Entertainment-education, American style: Informing and studying Hollywood's portrayals of social issues

Abstract

In this chapter, we tell the story of the emergence and evolution of a uniquely American form of EE. We discuss how the Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S) approach differs from both traditional EE as practiced in the developing world and the strategies of advocacy groups in the US. We share several case studies from our outreach to the creative community and research on the content and impact of entertainment narratives. These stories are shared from the perspective of Kate Langrall Folb, an early pioneer in American EE and the director of HH&S since 2012, and Erica Rosenthal, a communication researcher who led HH&S research from 2011 to 2019 and now oversees the broader Lear Center research portfolio. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of lessons learned and best practices.