the challenges facing HTH was to increase ticket sales for the quarterly performances. Morrison wondered if he should position the performances as a philanthropic event to support mental health or as a mainstream comedy event. He was convinced that the long-term purpose and brand of HTH must be to improve the understanding and acceptance of people suffering from mental illness. In the short term, he needed to find low cost effective methods of promoting HTH’s performances to improve ticket sales. The current HTH website (www.healingthroughhumour.com) had several videos from past performances and news about upcoming shows (see Exhibit 4). However, Morrison was still disappointed with the audience size. A recent market study conducted for HTH by marketing students at the University of Regina found that few people in Regina were aware of HTH. Movie Productions Morrison and a group of amateur filmmakers had also produced a low budget feature film entitled “The Mental Patients Who Saved the World.” It was an HTH-scripted comedy, and most of the actors were affiliated with HTH. Morrison was working on a second film. Promotional Activities Morrison’s creative talent and the admirable mission of HTH had been the topic of a variety of media features. He had appeared on the Regina CTV Morning show, CBC Regina evening news and the CBC Radio morning show. HTH was featured in multiple articles and in a documentary by journalist and film maker Kate Crowley. “Healing Through Humour” breaks down the stigma of mental illness and explores how stand-up comedy can have a healing effect. Beyond free promotion that came from occasional media attention, HTH’s promotional activities were severely limited by its scant operating budget. Morrison’s goal was to generate ongoing word-of-mouth promotion that would spark interest and spread the news about the regular public performances. As a side-effect, this would generate awareness about the healing opportunity of the comedy classes for those who could benefit from them. Beyond posters promoting upcoming performances, the main promotional tools were the organization’s website and a Facebook page. Pricing A ticket for a performance was Cdn$5. Morrison increased it to Cdn$10 one time and attendance was very low. He wondered if the increase may have discouraged some potential attendees. Also, that same show was considerably shorter than the normal time because the group realized that there were young people in the audience, and raunchy parts of the comedy had to be cut out. It was hard to predict on who would attend the next show. 56 For use only in the course Summer 2017 Introduction to Marketing – at Saint Mary’s University taught by Heidi Weigand from May 08, 2017 to June 30, 2017. Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation. posters around the city (see Exhibit 3). HTH also had a link on the CMHA website. Many in the audience were people who either knew someone in the class or had a connection with HTH. Page 5 9B13A033 Although Morrison was very proud of HTH’s success, he knew that much needed to be done to improve public stigma, prejudice and discrimination about mental illness. He also knew that many more people could benefit from the healing effects of the comedy classes — but only if they were aware of them and unafraid to come forward to join. He focused on his three top-of-mind short-term objectives: grow the class size, increase performance audience ticket sales and improve HTH’s funding situation. Morrison wondered what was the most effective way to reach potential participants for the comedy class. He knew that mental health issues occur across all social groups, all income levels, all ages, all education levels and all ethnic groups. He also wondered what image and message he wanted to communicate for HTH. If he wanted to increase word-of-mouth promotion, he needed a short, simple message that would project the image he desired. The classes were held in an available meeting room at the SSS. This donated space was all HTH could afford, and the SSS was supportive of HTH’s goals. Morrison disagreed with some feedback that the location created an image that might deter some participants from joining. The comedy course was a casual weekly drop-in program. Morrison wondered if he should make it a more formal course with specific start dates. This might make it more effective, but on the other hand, he wanted everyone to feel there were no barriers and participants could attend or join whenever it suited them. For this reason, he did not want to charge a fee for the classes. Many of the participants had low income and disadvantaged backgrounds. Morrison was very pleased and proud of the success of HTH’s early performances at the Artful Dodger, and he was reluctant to make too many changes. Going forward, he knew that he could modify the comedy show to tone it up or down. Morrison said, “We can deliver a clean-and-corporate version, a 19+ version, or a Rough-and-Raw version.”6 Some of the shows at the Artful Dodger had been Rough-and-Raw, which he felt seemed to suit the audience there. It was also the comfort zone for many of the performers from the comedy class. Morrison felt that the HTH business model was working. He wanted to build on that success and not change too much. Nevertheless, he speculated about how to grow audiences and ticket revenue. He wondered if HTH had the right mix of venue, audience and tone. As a non-profit organization with close to zero budget for advertising and promotion, Morrison knew that some of the creativity that was used for humour would be required to come up with a creative promotion strategy and business plan going forward. 6 Interview with Ian Morrison, June 25, 2013. 57 For use only in the course Summer 2017 Introduction to Marketing – at Saint Mary’s University taught by Heidi Weigand from May 08, 2017 to June 30, 2017. Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation. Building on Success Page 6 9B13A033 There is no single cause of any mental health problem or illness, and no one is immune, no matter where they live, how old or young they are or their social standing. The good news is that recovery is increasingly possible The concept of recovery is built on the principles of hope, empowerment, self-determination and responsibility. In a recovery-oriented system, people who experience mental health problems and illnesses are treated with dignity and respect. …factors include having a sense of belonging, enjoying good relationships and good physical health, feeling in control of one’s life, and possessing good problem-solving skills. People living with mental health problems and illnesses often report that the experience of stigma — from members of the public, from friends, family and co-workers, and even at times from the very service systems that they turn to for help — has a more devastating impact on them than the illness itself. . . . We can…defeat the stigma that has blighted people’s attitudes for far too long and has fed the discrimination that so many have endured. We can and must ensure that everyone who confronts a mental health problem or illness is able to count on the same support, treatment and services as anyone who is facing a physical health challenge. Changing attitudes and fighting stigma require more than just improving understanding of the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and illnesses. The best way to break down stigma is through �