Cult Escape Artists
Cult Escape Artists - Interview Podcast - Feature Documentary - Documentary Series We dive in to stories of artists escaping cults from around the globe. The director of the feature documentary WITNESS UNDERGROUND interviews artists, musicians, actors, directors, authors etc. who successfully navigated mind control tactics and got out of a cult. Through making our documentary, artists all over the world emerged with amazing music, art, and stories which we show off as powerful examples of resilience and empowerment. Film short synopsis: Witness Underground is a feature documentary that reveals the insular DIY music community that emerged within a high-control cult. Music, fame, and success are typically forbidden in this faith, who instruct its members to “beware of independent thinking.” The artists at the heart of the music scene have their faith tested in deeply personal ways. They battle for positive mental health and push the boundaries of their religion’s norms, where leaving means being banned from interacting with your entire family and social circle for life. Although severely restricted, they create the record label Nuclear Gopher and produce over 30 albums of earnest and personal music that spans singer/songwriter, riot grrrl, psychedelic rock, pop, EDM, shoegaze, and post-rock. Carefully curated songs and live performances punctuate their stories of friendship, deep loss, and personal growth. Watch the film - Follow the podcast WitnessUnderground.com Watch: Vimeo.com/ondemand/witnessunderground Patreon.com/WitnessUnderground Youtube.com/@BananaIslandFilms
Episodes
Decult, a safe space for former cult members, government officials, cult experts, human rights activists, LGBTQ+, mental health care works, skeptics, therapists, psychologists, psychotherapists, medical doctors, lawyers, film directors, satire artists, & trafficking advocates. Decult Cult Awareness Conference exposed how religious cults today are a growing problem.
Recap of the groundbreaking Decult Cult Awareness Con...
In this special episode Scott Homan sits down with Austrian cult expert and professional skeptic Ulrike Schiesser as part of our Decult Takeover series, in support of the upcoming Decult Cult Awareness Conference. Ulrike, a psychologist and psychotherapist working at the Federal Office for Cult Affaires (Bundesstelle für Sektenfragen) in Austria, has dedicated her career to understanding and dismantling the psychological manipulati...
Anusha Bradley, a renowned investigative journalist at Radio New Zealand, discusses her in-depth reporting on Jehovah’s Witness shunning—a practice that has caused widespread emotional abuse among those who leave the faith or are disfellowshipped, officially kicked out. Anusha Bradley will also be leading a panel at the upcoming Decult Cult Awareness Conference, where she will engage with former Jehovah’s Witnesses, including mysel...
In this special episode of the Decult Takeover Series, I’m joined by Liz Gregory, the founder of the Gloriavale Leavers' Support Trust, who plays a crucial role in helping survivors of the notorious Gloriavale Christian Community in New Zealand. Liz and her work are featured in the new film Escaping Utopia, and in this interview, she delves deep into the challenges faced by those who manage to escape this multi-generational cu...
Join us for an illuminating episode of our Decult Takeover series in support of the Decult Cult Awareness Conference! We’re honored to have Doctor Caroline Ansley, a Christchurch, New Zealand-based medical doctor and co-host of the Cult Chat Podcast, as our special guest. Dr. Ansley is the visionary founder of the Centrepoint Restoration Project and a child survivor of the infamous Centrepoint cult. She has dedicated her life to su...
In this special episode, I sit down with Craig Hoyle, an LGBT+ author, journalist, and religious refugee from Auckland, who will be speaking at the Decult Cult Awareness Conference in Christchurch. Craig's powerful personal story, as told in his book Excommunicated: A Multigenerational Story of Leaving the Exclusive Brethren, sheds light on the traumatic consequences of ex-communication and the multigenerational impact of leav...
We’re excited to announce that Lindy Jacomb will be one of the speakers at Decult Cult Awareness Conference 2024! Lindy co-hosts the Cult Chat Podcast and runs the Olive Leaf Network, an organization dedicated to providing aid and advocacy for former members of high-demand religious groups. Lindy herself is a religious refugee, having been kicked out of her religion—the Exclusive Brethren (Plymouth Brethren)—at just 20 years old. S...
This woman was interrogated by cult leaders. Female Hollywood writer, actor, director, Bonnie Root, explores the system of manipulation, abuse, and control in the Jehovah Witnesses and the film industry. We dive into her experience with a cult Judicial Committee, sexual interrogations, her award-winning film, "Sissy" about grooming of teens, The Movie, a physchological thriller, and her new ExJW film coming out, Diary of ...
