The Culture Report.
Entertainment
HBO Max partners with Calm to help its subscribers relax.
HBO Max has ordered 10 episodes of World of Calm, a series based on the app’s audio stories. According to the streaming service, the show is being called “a timely antidote for our modern lives, each half-hour episode takes audiences on an immersive visual journey into another world.” Talent announced to narrate episodes include Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Nicole Kidman, Zoë Kravitz, Lucy Liu, Cillian Murphy and Keanu Reeves.
Music
Selena Gomez Launches the Rare Impact Fund
On Tuesday, Selena Gomez launched Rare Impact Fund through her makeup brand. Over the next 10 years, the goal of the venture is to raise $100m through donations to provide mental health services for underserved communities. Alongside the organization, she created Rare Beauty Mental Health Council to advise on strategy, with its members listed below.
● Dr. Marc Brackett, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
● Dr. Scott L. Rauch, President of McLean Hospital
● Dr. Jane Delgado, National Alliance for Hispanic Health
● Elyse Fox, Sad Girls Club CEO
● Katrina Gay, NAMI National Director of Strategic Partnerships
● Justin Tranter, singer
● Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief
● Gretchen Rubin, author
● Jennifer Cohen, Sephora VP of Merchandising
● Kit Hayes, YouTube Global Social Impact Marketing Director
Tech
Snapchat Partners With Headspace For In-App Meditation Experience
Building off of last week’s wellness content in India, Snapchat unveiled a partnership with Headspace in its update on Monday. As part of a mini app inside of Snapchat, it contains 3-4 minute guided meditations that users can do either on their own or alongside friends. This is one of four mini apps that Snapchat is rolling out this week.
Pinterest Data Shows Millions Globally Are Focusing on Wellbeing Practices
On Tuesday, Pinterest released data on its search trends and, finding that from February to May, the platform had the highest searches ever around mental wellness ideas including meditation (+44%), gratitude (+60%) and positivity (+42%). According to their research, Pinterest users are 20% more likely than the rest of the population to have mental and emotional wellbeing top of mind during COVID-19. Other notable search increases over this time period:
- Stress relief activities (up 4.7x)
- Self care night routine (up 7x)
- Mindfulness activities for kids (up 3x)
In addition, platform also unveiled #pinterestselfcare, a special version of their search that allows users to access mental health resources
Sports
UFC Fighters Robert Whittaker & Darren Till on Their Mental Health Struggles
On Saturday, Robert Whittaker and Darren Till will fight each other as the main event. This week, both spoke with Bleacher Report about the mental health challenges fighting has had on their lives. Last year, Whittaker opened up about being depressed which caused him to step away from UFC, while Till discussed anxiety he felt ahead of his previous fight. Whittaker says it’s "much more common that everybody thinks" UFC fighters rarely discuss their mental health challenges. The fight will be streamed on ESPN+ at 8pm tomorrow, with Wittaker opening as the favorite (-120).
