Trauma Town
Trauma Town explores photojournalist and director Amanda Mustard’s navigation of generational trauma in the wake of her HBO documentary, Great Photo, Lovely Life. After spending more than 8 years unlocking secrets of her grandfather’s serial sexual abuse, there’s still a lot left to unpack. How do you tell your family story in a way that embraces its messy reality and avoids sensationalism? How do we respond to sexual violence, and how can we do better? Join Amanda for a series of candid, vulnerable, and occasionally funny conversations about the precariousness of breaking cycles of trauma.
Episodes
In a special bonus episode of Trauma Town, Amanda reflects on the overwhelming response she has received in the wake of Great Photo, Lovely Life’s release on December 5, 2023. Joined by Trauma Town producer — and bff — Jen Wilburne, she discusses her approach to receiving feedback, the reactions that she has received from viewers, and what she's got cooking next in her life.
This episode was recorded after the release of ...
Amanda chats with her friend and mentor Sasha Joseph Neulinger about their shared surreal experience as primary characters in their own documentary projects, what it’s like to navigate projections from outsiders, the importance of self-care, and the subjectivity of language around abuse.
This episode was recorded before the release of Great Photo, Lovely Life.
Sasha Joseph Neulinger is the Founder and President of Voice For ...
Sexual violence expert Kristen Houser-Rapp discusses society’s attitudes toward victims, misplaced blame, and the oversimplification of issues that could help prevent sexual violence. Kristen gives context around the nature of intrafamilial abuse and the grooming of spouses and family members and dissects Amanda’s family members’ responses to Bill’s violence and predation.
This episode was recorded before the release of Great...
Luke Malone – a producer of Great Photo, Lovely Life and expert on sexual abuse prevention – dissects how our society currently deals with child sex abuse, common misconceptions, helpful and harmful language around the topic, and ideas to help advance prevention efforts.
This episode was recorded before the release of Great Photo, Lovely Life.
Luke Malone is an award-winning journalist who writes stories and produces docum...
Rachel Beth Anderson, Great Photo Lovely Life’s co-director and director of photography, and Tyler H. Walk, the film’s editor, join the podcast to talk about their experiences making a film together. As friends and collaborators, they discuss the importance of trauma-informed filmmaking, the role that religion played in Amanda’s family’s story, and the importance of finding levity together while telling dark stories.
This epi...
Erica Flickinger is Amanda’s cousin who coined the term, “The Clean-Up Crew” to describe her and Amanda’s roles in a long lineage of generational trauma. In this conversation she and Amanda open up about codependency, protecting parents who couldn’t protect themselves, and the challenges of being in a dysfunctional family – especially when that family is then the subject of a documentary.
This episode was recorded before the r...
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