Reel Medicine Media (formerly Jessica Zitter Media) is a documentary and impact studio that lifts the veil on the end-of-life experience. Founded by Dr. Jessica Zitter, the studio’s mission is to use film and storytelling to restore humanity to the care experience of seriously ill and dying patients. Throughout her twenty-five years as an ICU physician, Dr. Zitter has had a front-row seat to the public health crisis of over-mechanized dying. Her mission is to unveil this hidden crisis through the personal stories of real patients and their personal and professional caregivers— and to envision a new way forward. Whether caring for patients, making films, writing, or speaking on the national stage, her message is clear: We must bring more honesty, compassion, and justice to the care of patients with serious and end-stage illness. In that way, we will achieve the best life possible for all of us.
In April of 2022, Catherine King was appointed Executive Director with responsibility for organizational strategy and operations. Catherine’s leadership experience, background in storytelling, media, advocacy campaigns, strategic partnerships, and management of social good organizations will help advance the studio’s goals to increase awareness, reach, and impact.
Building upon a decades-long commitment to storytelling and narrative medicine, Dr. Zitter has been engaged in several influential projects. Her acclaimed first book, Extreme Measures: Finding A Better Path to the End of Life, offers an insider’s view of intensive care in America and its impact on how we die. Her hospital work is featured in the 2017 Oscar- and Emmy-nominated short-documentary Extremis. The studio’s recent film, Caregiver: A Love Story (2020), is an award-winning, 24-minute documentary short which explores the public health crisis of family caregiver burden. You can view the trailer here. If you are interested in hosting a screening, you can access the full film through Good Docs.
The studio’s upcoming documentary feature film, The Chaplain of Oakland, will address one of healthcare’s hidden tragedies: racial healthcare inequities at the end of life. It follows Betty Clark, a 78-year-old African American hospital chaplain, as she cares for the old, the sick, and the dying. As audiences follow her through the halls of the hospital and out into the community of Oakland, California, they are invited to see the medical system through an entirely new lens, one which will inspire personal reflection and stoke meaningful change. The team is seeking partnership and support as they enter production and post-production stages. For more information, contact project coordinator, Gloria Houston, at gloria@jessicazitter.com.
The studio joined C-TAC to access the large pool of resources and expertise to help inform their film and media-based education and impact campaigns. Jessica Zitter Media’s work deeply aligns with C-TAC’s own organizational mission to reduce disparities at the end of life and ensure person-centered care based on an individual’s goals, needs, and preferences. They hope to inspire broad cultural and behavioral change amongst healthcare providers around the medical treatment of patients with serious and end-stage illness. The team looks forward to further collaborating with a network of equally passionate and dedicated healthcare professionals, thought leaders, and community members, who all share the goal of improving the way we die in America.
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