Ep 085: Still Alice, Shrinking, and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)

Writer and creative producer Helene Taylor joins us to talk about her recent diagnosis with Frontotemporal Dementia, or FTD. Throughout this conversation, we cover what FTD is, how it is diagnosed, and what to do now to reduce cognitive decline.

We also discussed films such as Still Alice, which represents dementia in a very real way, especially when it comes to the experience of carers, and Shrinking, which shows a character figuring out how to maintain autonomy and live life with a degenerative disease. We also talked about the importance of prioritizing important experiences in our lives, including going to events like TIFF, where we also saw other dementia related films such as The Road Not Taken and Arrested Memories.

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Music: Deppisch
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ABOUT OUR GUEST

Helene Taylor is a West Coast screenwriter with a passion for unearthing compelling stories from history, IP, and today’s headlines. Her fascination with science and the human spirit drives her to craft narratives reimagined through the lens of female protagonists—brilliant minds, bold thinkers, and everyday heroines. She loves to navigate hybrid genres from comedy and procedurals to grounded sci-fi. Whether exploring societal shifts or untangling scientific breakthroughs, Helene creates stories that illuminate the power of curiosity and resilience.

Helene is a former brand manager, communications coordinator, copywriter, unscripted producer/story editor, and most recently, an alumna of the Pacific Screenwriter's Program Scripted Series Lab 2024. She has three scripted television projects in development thanks to a partnership with Elevation Pictures and the financial participation of Bell and Creative BC Funds. She is the recipient of the 2022 WIFTV/Whistler Film Festival Marketplace Mentorship Talent Program (Weyburn), the 2021 PSP/WFF Storyroom Talent Program, and a Canadian Cable Television Award (unscripted/Producer). One of her current projects, Chronicles of a Radioactive Girl Scout, includes a mentorship with Simon Barry (Warrior Nun), and The Grifting Van Deusens is in partnership with co-creator Corner Gas alumni (Co-creator, Showrunner Andrew Carr; talent and muse Tara Spencer-Nairn).

Her Central Audio Processing Disorder (hearing disability), coupled with a belated understanding of ADHD never diagnosed in her childhood, cracked her world wide open later in life, shedding light on her lifelong struggles to fit in. Additionally, discovering a pituitary brain tumour made her even more understanding of the hidden disability community.

She's worked in the film and television industry for twenty years in Vancouver and New York above and below the line starting as a Production Assistant on set and gradually moved on to script reader, researcher and development exec assistant. She worked for New York City's Film Centre, ABC Primetime, LAByrinth Theatre Company and Creative Acting Company while studying to be a playwright (LAB masters program), screenwriter and sketch comedy and improv (Upright Citizen's Brigade)(Second City)(Atlantic Theater Company). Helene eventually worked as an actor in several tv series (see IMBD) and Second Team for tv series such as NURSE JACKIE, MERCY, PRIME SUSPECT. She's spent over a decade on film sets in a variety of positions and in film studios in non-union (2nd AD, 2nd 2nd, Greens) and union positions (SAG/AFTRA).

ABOUT ORANGE KNAPSACK PRODUCTIONS

Orange Knapsack Productions (OKP) searches out compelling stories torn from the headlines, history, or IP, and harnesses their narrative power to reimagine events through the POV of a female protagonist. OKP is the brainchild of Helene Taylor, a cynical, childfree, orphaned adult of the forgotten Generation X. She writes about unconventional bonds, the search for acceptance, and how our societal systems piss her off.

OKP creates female-forward, history-adjacent stories we want to watch.

OKP is committed to exploring diverse narratives that challenge stereotypes. We showcase women as they are: multifaceted individuals who embody strength and vulnerability, from scientists to medical professionals, entrepreneurs, and even grifters who can rise to the top under any circumstances. Our goal is to make a substantial impact in the marketplace with projects that are created and developed by women to ensure our stories are authentic, with diverse female representations of all ages and generations. At OKP, we want to create kick-ass stories that feature kick-ass women doing kick-ass things and prove that these narratives will captivate a broad audience.