Ryan DuVal, software engineer and old friend from Colorado, was the only person I asked to help produce Witness Underground. He flew up from Asheville North Carolina as our producer in Minneapolis and was the guiding light for multiple editing revisions.
He brought a fresh perspective to the project that became essential in telling this deep nuanced story.
This episode was recorded at the Auxbus podcast studio in...
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MXHELuzxVbY
Siân Walmsley Krubeck did the heavy lifting of story editing and color for our feature documentary Witness Underground.
In this episode we dive into the process, challenges, clashes, pressures, frustrations, and successes of working together in our first discussion after creating the film. She has since worked on several other films and also written her ...
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/i8zV6W-lKiE
Subscribe if you like this content.
Former Elder in Jehovah's Witnesses, Gary Alt, was even a long-time "Bethelite," a worker at their world headquarters called Watchtower (a book publishing company masquerading as a religion). One of his contributions while there was cultural. He was asked to host a monthly music entertainment night at...
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kyhAPbxw9Rs
Subscribe there if you like this content.
Our Co-Producer, Anthony Mathenia, meets up with Scott Homan and Ryan Sutter in an engaging conversation highlighting his film work with Outlaw films, and the four books he wrote.
From Outlaw Films
Free to watch with ads on Tubi:
Dope Men: America's First Drug Cartel
https://tubitv.com/m...
Watch this special episode on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/live/cYA8AmHud-4
Rewrite your subconscious with Jonam's self-authorship hypnotherapy program!
We jump into how it works and the process you'll experience when you start.
Courteously made available to backers, Jonam Ross's course can help with recovery from trauma and much more.
You will learn how to become your own hypnothe...
Youtube Version of this episode:
https://youtube.com/live/4zuAoAVoX2E
Scott Ariza, Hyouhen in the gaming world, joined Witness Underground for our film release launch on Kickstarter. Scott and I are both connected to great people in the film world in Los Angeles through Filmocracy Film Festival. That group has become a really important community and film festival for Witness Underground. Scott and I met through the Fil...
Youtube Version of this episode:
https://youtube.com/live/9_cib9UF8C8
Klaas De Loose with Monster Match Studios joined Witness Underground to bring it to the professional level that you see today.
Let’s dive into his music and illustrations!
Check out his work at
https://mnstrmtch.com
From Klaas:
"As a Jehovah's Witness, I used to be a people pleaser and that also ref...
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/live/ZkyWnvYqe7w
Denise Braitsch wrote Rising From the Ashes of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Available now https://a.co/d/0tgc9e7
Listen to her music, subscribe to her newsletter for The Past Life Detective, and more here:
https://linktr.ee/isisiallthings
Witness Underground is the only film to humanize cult life & survival via self...
Watch on YouTube now:
https://youtube.com/live/Zpl13FTgfWo
We're joined in this special episode by Augustus Watkins, drummer in the band Ghost Army, featured in Witness Underground the documentary and Motion Picture Soundtrack. Augustus is prolific in his creation of music and next level in promotion. Dive into his work here:
Get Ghost Army's Album Sleepywood Dojo. https://ghostarmympls.bandcamp.com...
Watch this episode on YouTube now:
https://youtube.com/live/76y2DjgtKbQ
Get Micah Allen Losh's Apostasy Trilogy as physical copies.
Info: https://www.micahallenlosh.com/theapostasytrilogy
Store - Special Discount on the Apostate Trilogy:
https://witness-underground-cult-documentary-release.pledgebox.com/preorder
The Apostasy Trilogy is the most interesting and exciting book series in th...
Watch on YouTube now:
https://youtu.be/c9Q5U4afGxE
Danielle Martain is connected to every person featured in the Witness Underground documentary. Check out her podcast, Failure to Thriving! instagram.com/failuretothriving
Listen to their albums:
https://puffpuff.bandcamp.com/album/echo
Witness Underground is the only film to humanize cult life & survival via self-expression.
Within t...
http://www.WitnessUnderground.com
We've launched the Kickstarter campaign of our dreams! Support the film and the community.
32 donated albums, 9 E-Books, HD Documentary with Extras, Soundtrack, and more. Everything we could think of!
Matthew Smiley, a long-time supporter on Patreon, pledged to become an Associate Producer, to support Witness Underground to help us get onto streaming platforms in our gen...
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