Description: Entertainment doesn’t just reflect the world; it helps rewrite it. Yet, investment in media for impact still relies largely on intuition. Drawing on a global analysis of 200,000+ films across 20+ countries and rigorous evidence from the US and Global South, this panel shows what works, and what doesn’t, in shifting social norms. From AI mapping how narratives reinforce gender roles across industries, to edutainment doubling HIV testing in Nigeria, the evidence is clear: well-designed storytelling delivers measurable, scalable impact. For investors, this demonstrates that storytelling is not a “soft” tool, but a science that can be optimized for health and equity.
Speakers:
- T. Oluwaseyi Ishola, Research Consultant & Program Co-Lead, Edutainment Program, Development Impact, World Bank
- Johanna Blakley, Managing Director, Norman Lear Center, University of Southern California
- Victor Orozco-Olvera, Senior Economist & Program Lead, Edutainment Program, Development Impact, World Bank
- Sunny Rai, Research Scientist, University of Pennsylvania