Bridge Entertainment Labs@BridgeEntLabs
Eden Stiffman’s latest for the @Philanthropy captures the strategic bet behind our work: inspiring the entertainment industry to create better stories of us: “This Nonprofit Whispers in Hollywood’s Ear About Polarization. They Hope You Tune In.”
Stiffman explains that BEL focuses on turning research into practical insights that storytellers can apply. The goal isn’t to make storytellers “eat their vegetables” or to introduce explicit bridging themes into every story; instead it’s to make small changes that might encourage audiences to think more deeply about a certain character or group. As BEL CEO @StevenOlikara says, stories don’t merely inform people. They shape what feels normal, what feels possible, and who feels recognizable. With Bridge Entertainment Labs, the goal is to move beyond “us versus them” narratives.
.
This work is also subtle. As Erica Lynn Rosenthal, director of research at the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California, puts it, “When people feel like they’re being preached to or manipulated … they tend to shut down and reject the message.” The best stories feel authentic, not didactic.
As Steven says: “If it feels like a lesson, it doesn’t work.”
As Stiffman points out, our work is about reaching a Hollywood that values viewpoint diversity. “There are many more people in the entertainment industry, storytellers we work with who are more heterodox in their views, beliefs, and political opinions, than people would realize,” Steven says. “They almost come out quietly to us. They feel like we are a trusted space where they can truly be their full selves and not have to silence certain parts of them for fear of being canceled.”
And, while this kind of work can be slow, it’s also very powerful. Hollywood has used storytelling to move the needle on issues from drunk driving to gay marriage. Indeed, BEL’s efforts are already driving real change within the entertainment industry. As Steven puts it: “We just see more and more of an effort among storytellers to connect our mission to the work that they’re doing. It’s now really part of the zeitgeist in the industry.”
🙏🙏@flyingwrestler
Link to the article in comments!
