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Please tell us about your company Moonshine Agency and its focus.

Sue:  Moonshine Agency is an impact film production house. We're based out of Melbourne, Australia. Striving to influence policy, educate the public, and inspire social change, we mostly produce documentaries and focus on areas that provide hope, with many of our stories exploring cancer or palliative care.

Mike:  A big focus of our work in the last 5 years has been around our Conquering Cancer Campaign documentary series, which has grown beyond belief. It just ticked over a million subscribers this week on YouTube, which is a big milestone, and indicates how many people are interested in this area. What unites our stories is that they focus on finding hope for the future, that one day we’ll overcome cancer and control it in our lifetime.

Current global research reveals that Australia has the highest melanoma incidence rate, New Zealand leads in death rate for melanoma, and the United States ranks number one in incidence rate for overall skin cancers. What striking similarities and differences have you found with the Conquering Skin Cancer USA documentary versus the Australia edition?

Sue: That’s a really good question. There are a lot of similarities in behavior, particularly in that people don't tend to understand the risks of exposure to UV through the sun.  One of the key differences is that in the US, solariums, also called tanning beds, are still legal in most States. Whereas in Australia, there was a complete ban that you cannot use a solarium or sunbed legally in Australia. By using tanning beds, there is a very significant risk of developing melanoma. So, there's been a lot more awareness around that.

Mike: In Australia, there's a national identity where Australians see themselves as being from a “Sunburnt Country,” which is a term that we use a lot.  So, the country itself is burnt by the sun, as are all the people in it. Another cultural norm is the idea of the bronzed Aussie, which is a very tan person. These cultural stereotypes are not very helpful, and I actually found it very refreshing working in the States and seeing that there is more individual responsibility for looking after one's skin health compared to what we see in Australia. Perhaps in Australia we are overly reliant on governments’ changing policies, which is very important in public health. However, with skin cancer, individual responsibility is really where the focus needs to be. There are so many things that we can do to look after ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities. I feel there are some terrific examples of that happening in different parts of the States that we visited. We’ve traveled to the East Coast, the West Coast, and Texas and Florida, and saw terrific examples of community action in the US, which has given us a lot of hope.

What do you wish to achieve through this documentary?

Sue: One of the primary goals of the documentary is to raise awareness for people to better understand the risks of exposure to the sun, and what they can do to reduce their own personal risk, like using sunscreen, wearing hats and protective clothing, staying in the shade during peak UV times. Those kinds of behaviors can make an enormous difference in people's long-term risk of developing skin cancer. The more people understand that the more they can actually take on the messaging and change their behavior. Just from working on this film, my behaviors changed. I am now very particular about wearing sunscreen every single day, whereas before it was…I'd probably wear it in the summer, but not worry so much in winter or that sitting in the shade is actually a better option than baking myself in the sun. Not that I've done that for years. So, even as a filmmaker, I've changed my behavior because I better understand the information.

Mike: Helping to tell the story about skin cancer in the United States and elsewhere is the key thing. If you have that story in your mind, it can help you adjust your behavior. And for me, that story starts with the sun, and actually realizing that there is radiation coming out of the sun, which is not something we think about all the time, but it's something we need to be aware of in order to look after ourselves. If we accept that there is radiation being emitted from the sun, that it's higher at different times of day, different times of year, and in different parts of the United States, then we can adjust our behavior to look after ourselves. Embedding that story is part of the work that we’re focused on.

How can our readers watch the video?

Mike: The video is just coming online now. Your readers should subscribe to the YouTube channel and get free access to lots of amazing video content. If they'd like to watch the feature film, it’s available to license. To subscribe to the Channel, get free content, or license the video, visit ConqueringCancerCampaign.com.

What final thoughts would you like readers to take away from this interview?

Mike: Wipeout Melanoma California and the amazing leadership of the Stanford Cancer Institute has been hugely inspiring for us and a key feature of our work  We are so thankful for everyone who participated in Northern California.

Sue: For people to see the documentary, take on board the messaging, and look after themselves is the underlying key to the film—it  encourages people to take care of their health and put their skincare first.