Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ian Stout. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ian, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project to date is the current feature-length narrative film project that we are now, as of August 2023, deep in pre-production on called, “The Way Through”. The film is about a fictional character, Ethan, who is a composite of my own lived experiences as well as those of many other military veterans who have found healing through underground psychedelic therapy. MDMA-assisted therapy and psilocybin mushroom journeys that were guided by a professional have greatly helped me find relief from the lingering depression tied to my PTSD. After discovering the healing potentials of these medicines I began noticing that many combat veterans, still in the hardest part of their PTSD journey and many of whom were diagnosed with Treatment Resistant PTSD, were becoming free from PTSD after receiving MDMA-assisted therapy. It was mind-blowing to witness them make these incredible healing leaps in as few as two or three sessions.

It was amazing to see my lived experiences as a combat veteran, my own healing journey, and my love of filmmaking all beautifully fit together for this project. I felt called to share this “insider’s view” of the healing journey out of PTSD through the lens of psychedelic medicines and the wisdom keepers who provide these experiences. “The Way Through” is by far the most personal film project I’ve ever taken on.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After returning from 15 months in a combat zone in Iraq I initially found some relief by first exiting normal “9 to 5” society. I became a snowboard instructor in the winters and a whitewater raft guide in the summers. 300+ days a year spent fully outdoors in the wild is where my healing journey clearly began. Yoga and meditation were a huge part of the equation as well, and after 5 years living this new kind of life style I knew I would never be able to have a “real” job ever again. So, I followed my love of creating snowboard films with my friends into three straight years of film school, resulting in a BFA and a newfound love for writing and directing dramatic work. Armed with these new skills I formed an LLC, Vertica Productions, and became a full time freelance filmmaker. It quickly became clear to me what kinds of clients I wanted to serve. I found myself making documentaries with fellow animal and human rights activists as well as music videos with artists who I felt had an authentic and often altruistic message to share. Another piece of the freelance pie for me was creating promotional videos for local creatives looking to enhance their online presence. I continued to write, direct and collaborate with many local filmmakers helping to produce, shoot, and even act in a hand full of narrative feature films. Now it’s time to tell the most vulnerable story that I have to offer, that of my own unique healing journey out of PTSD through the eye-opening lens of psychedelics.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Every single step on the creative journey of becoming a filmmaker has in one way or another been a pivot. I think that’s what makes it all work: one’s ability to pivot. Giving up the “9 to 5” way of doing and thinking was a pivot. Realizing I didn’t want to scoop up the “easy” (or should I say, more readily available) money, shooting weddings, real estate, and corporate videos was a conscious pivot. Moving away from certain kinds of freelance work and towards others that better fit my skills and personal interests was a conscious pivot. And this film project for “The Way Through” started out as a documentary. But when Covid shut down the world and all our momentum and traction for the doc came to a halt, I asked myself, “do you still want to tell this story?”The answer was yes.

But I also wanted to write and produce narrative work as well. In the first few months of the pandemic, my local filmmaker buddy, Jon Garcia, and I decided to write a love story about two people falling in love online during a pandemic. And with the world “shut down” we were able to pivot into producing and rapidly complete a feature-length narrative film titled, “Love in Dangerous Times.” It’s now available on all major streaming platforms. That gave me the confidence to take this documentary-style idea about the healing power of psychedelic medicine and spin it into a narrative feature film. And the best part about this particular pivot for me was that I truly feel a dramatic narrative is an even better medium to tell this kind of story. We can really delve deep into the human psyche and quite literally show the healing process in a dramatic and entertaining way that is bound to capture the imagination.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

“The Way Through” is a mission-driven project from start to finish. First and foremost, we want to tell an honest and impactful story that shows not only the healing potential of psychedelic medicines but also some of the more dangerous missteps one can make if you do not approach the medicine in a mindful way. We want to inspire hope in those still struggling with PTSD that there are now so many paths to healing available through a myriad of psychedelic medicines. We want to celebrate the incredible work of so many underground therapists as well as all the emerging above-ground therapists now becoming certified and available to help guide the way. Finally, a huge portion of the film’s profits will go directly towards the cost of treatment for underprivileged communities seeking help. We are already partnered with multiple nonprofits in the psychedelic space that are set up to do just this. It’s so exciting to see every part of this filmmaking career and my own personal healing journey come together to create such an important film that has the potential to touch millions of lives in a profound way. Here’s to art, creativity, philanthropy, and helping to co-create a future where we all get to find the healing that we need!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ianstout.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-stout-665223211/
• Other: The film’s website: https://www.thewaythroughfilm.com Vertica Productions website: https://www.verticaproductions.com

Image Credits
Daniel Velasquez Heidi Long Molly Muse A. B. Cook Britt Harris