Your Issue Here: Working with Hollywood to Deliver Your Message to Millions

"Most writers and producers do not view it as their responsibility to promote a cause,
nor do they see television as a marketing tool for public interest organizations. Still, they are interested in any information, whether it's new research or the true story of a person's experience with a given disease, which can ultimately serve as the catalyst for a story they do want to tell. It is possible, in other words, for these two very different worlds to intersect without colliding."

Published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), this 48-page report includes case examples of, and strategies for, partnerships between public interest organisations and the creative community in Hollywood, California, United States. It focuses especially on the notion of integrating pro-social messages and storylines into entertainment-education programming broadcast on television, in particular. This approach is based on the observation that television shows tend to be a weekly, even daily, event that can continue to reach and influence their audiences for years; further, the typical TV series requires a constant feeding of ideas and subject matter to sustain it because it airs so frequently. In contrast, films can take years from inception to final product, and are usually a one-time, 2-hour experience. Similarly, by virtue of its brevity, the public service announcement (PSA) cannot go into much depth.

The authors provide several examples of the way in which TV shows - such as "reality" programmes and daytime dramas - can "be a force for good by dispensing invaluable information and imparting worthy messages to viewers." For instance, in 2002, then-director of communications and events at the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (OIF) sought ways to raise his organisation's profile and to identify those afflicted with the genetic disorder who were not already listed in the organisation's database. Connecting with the producer of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a reality show airing Sunday nights in the United States, led to the feature of a family whose son suffers from OI. Airing in November 2004, this episode was broadcast "to a prime time audience in the millions. Within minutes of its conclusion, the OIF website was registering dozens of new members. Within days, hundreds of people had sent emails to the foundation requesting information. The number of hits to the site increased by 103% from the previous November, and the number of first time visitors increased by 143%."

Based on examples like these, and the authors' research, 14 specific principles are offered here - first summarised in list form and then described in detail - for public interest organisations seeking to draw on this strategy. Among them: "keep it light to shine a light: Serious issues are not confined to dramas; situation comedies can also find ways to tell your story, even when the potential consequences are far from amusing." To cite only 2 of the other recommendations, the authors suggest drawing on celebrity spokespersons to "help you cut through the clutter to get your message across to millions", as well as rewarding the entertainment community through ceremonies that attract local attention to a cause. Specific suggestions for creating and building relationships and collaborations within the Hollywood context are offered, drawing on illustrations of cooperation between nonprofits and producers of specific TV series.

In conclusion, the authors stress that "Conveying a message that Hollywood writers and producers can absorb and then shape into one that meshes with their creative impulses is a delicate act....but the pay-off - the opportunity to shape television programming and the opinions and behaviors of millions of viewers - makes it worthwhile."