Online Program

Oral

From transgender police officers to cross border romance and to the rights of pregnant and parenting teens, UCLA's Global Media Center for Social Impact, connects scriptwriters to experts on social justice and public health topics for their scripts. Research suggests that storylines in popular television shows can have significant impact beyond what is seen in traditional informational campaigns. This session will introduce the results of work whose mission is to inspire Hollywood’s writers and producers to create storylines that improve health and well-being, and to use social media to move viewers from inspiration to action. The session also will provide examples from the past ten years of health and social justice storylines on TV, film and new media, and how they have had a profound impact on viewers’ knowledge and behavior. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn how public health professionals can use storytelling to reach stakeholders at the individual, community and national levels.

Session Objectives: Discuss the process of partnering with health experts, scriptwriters and producers to increase the quality and accuracy of health content in popular media.